February 1810, and Lavender and Woods have been dispatched to Middleton Northants to investigate the death of a man William Sculthorpe who is believed to have been murdered by the notorious Panther Gang.
But they soon discover there is more of a mystery to the death then they thought, secrets start to be uncovered.
Hoping that the romantic aspects of the series are kept to a minimum as in this book.
Very enjoyable and interesting tale, and I am really liking these two Bow Street officers.
A NetGalley Book ( )

Once more on a quest to the hinterlands, Lavender and Woods seek a murderer but unearth other serious crimes. Murderous gangs are taken down but it takes real patience to unravel the murder through the evidence of an autistic boy. ( )

This is the third in the series of murder mystery novels set in early nineteenth century England featuring Bow Street Runners Detective Stephen Lavender and Constable Ned Woods. This case takes them up to Northamptonshire to investigate the vicious bludgeoning of an elderly man William Sculthorpe in his home, based loosely on a true case the historical Stephen Lavender solved. Needless to say, all is not as it seems, and numerous other characters are up to no good of various shades, and the plot involves a heady mixture of: various gangs terrorising the county; hidden Catholics (at a time when Catholicism was no longer illegal but still not generally accepted); substituted babies; lost family members; poisonous mushrooms; and lots of ale and pies, especially consumed by our two heroes. I love this series. The central duo are a likeable and believable pair and you can imagine their rich lives outside the plots of these novels. The other characters are also a rich and colourful array from all levels of society, and in all sorts of circumstances. Another great book by this author. ( )

This is the third in a series of historical detective stories set in 18th century England. There are two detectives who are very much like Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in that one is serious and intelligent while the other one is older and a bit of a bumbler with a comic side. The books in this series could be described as cosy mysteries but they create a really believable atmosphere with credible characters. The plot is engaging and it held my interest to the end. Will definitely read more in this series. ( )

I have always loved historical mysteries and so I was curious and hopeful when I requested to read this book even though it is third in a series.
The setting is Northamptonshire in 1810 when two Bow Street policemen, Detective Lavender and Constable Woods are sent from London to Middleton to investigate a very grisly and violent murder.
There are so many red herrings, multiple plots. and colorful characters in this book. Karen Charlton has a gift for describing the scene and atmosphere so well that I really felt as if I was there and when I "returned" to modern times that I had taken away some knowledge about this time period.
I was very impressed with the end of the story where Ms. Carlton talks about how she came up with the idea for the book and I was very impressed with the amount of research she did. She includes some actual historical figures as characters, and crimes that really did happen.
This is a tiny bit of reference to people and happenings that occur in the first two books but it does not detract from the book in any way.
I absolutely loved this book. I love this time period with the beginnings of modern police. I remember reading Bruce Alexander's Sir John Fielding mysteries and was so sad when he passed away as I really enjoyed that mystery series. I am just so thrilled to have found another author who writes this kind of book with such accuracy and talent. I will definitely be reading the first two books in this series to catch up and waiting for the next one.
I received a copy from the publishers for free in exchange for an honest review. ( )