This is a thought provoking historical crime drama with Leo Stanhope, a transgender coroner's assistant, set in Victorian London. Born Charlotte Pritchard, he has 2 siblings, and feels an absolute conviction he is a man, cruelly made to live within the body of a woman, he leaves home at 15 years old, unable to live a lie any longer. He is estranged from his family and only connects with his sister, Jane, although she is not happy to see him. It begins with the arrival of the drowned body of Jack Flowers, a man deemed to be drunk who accidentally fell into the Thames. Leo is a frequent visitor to the brothel on Half Moon Street, to see the love of his life, Maria Milanes, who appears to reciprocate his feelings despite being a prostitute. Leo is horrified, shocked and griefstricken when Maria's dead body arrives at the coroner's office. He vows to find out how she died, unaware of where this will lead him and the danger it will place him in.

It does not take long for Leo to grasp that he barely knew Maria, a woman born Maria Mills into highly impoverished circumstances, which shapes her into a person who will do whatever it takes to survive. Her funeral gives Leo an opportunity to see and meet others from her life, including the brothel owner, James Bentinck, a man who claims family connections with the powerful Bentinck family and his bookkeeper, Miss Nancy Gainsford. Before long, Leo is arrested as the main suspect for Maria's murder by the police, but they are forced to release him after behind the scenes pressure is put on them. Leo encounters midwife and abortionist Madame Moreau, looks into other clients of Maria, feels betrayed, begins to glimpse the covert and depraved trade in human trafficking, and the misery and horror that it entails. As he begins to get closer to Rosie Flowers, pie maker extraordinaire, he begins to discern that there is a connection between Maria and Jack Flowers death. Leo is to be tested to the limits, whilst endeavouring to avoid being discovered as transgender, determined to discover the truth behind Maria's death.

Reeve writes a compelling piece of historical fiction, outlining the risks women have to endure and the powerless and precarious positions they face in Victorian London and creates a mesmerising central character in Leo. Reeve gives a psychological portrayal of the vulnerable Leo, having to live with the risks and dangers of being transgender in unenlightened times, it is scarcely much easier in today's world. Very few people know the real Leo, and he is forced to reinforce a self protective barrier between himself and the world. I should warn readers that they may find the brutality, abuse and rape outlined in the novel too much for them. One of my favourite parts of the novel is the growing close relationship between the strong and indomitable Rosie and Leo. A fantastic read which I recommend highly. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC.

This is a well written book however it did not deliver what I had hoped. I feel the police involvement was not as true to the era as it should have been.
I will probably read the next book though.

Atmospheric and descriptive with a main character you really care for, this story as well written and likable. I was intrigued from the very start by it's twisty quirkiness and I especially liked Leo's (the MC) strong, narrative voice. I don't usually read books like this but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'd really like to read more to the series.

An atmospheric historical crime novel set in Victorian London. The protagonist is Leo Stanhope who is transgender and only a few trusted friends know. But Leo's world comes crashing down when the love of his life Maria is found dead and Leo is arrested and accused of her murder.
I really liked this, it reminded me of the Jem Flockhart series by E S Thomson. I
Will definitely read more in this series.

Leo Stanhope is a complex character and is warm and extremely likeable, I wanted him to thrive and do well. There is a vulnerability to him that is endearing. This take is atmospheric and beautifully depicts London in this time. The other characters are varied and well rounded and the book is well written, easily read and enjoyable. Looking forward to further in this series.

This is a unique spin on historical fiction! The main character is transgender which I’d never come across before in this type of novel and it was a very unique way of telling a story. The entire novel felt different and more dangerous as the world certainly was back then - for transgender people it must have been unimaginable!

There is a fair bit of sexual intrigue and misogynistic detail in the book which I didn’t always like - a bit too much of anything gets a bit repetitive - but on the whole, it was a unique story to tell.

Leo’s transgender identity makes for an intriguing novel. I don’t begin to understand the hopes, fears of someone like this and in the 1880s, this raises the tension and awkwardness in society. I got to like him and as a character, he’s someone I would definitely like to know more about.

With all this, there’s very much a good plot and great character development and the novel carries itself along with ease.

I wanted to read The House on Half Moon Street as the description of Leo Stanhope as a coroner’s assistant indicated that it would deal with Victorian forays into investigative policing, post mortem and the like. That’s not really the case and I was a bit disappointed when I realised this. However the book developed into a very good read with Leo Stanhope leading the cast of interesting and often beguiling characters. Leo is a complex character and his journey through the complex crime he is trying to solve is like one of his chess games. Such a great story and I look forward to reading a sequel as Leo deserves to live on! A great debut novel, very accomplished.

First of all, I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The House on Half Moon Street has three fundamental sides to it: it's a crime novel, a historical novel, and a character study of its protagonist Leo all in one. This shouldn't feel revolutionary - after all, this combination isn't exactly unheard-of - but the fact that Leo is a transgender man means that the exploration of his character and identity is inextricably linked to the realities of living as a transgender individual, which is something that is, unfortunately, still quite rare in contemporary literary fiction, let alone crime OR historical fiction, much less any other novels which fit into both of those genres. It's so wonderful to see how much more diverse modern literature is becoming, and the variety of voices that are finally able to be heard because of it.

As a crime novel, The House on Half Moon Street constructs an undeniably dark, gritty vision of 1880s London. At first I was quite concerned by how misogynistic the world it depicts is, but as always, there is a world of difference between a misogynistic setting and a misogynistic narrative, and while the novel does use a few tropes I wish it didn't - specifically, the main character's love interest is fridged, and there's a scene involving sexual assault - on the whole, the novel usually steers clear of the latter. I actually found it very interesting how Leo initially harboured some misogynistic convictions of his own, which were challenged and changed over the course of the novel, and it made him a much more interesting, nuanced character. Plus, the supporting cast was absolutely packed with incredible, complex women - Rosie! Constance! Madame Moreau! Lilya! Mrs Brafton! Jane! Audrey! Nancy! - all of whom had their own stories to tell, and the novel was greatly enriched by their presence.

The mystery at the core of the novel is also well crafted - I was able to figure out some aspects of it before they were revealed, which always tickles my ego nicely, but not all of it, and it was very satisfying when the last pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. I would say that the pacing could have been a little sharper in the middle, when there are a few overly repetitive internal monologues as Leo tries to work out what's going on, but all in all it was a great effort for a debut author, and I thought that there was a nice balance of plot and character development throughout.

Finally, Leo himself is a wonderful protagonist with a very compelling narrative voice - I can't wait to see what other adventures he gets into in the future!

Leo Stanhope works as a coroner's assistant in Victorian London, spending his leisure time frequenting a brothel on Half Moon Street and playing chess at a club. However, he is hiding the secret that he was born a woman and has fallen in love with one of the prostitutes at Half Moon Street. When she is found dead, Leo has to prove his innocence and seek out the true killer in London's seedy underworld.

I absolutely loved this book! I liked the twist that Leo has his own secrets to protect even as he uncovers everyone else's and the character was so appealing and human. The settings were wonderfully evoked and the supporting characters were interesting and well developed, especially Alfie and Constance who run the pharmacy where Leo lives. The mystery was well plotted and intriguing throughout.

I'd wholly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical crime fiction. I hope that this is the start of a series as I'd like to read more about Leo in the future.

thanks Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and netgalley for this ARC.

so much feelings in so short a story. its amazing what you'll get out of this narrative.

This is a great book, lovely period detail, modern and quirky. I’d read more in the series.