This is my first Blackstone novel, although it represents the sixth (and, so far, final) book in the series by Richard Falkirk. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read with a romp of an adventure which begins in 1820s London and progresses to New York when it was the post-War of Independence leader of American innovation.
Blackstone himself, a Bow Street Runner with a chequered past., is a cross between James Bond and Indiana Jones. In this novel he's on the trail of the pirate William Kidd's treasure. This quest is what brings him to New York and we see him moving in the circles of prominent Americans like John Jacob Astor. He connects with and adventurous young woman, named Fanny Campbell who ably proves herself Blackstone's equal when he finds himself in a few hairy situations.
I did enjoy the book but there were a few inaccuracies which didn't sit well with me. There's a mention of robins on Christmas cards in a book set in a period before they were in anyway popular. I'm nitpicking really as they didn't affect my enjoyment of the fast paced adventure. I especially enjoyed the character of Fanny Campbell, a 'modern' woman long before the Suffragettes who more than holds her own with the male characters. Her interest in hot air ballooning adds an extra twist of colour to the story that was very entertaining.
I don't know if I'll immediately seek out the other Blackstone books but this was an entertaining way to spend a few hours.

Edmund Blackstone, Bow Street Runner, manages to assign himself as a consultant to the New York police but while there he is really after Captain Kidd's lost treasure.
An enjoyable story with a likeable main character, who is 'helped' in his adventure by an emancipated Fanny Campbell.