Smoke and Silk: a compulsive historical mystery set in Victorian London

by Fiona Keating

'Atmospheric, intricate and authentic' ERIN KELLY
'Utterly immersive and completely compelling . . . A dazzling debut' D. V. BISHOP

***

DARKNESS LIES IN THE SHADOWS OF VICTORIAN LONDON

Opium, treachery, murder . . .

Pearl Fitzgerald arrives in Limehouse - London's very ­first Chinatown - to settle her late father's affairs and claim her inheritance. But when she unwittingly ­finds herself at the scene of a murder, her plans are thrown off course. Even more so by the alluring Mei, sister to the dead man. Utterly infatuated, Pearl promises Mei that she will bring her brother's killer to justice, and she dives into the East End's criminal underworld.

But in the city of smoke and silk, where cultures clash and the hangman's noose is always waiting, the truth comes at a cost. With each step of the investigation Pearl risks her livelihood, her relationship with Mei, and her life. Because the killer will strike again, and they're already hunting for the next victim . . .

Opium smuggling, murder and unexpected romance meet in this historical thriller for fans of Leonora Nattrass, Laura Shepherd-Robinson and Sarah Waters.

Genres: Historical

384 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Dan Bassett · Rating 4 out of 5]

London, 1888.
A killer stalks the streets of London….
Pearl Fitzgerald arrives in Limehouse - London’s very first Chinatown - to settle her father’s affairs and to finally claim what is rightfully hers.
If only it could be so simple.
However Pearl finds herself at the side of a soul slipping away from their mortal coil, a murder in cold blood, it seems this is just the start of her run of bad luck and more than unfortunate timing, even more so by the alluring and mysterious Mei, sister to the man Pearl witnessed lose his life.
Mei draws Pearl closer like the finest honey to a bee, completely and utterly infatuated, she quickly promises Mei’s brother shall have peace, and justice will be done to whoever is responsible for such a terrible crime, leading her down into the East End’s dark underworld full of misery, deception, and despair…
But in the city of smoke and silk, where cultures are at constant war with each other, and the hangman’s noose awaits its next neck to wind around, truth can be found but at a cost much more than most are willing to pay. Yet Pearl may have no choice but to yield what she must should she wish to achieve her goal.
With each tentative step of the investigation Pearl risks her relationship with Mel, her very livelihood, and most worrying of all, her life because the killer will strike again and they’re already longing for another victim….
A riveting, twisting, gripping tale of murder, secrets and Opium smuggling all make for a historical novel guaranteed to satisfy!

[Megs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pearl Fitzgerald returns to Limehouse—London's first Chinatown—to settle her late father's affairs and claim her inheritance. But Pearl finds herself at the scene of a murder and infatuated with the victim's sister, Mei. With Pearl's plans thwarted, she sets out to help find the killer and bring them to justice in the city of smoke and silk.

I loved the strong, immersive atmosphere in this book: Victorian London, opium dens, pubs, music halls, the docks of the Thames with all the hustle and bustle of sailors and shipments, and the Chinese community during that time period. The characters were great, especially Pearl, Mei, and the Match girls. It was a bit slow in parts, but I'm glad I continued and would love to read more from these characters.

[The Pastel Bookshelf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another disappointing read 🫠

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF around 100 pages. this book is not good.

[Karen Johnston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this as an advanced copy. Crime, thriller, whodunits are not really a book genre I read but, I figured a Victorian mystery in London might prove interesting. There's so much in this book that unfortunately just did not make sense. Our main character Pearl is half Chinese but her mother died in childbirth. Her surviving father and Uncle we assume are Irish with a last name like O'Dwyer so where does Pearl learn and become fluent in Cantonese? Pearl is widowed these last seven years as her husband died at sea where she returns home to avoid the poor house. Here, she stumbles across a gruesome murder that she somehow finds herself at the centre. What's even less believable in these Victorian murder mysteries (this isn't my first) how much the female protagonist inserts themselves and gets in the way. A couple of red herrings and really I didn't believe the murder reveal and had worked it out towards the end. Particularly their involvement in the match factory which also wasn't clear. What was even less believable for me was there's clearly a sequel or follow up at the end which I won't be reading.
Themes: murder, violence, disembowling, historic fiction, racism, Victorian London, sapphic, LGBTQIA+, LGBT

[oxi · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a book……….

the author has potential but the writing has a lot of room for improvement. while it got better towards the end, there were dozens of sentences with weak tenses and poor structure (see for example, "while she was pacing, she suddenly shivered." ch. 31) and it took me out of the immersion so many times. i also encountered the same paragraph twice, which just translates as a lack of editing to me.

what i didn’t like about this book was the poor pacing as well, i was bored for 70% of the book. and there were so many characters who made a first appearance and only came back 100 pages later and i’m sorry but i couldn’t remember them. especially important facts about them like that old jake was tommy’s uncle😭

also, main character you are definitely NOT fluent in chinese, don’t play with me😭 this is definitely a plot hole, especially considering the words she said as if she had ever used them in her life.

overall, it was like the middest book to ever mid but the author has potential to do something great one day with more editing and care.

[Scarlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for queer book club.

I enjoyed this - I love historical fiction and loved all of the historical details learning about this time in history. The murder mystery of it makes it quite a compulsive read- although I did guess the killer as it was a little obvious.

I of course love a lesbian romance however I wish there was a bit more actual romance - it sort of came from nowhere and it was hard to invest in their relationship. I don't think the characters were really developed enough.

The dialogue could really use some work and unfortunately there's a lot of it. It just felt very clunky and not how people speak, act or behave.

[Jennifer Maher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victorian London mysteries are the traditional territory of wealthy white characters and this book turns that on its head, with a mixed-race protagonist and a more accurate portrayal of the city dwellers, from every class level. I loved reading about the London docks as they actually were, instead of the whitewashed sanitized version. Can’t wait for the next one!

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one just didn't work for me. I feel I rolled my eyes too many times with this book.
I found the characters to have no depth.
They'd act , or speak in ways I couldn't imagine anyone ever doing.
No surprise on who the villain was, but I read right through to the end to make sure .

[Akshata · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot/main characters were so gripping! A bit far fetched at times plot wise but still such a enjoyable read

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good.
Some interesting twists and turns- the ending however predictable.
Loved the historical setting and representation of cultures.

[Jan Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

A joy to read, the characters are engaging but flawed and therefore very human. The story which effortlessly weaves historical events with the crime is truly wonderful, so please do get a copy as you won’t regret it.