Finding a Way, Delamere Files 1, by Jackson Marsh

[Ulysses]

Finding a Way (Delamere Files book 1)
By Jackson Marsh
Published by the author, 2023
Five stars

I’ve just discovered this marvelous series and have become an instant fan of Jackson Marsh (aka James Collins) and his Delamere novels.

Set in 1892, “Finding a Way” instantly presents a very different perspective on the Victorian period novel: a close look at the lives of the London cabbies who drove the hansom cabs and new their way through every street and lane of the imperial metropolis. Even today, the familiar black London cab—updated and much improved to suit modern needs—provides the same service with the same skills.

In this London, Larkin Chase, a self-styled journalist and researcher, comes across a cabbie, late at night, sobbing in the shadows. He diplomatically approaches the driver, Jack Merrit, and, offering him a good fare, seeks to find out the source of the cabbie’s grief.

Thus begins a long and complex story of Jack Merrit, his brother Will, and the denizens of London’s Limehouse district—the poor part of the great city, familiar through both Dickens and “Call the Midwife” on BBC; a world away from Larkin Chase’s elegant house and quirky staff. Chase, in his zeal to find truth and right social wrongs, inadvertently drags the Merrits into an ugly world of criminal gangs and corrupt constables. At the same time, Larkin falls for the stoic, handsome, skilled cabdriver, who seems to respond to him in the same way. Jack Merrit is confused at the journalist’s offer of friendship, since it comes from a world he doesn’t understand and taps into feelings he is afraid to acknowledge.

It is 1892, and same-sex relations are illegal (this is just before Oscar Wilde’s notorious fall from grace). As Chase’s involvement with the Merrit brothers turns dark, another character enters the scene, James Wright, an investigator for the Clearwater Detective Agency of Delamere House. Wright makes it clear to the Merrits and to Chase that he and his colleagues are allies—and in more than one way.

One of the most remarkable characters in the story is Will Merrit, who today would be classed as possibly on the autism spectrum, but definitely on the OCD spectrum. In the 1890s he is seen as mentally deficient, but the fact is he’s brilliant. An auto-didact, Will has taught himself about the world through books—borrowed and given within his community. Jack understands his brother and loves him, desperate to protect him from the world. Larkin Chase quickly understands how special Will is, and is forced to deal with Will’s blunt candor and rapid understanding of everything that goes on around him. It’s an extraordinary ingredient in an already fascinating, troubling story.

By the end of this book—which offers a disturbing hook to lead us to the next story—I was thoroughly addicted to the world Marsh has created. There are currently ten books in the Delamere files series, and I suspect I’ll be reading all of them.