This is a very different historical novel because the main character Leo is a transgender male .I really enjoyed this book set in Victorian London 1880,a crime thriller with a difference.The story is very well written and the descriptions made me feel I was really there .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review.

Leo is stuck in a body that doesn’t belong to him. He becomes tangled in a web of murder and confusion. Can he escape with his integrity in tact while discovering who murdered the live of his life?

Enjoyed the styloe of the writing and the story very much. A life lived in a fear of discovery was fascinating and well wrought. The formatting in this (proof) edition was a nightmare though and made reading it more difficult.

I feel a bit embarrassed that it took me a while to get around to reading this fabulous historical mystery with a difference. And my only excuse is that it arrived on my tbr accompanied by so many other great tales it took me lonegr than I wanted to get around to reading them all. This was worth the wait!

2018 has been for me THE year of the historical novel, with a plethora of wonderful, tempting new titles to entice and beguile me, and a delightful profusion of new historical fiction.

This one is no exception. A most entertaining, heartfelt and gripping murder mystery with twists aplenty and characters who entranced me.

This intriguing new title, features a hero I was a little unsure whether I'd relate to at first, but have to admit i fell head over heels in love with. Leo, born in a girls body has always known he is a man and left his family and his former female identity to live as a man, in the city of London.

An inevitable decision, yet nevertheless a very brave one as not only, if he were discovered living transgender in the Victorian era, would he be viewed as perverted and insane but is, every minute of every day, just by being his true self is breaking every law in the book and would face severe penalties.

In the course of his job, working in a hospital as a coroners assistant he comes close to the recently deceased and I was almost as shocked and horrified as he must have felt, when he peels back the covering from the face of a woman dragged from the Thames, to see the face of his beloved! Maria, a prostitute, nevertheless won Leo's heart with her gentle acceptance of his true self and her sweet nature despite her calling, made him fall hook line and sinker for this lady of the night and even though he has always known that she can be any mans for a few shillings, he dreamt of a future for them together as a couple maybe even as man and wife one day and all that is now shattered. Maria is dead and Leo, beside himself with grief decides th elast thing he can do for her, is uncover what really happened to his beloved girl.

Suspecting foul play he becomes embroiled in the lives of other people, Rosie Flowers recently widowed, his landlord the hapless pharmacist with an enterprising nature who tries to set up a dental surgery in his shop without great success and his young daughter Constance, who dreams of owning a kitten and tries to educate Leo in the manufacture of medicines and cures by constantly testing him on the properties of potions and physics.

But life gets more complicated as Leo becomes at first a suspect then gets himself further and deeper in the clutches of some nefarious characters who all surround the house in half moon street which is the brothel at the heart of his investigation.

He ends up with some truly terrible things happening to him one of which in particular made me really cry my eyes out and he makes discoveries that not only is he harbouring his own great secret but almost everyone else around him has their own secrets too. The reason I loved Leo is, he retains, together with some of the physical frailties of the womans body he is encased within, a gentle understanding of women which seems singularly lacking in most of his male contemporaries, making him slightly vulnerable and I just wanted to give him a big hug and mother him.

Peopled with wonderful characters, some likeable, some loathsome, located in the murkiest of 19th century London slums and dockland and mystery piled upon mystery all make for a truly entertaining genre and gender crossing and captivating, wonderful book.

Loved, loved loved it.

The best thing is this is number one in a forthcoming series and I can hardly wait to meet up with Leo again soon.

A historical mystery about a trans man working as a coroner’s assistant in Victorian London. I really wanted to like it, as it’s an excellent idea for a story, but the story structure and the characterisation were quite weak. Not a bad read if you fancy giving it a try but don’t have high expectations.

I can't recommend this book enough. It was an absolute pleasure to read. Such a great idea to set it in Victorian London, and the descriptions made the setting come alive. I felt I was there.
Leo makes a great hero, and I am delighted to hear it is going to be a series. He was so sensitively written and it showed an amazing understanding of what it must have been like to be a transgender person at the time. Leo risks arrest and incarceration for daring to be himself. I loved it and think everyone should read it. An excellent choice for men and women and adults of all ages. . #HouseOnHalfMoonStreet #NetGalley

The premise of transgender person in a time when it's illegal, in London, tracking down the murderer of his lover is intriguing. Her past becomes more and more a lie .. but he convinces himself it's all been for her to show true love.?And certainly engaging to see how he dodged problems of being out-ed to pursue career .. and the author explore that (a scene where he has to dress again as female is hilarious) .. the underground world of whores, and the spats and betrayals among them ; an unknown persons gets him out of prison... but a former head of brothel and the girls in it, know her secret. A surprising crook and lots of dead bodies keep rolling out. It got a bit confused,/drawn out and there were longueurs when it got a bit dull. But trekking on someone new ground. Courageous and refreshing ..

The House on Half Moon Street is a historical novel that blends mystery, the seedy criminal underbelly, and difficulties of identity. Leo Stanhope is a coroner's assistant, a chess player, and a trans man just trying to exist in Victorian London. He is in love with Maria, who works in a brothel owned by a shady businessman, and when Maria is found dead, Leo is drawn into the world of prostitutes, abortions, and abduction as he struggles to work out what happened to his beloved.

Though the novel has a driving narrative with a crime vibe, its real power is in its protagonist, who is determined and sometimes foolish, and its supporting characters, including charming gems like Leo's landlord's eleven-year-old daughter who tests Leo on the uses of various apothecary items. They are vivid and varied, with conflicted motivations and problems. The world in which they live is gritty and dangerous, full of misogyny and violence and abuse, and is well-depicted.

The narrative did at times seem to overdo the amount of description of Leo's discomfort with his body, which was presumably to try and get across his feelings to non-trans readers who perhaps haven't encountered many transgender characters before, and there was an unnecessarily detailed rape scene that it is worth warning about. Overall, however, the novel did seem to focus on the fact that Leo was just trying to live his life, even though ill-fated love and naivety helped draw him into a mysterious and criminal world.

The House on Half Moon Street is an atmospheric story with memorable characters that is an ideal read for historical crime and mystery fans.

Leo Stanhope has fallen in love with the wrong girl and hiding a big secret. He may dress and act as a man but he's a woman. Then the love of his life is found dead and he is accused of the crime. Can he find out the truth whilst keeping his own secrets.

This was a really interesting read with a clever plot. The story is detailed and atmospheric. The mystery is clever with many twists that keep you unsure until the end.

Leo is such a great lead character especially as he's a man in a woman's body. It's an interesting twist to the story and written so well. Plus I grew to love him as the book develops.

An interesting mystery with many twists along the way.

The main reason I wanted to read this novel was the protagonist, Leo, a man that was born in a woman's body. I mean how often do you encounter a transgender protagonist in historical fiction: not that often. I have read books where a woman dresses like a man to achieve an objective, but never a transgender person. As a whole, I thought this was a good mystery that held my attention, plenty of twists and turns. I had not expected the moments of violence, themes of abuse, child prostitution etc. in this book but that is my bad, when it says gritty on the tin, you can expect gritty within. At times, I wondered if the pacing could have not been tightened a little bit, but overall, I thought this was a great novel. I would really love to hear from some transgender people how they felt represented in this book.

The House On Half Moon Street is a debut novel and #1 in the Leo Stanhope series. This series is set in Victorian London 1880. What makes this historical crime fiction novel so unique, is that Leo was born female. Now, this is not to be confused with Leo masquerading as a male in-order to pursue a career. As did occur within the historical era, due to the opportunities and privileges not afforded to women. Leo truly is transgender, he fully believes he was born in the wrong body. He made the decision to live as a man in his teens and fled his religious upbringing to pursue life, living as he truly believes he is. A man.

‘I’d rather be dead than be Lottie Pritchard’ – Leo

The novel opens at the coroner’s officer of Mr Hurst, an ironic surname, I’ll give you that much! But Leo is assisting with the autopsy of a young man, named Jack flowers. His death is ruled an accident, likely alcohol induced.
This opening gives you an insight into the way Leo’s mind works and how he has an instinct similar to a detective. He is inquisitive and asks questions.

Leo lives above a pharmacy in Soho, with a widowed landlord Alfie and his young daughter Constance. Their lives are plagued by poverty and living on the fringes of the workhouse. I felt this additional information about background characters really added to the historical feel of the novel. You can’t escape the Victorian London smog, poverty and whole feel to the novel.

It isn’t long until we are through the doors of Elizabeth Brafton’s Brothel, on Half Moon Street. Where Leo meets with Maria every week for a 2hr appointment. Only on this occasion he asks Maria on a date, to the opera, the coming Saturday at 2pm.

“I love you, my Leo” – Maria
‘It was me she loved’ – Leo

On Thursday Leo attends his usual chess club meeting with friend and confidant Jacob. Jacob is distrustful of Maria and warns Leo of the dangers of trusting or falling for a woman like her. Due to his inebriated state, his warnings fall upon deaf ears. For Leo is a man in love.

On Saturday Leo arrives at the opera and Maria is a no-show. Leaving a very sad and deflated Leo to watch the opera alone. When he arrives the next morning at work, it is to the discovery of a burglary. But what is there to steal in a mortuary? When the body for autopsy is wheeled in, Leo passes out! For the body on the slab, is non other than his beloved Maria. . . .

Leo can’t face work and takes several days off sick. He is roused from his grief when two police officers arrive to take him to the station. Leo begins to fear his secret will be uncovered. Detective Sgt Ripley tries to prise some facts from Leo, but it becomes evident Leo actually knows very little about Maria. After an eventful night in the cells, with Leo on the verge of confessing his sexuality. He is finally released. But that doesn’t solve the mystery of who killed Maria?

Leo attends Maria’s funeral where he has to face some harsh truths. It is revealed that Maria told many lies to Leo, even her real-name. Maria’s fellow working girl Audrey attempts to offer some words of condolence and faith in Leo. But it is the mysterious Madame Louisa Moreau that grabs his interest. She offers Leo her card and gives the impression she may have more information.

‘Takes a man to do something like that, and you’re a woman underneath’ – Audrey

Due to missing so many days at work, Leo is demoted. He cares very little about this, as Maria’s murder torments his mind over and over again. He decides it is time to meet the elusive Madame Moreau. Louisa is a back-street abortionist. she openly challenges Leo on his decision to live as a man, which makes for intriguing conversation. Up until now, no one has challenged Leo on how he chooses to live his life. Mostly due to him living in near complete secrecy. I found Louisa fascinating, but the only information she holds is Maria may/may not have had a soldier as a lover, possibly an officer.

‘Why should I seem other than what I am?’ – Leo Stanhope

With little to go and no real authority to investigate. Leo must think on his feet, using his access to hospital records and ability to impersonate a police officer. Leo pursues his own case, he is determined to reveal Maria’s killer.

There are various themes within this novel. The theme of gender roles in Victorian society, being transgender and being forced to live in secrecy. Also, the role of sex work in Victorian London, which many women did as a means to survive. There is a great twist at the end, that completely fooled me! I am thoroughly impressed with the authors skills to weave a clever tale and look forward to the next instalment in the Leo Stanhope series.

Leo Stanhope is a brilliant protagonist and I personally think the series will thrive 5*

The House on Half Moon Street by Alex Reeve

It is 1880 and Leo Stanhope, assistant to a coroner in London, is in love. It doesn’t matter to him that his love Maria works as a prostitute in Mrs Brafton’s brothel on Half Moon Street. Leo knows that Maria loves him and he has proof. She knows Leo as he really is – a man who was born a girl called Charlotte or Lottie. But Lottie grew up knowing that there was no future for Charlotte the woman. There could only be Leo the man. Very few know Leo’s secret, which is just as well because a woman dressed as a man is committing a criminal offence. But all of Leo’s hopes for the future are shattered when Maria is found dead, murdered, and Leo is a chief suspect. With his heart broken, Leo must discover the truth but in doing so he learns how little he really knew the love of his life.

At the heart of The House on Half Moon Street is its vulnerable and yet immensely courageous transgender hero, Leo Stanhope. He’s so easy to warm to, and fear for, as he lets us into his secrets, we watch him mould his body, suppress his appetite to remain unfeminine, meet with friends who could destroy him with one careless word. The narrative is in the first person and so we know only too well just how much he loves Maria while we also suspect that this relationship is never going to end well. And we worry for him when we watch him risk absolutely everything to chase her killer.

So on one level this is a Victorian murder mystery and it’s a very good one. But on another level it’s an emotional portrait of Leo Stanhope who lived at a time when there must have seemed little hope for someone like him. At times the narrative takes us into very dark places indeed and there is one moment in particular which I found difficult to cope with, that contrasted so sharply with the tone of much of the rest of the novel. And so at times the novel does seem to straddle different worlds. Inevitably, it also reminded me of the much loved Jem series by E.M. Thomson. But there is so much feeling in The House on Half Moon Street that it is impossible not to warm to Leo, who is so beautifully drawn and brought to life, and fear for his situation. But there is more to this novel than Leo’s situation. It also reflects on the situation of London’s poorest women, including its prostitutes.

The portrayal of Victorian London is fantastic. We move around a fair bit of it and I really enjoyed where it it takes us but the best of scenes are reserved for Mrs Brafton’s brothel as well as the evenings Leo spends playing chess with his closest friend. But I particularly liked the moments Leo spends with his landlord and his young daughter. There is such a life to these scenes, although the thought of the landlord practising his dentistry skills is not a comforting one. I loved the lightness and humour of these pages, which do a fine job, I think, of breaking up the darkness.

The House on Half Moon Street is a really enjoyable and at times quite intense portrayal of life in London in the 1880s for poor women and for those who challenged Victorian conceptions of sexuality and gender identity. Leo is an intriguing hero with the weight of the world on his shoulders. The House on Half Moon Street is Alex Reeve’s debut novel and is, I’m delighted to say, the first of a new series. I’m really pleased that Leo will return.

Thanks Netgalley, Publisher and the Author. I really enjoyed this historical novel which was nothing like my normal reading material. This was set in Victorian London and it had some interesting facts. Good read

The House On Half Moon Street was an atmospheric and emotive read – which is all about, really, it’s central character Leo, transgender, living in a time where the only way to live the truth is by living a lie…

Alex Reeve captures the sense of a gritty, Victorian London with a real literary flair and Leo is highly engaging and deeply layered. Misogyny abounds, even within Leo himself, I was fascinated by his journey and seeing his internal thoughts and struggles really made this novel for me.

The mystery element is well plotted, if rather secondary to the character drama and scene setting – the author uses Leo to explore the realities and vagaries of this period of history – especially with relation to the place of women in society, their limitations and realities – it is all highly thought provoking and often very hard hitting. The writing is beautiful, harsh occasionally and not afraid to tackle controversy – it all made for an addictive and immersive read.

Overall The House On Half Moon Street promises much – I’m happy to hear it is only the start for Leo as this is a premise that could run and run, so much more to explore within its themes and setting – this was an excellent start and I shall certainly be following along.

Recommended.

2.5 stars. This is a difficult book to review. There were things I liked and things I didn't. I picked it up as the description of a mystery story with a trans protagonist sounded interesting, but both the mystery and the character disappointed at different times. It dragged in bits and I was very tempted to give up. The only thing that made me read on was because I was curious about what would happen to Leo Stanhope. The mystery was intriguing enough, but it progressed so slowly that I lost interest. But I do feel the setting and characters have promise, and if the author turns this into a series, I might be convinced to give another book a go.

Of course, Stanhope was the reason I picked up the book. I wanted to see what the author made of a transman living in late 19th-century London. Certain aspects of his life were fascinating, terrifying, uplifting, heart-breaking. Somehow, however, I did not much like the character -- he came across as a stupid man, especially with regard to thinking that he was in love with sex worker (and she loved him back). It was difficult to build any empathy with him, and the only interesting thing about him was that he was transgender and was passing in a hostile society, having made a space for himself.

(Review copy received from NetGalley)

Leo Stanhope is definitely an interesting character. I really like historical fiction and I really enjoyed reading this book. I am so glad it is the start of a series. The characters are interesting and engaging and the plot was really good and well thought out,

I do like a good dose of historical fiction every so often. I especially like the cerebral investigative process rather than the main protagonist merely relying on technology. This book obviously has that as it is set in Victorian times, in London to be specific. But, what it also has is a main character who is transgender. I know that this practice was quite prevalent in these times due to woman needing to pose as men to gain employment or education, especially in certain circles, but here Leo is actually more comfortable and indeed identifies better as a man rather than the women he was born as. I found this to be quite illuminating, especially given the times, and some of his inner musings were quite eye opening too.
So, we have Leo who, at the start of our story, is working in a hospital morgue. He plays chess sometimes in the evenings and also has a standing weekly appointment with Maria, a lady of ill repute. She being one of the very few people who know the truth of his identity. They are in love. One day though they have an appointment outside of the brothel but she stands him up. Leo is devastated and thinks she could betray him but then she turns up at his place of work, dead. Due to her profession, the police find it hard to find out who murdered her and, clutching at straws, the finger soon points at Leo. Desperate to clear his name, and retain his true identity, and determined to find the killer, Leo takes it upon himself to investigate. But what secrets will he uncover and, in doing so, what harm will befall him?
Firstly, the book is set in the 1800s and so the values, opinions, laws, actions and attitudes are akin to this time. Pretty brutally in some places in the book. Some things were quite shocking by today's standards but it was totally what you would expect for the era in which the story is set.
Leo was a very interesting and obviously complex character. He plays his role to perfection however, even if some of the things he had to do were painful. He also developed well over the course of the book. Starting off as quite vulnerable and timid but blossoming into a fine upstanding man towards the end. We also got to hear his backstory in flashback. How he struggled with his identity as a child and the way he left the family home.
The rest of the cast were just as well described and all had their parts to play within the story, which they did, and very well too. I won't go into any further detail here as it is better to meet and get to know them as the author intended.
The plot was very well crafted and had me spinning around trying to get to the truth before Leo. I did manage to suss a few things out early but I think that's probably more due to the fact that I read far more mystery novels than Leo and thus have more experience than him!! You can't expect a character with his background to suddenly become a first class detective at his first outing; a fair dollop of floundering is only to be expected. I didn't get it all right all the time though and there were a fair few things that I really didn't see coming.
It doesn't mention it here that I can see but I have seen on other sites that this is actually the first in a series. This news excited me very much as I definitely though that Leo has a lot more to give as a character and I for one will be happy to continue that journey with him
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

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.