Laura Joh Rowland returns with the fourth in her critically acclaimed Victorian mysteries where the case of a mutilated "Sleeping Beauty" washes ashore in London. The Sleeping Beauty awakens with a severe case of amnesia and the women find themselves searching for the killer.

I always love a good mystery set in Victorian Era England, and that is what we get in the latest mystery from Laura Joh Rowland. Street sleuths Sarah Bain, Mick O’Reilly and Hugh Staunton return in this dark tale. Left to skulk the streets of London, Sarah and her loyal crew always have an eye open for an opportunity. When the body of a beautiful naked woman seems to wash up on the shore of the river, Sarah and her friends are quick to utilize the opportunity to sell the photographs to their employer at the Daily World newspaper. When Sarah discovers that the victim is still alive, Sarah and her team are thrust into the front of the investigation into who would mutilate the poor girl found in the river. Her story explodes into a phenomenon, and the girl becomes known as Sleeping Beauty. As police inquires start into the identity of the poor woman, a whole host of characters come forward claiming to know her identity. The mystery only deepens when Sleeping Beauty awakens and claims she has no memory of who she is. During a photo lineup, Sleeping Beauty claims to have a breakthrough in which she recognizes the pugnacious daughter of a well known authoress as her daughter. Suspicious that Sleeping Beauty could be actively perpetuating a deception to hide her true identity, police remain wary. This is a complicated story in which it seems that everyone has a secret, some of which are bigger and more dangerous than others. This story is a lot of fun and certainly doesn’t lack in twists and turns. I haven’t read any of the other novels in this storyline, and i don’t think it is necessary to do so. This functions well as a stand-alone novel. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy. Review posted to Goodreads, LibraryThing, and Amazon.

I read The Hangman’s Secret last year as one of my very first NetGalley ARCs. Despite it being the third in a series I quickly picked up the story and enjoyed it very much. So when the fourth installment – The Woman in the Veil – popped up on NetGalley I figured it would be a safe request. This next adventure follows the by now familiar crew stumbling across an assaulted woman and investigating her identity after she wakes with amnesia. This story holds much of the same things as the last story did – Sarah struggling to prove her position in the investigations, trouble with antagonistic policemen and escalating risks both legal and to life and limb. It was enjoyable, as expected, given I went into it knowing what it was likely to be like, but nothing very surprising. There were not many twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and some of the ‘fairy tale’ connections were a bit too on the nose.

I quite enjoyed the main mystery as well as the side stories; everything seemed well thought out, well paced, and well executed!

RATING: 4 STARS
2020; Crooked Lane Books

Sarah, Hugh and Mick are still crime scene photographers for the Daily World newspaper so that is the plus for the gang. After their last case they are on thin ice with the police and Sir Gerald. As they look for the next big case, they find it. A woman is found drowned naked slashed, and as Sarah takes her photos she finds that the woman is still alive. Soon the Daily World is splashed with her photo and dubbed "Sleeping Beauty". Three different parties come forward claiming Sleeping Beauty as their own. Sarah and Barrett each have their own opinions on who Sleeping Beauty belongs with, and this differing of opinions could be their downfall in uncovering the truth.

Siiiiiigh, I am all caught up and have to wait another year for another Sarah Bain book. While I am happy to finally be caught up, it also sucks that I have to wait. Because as we know, I don't have a million books on my tar list, lol. This was another great instalment of action, intrigue, suspense, romance, banter and just a good read. I highly recommend this series and I would suggest reading it in order as there is a secondary story that runs throughout the books. Reading them in order really gives insight to each character's past, especially Sarah's.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

A mutilated woman found barely alive, waking up with an amnesia. A groupe of unlikely investigators. And three families with secrets.
The plot sounded really interesting and i thought i would enjoy the book. But, i didn't really like it that much.
From the beginning i couldn't get into the story, or feel interested by the characters. Maybe that was because of the continual reference to the previous cases. it was not mentioned just few times, it was repeatedly talked about in a way to avoid spoilers; but honestly, i would much rather have the spoilers and get on with it.
Another thing was the never ending analogies to fairy tales. I didn't like that either, i mean maybe once or twice using it, but making it for every character of the story that was in a way annoying.
The twist towards the end came as no surprise at all, and really the ending was rather unrealistic.

Overall, it was an ok story, but i simply couldn't get into it or enjoy it as i wanted. Most of the time i felt that i was struggling to keep on reading.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Laura Joh Rowland, and Crooked Lane Books for proving me with an ARC of this work.

I knew the author from her previous series set in Edo period Japan, of which I've liked all the books I've managed to read so far. So when I saw she'd written a series set in Victorian England I just had to check it out.

While I did not feel as if the mystery was at the same level as Sano Ichiro's cases, I was quite thoroughly entertained by this book. The author managed to make me feel as if I really was in London at that time. What impressed me particularly was that, contrary to practically all books I've read so far take place in historical Europe (mostly mysteries, as that is my favourite genre for historical works), the author here didn't shy away from showing the society of that time in its full, bigoted light. The cast of characters was quite diverse, the main character, Sarah Bain, being a (still) single, working woman and one of her friends being gay.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book, and I've already planed to read the previous 3 volumes as soon as possible. I'll also be looking forward to future volumes.

Laura Joh Rowland continues her Victorian mysteries with The Woman in the Veil. A woman is discovered unconscious and naked on the side of the Thames; her face was bashed in and no one knows her. Saran Bain, , Lord Hugh Staunton and Mick O'Reilly are photographer crime reporters for Daily World newspaper and hot on the trail of her identity and her attacker. There are three families that claim her. Meanwhile the reporters all have questionable backgrounds that hamper their search. Seamy London is on display.

I ended up liking this one a lot more than I expected! Was it groundbreaking? No. But it had fun characters, a decent plot, and kept my interest. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.. Frankly, I didn't enjoy this book like I thought I would.. The dialogue was odd, the characters were flat. The book wasn't focused, it was all over the place.. About a third of the way through I realized I was quite bored with it.

Sent to photograph a murder scene for the newspaper she works for, Sarah Bain is utterly shocked when the victim turns out to be not actually dead. She winds up investigating the case of the amnesiac the media dub ‘Sleeping Beauty’ instead, wanting to help the injured young woman get back to her loved ones. With three different people coming forward claiming to be the next of kin, though, Sarah has her work cut out for her figuring out who’s telling the truth… and why the others are lying.

The author has created a richly detailed world here, with a fascinatingly diverse cast of characters it’s nice to see in a historical novel. With a gay principal side character and several people of color represented, the cast of this book looks much as Victorian London might actually have appeared. The plot is fascinating, if far-fetched, and the only problem I really had is that way too much reference is given to events in previous books of the series, which I haven’t read. If you’re a devotee of the series you’ll already know just what Sarah’s crew had to do with Jack the Ripper, but I was completely bemused by lots of sly hints that didn’t actually ever sum up what had happened. Yes, the plot arc of this book stood on its own, but there are obviously several overarching series plots and with the failure to recap past events, I don’t think it’s a good idea to read this book without having read the earlier books in the series.

That said… I did really enjoy it, and I do want to go back and read the rest of the series, and I absolutely would read more of them, too. So with the caveat of Don’t Start Here, I’m still going to give this five stars.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.

I have struggled with these books throughout this series. The pacing in this one was better than in the others; although it still seemed to suffer from a rushed ending, the middle of the book didn’t drag as much as in 1 - 3. The central mystery was quite interesting; no surprise as this was the case in the earlier books as well - all featured very fun, well plotted mysteries. The big flaw for me, in this volume and in the series as a whole, is that I find the protagonists to be so angsty and gloomy as to be unbearable. I spend much of these books just wanting to knock their heads together. The one thing that has kept me coming back is the larger mystery of Sarah’s past which has spanned all the books in the series. That mystery was finally solved — in a big rush at the end, but that no surprise as that’s kind of the way Rowland rolls. But at least it’s ended and definitely enough that I won’t feel the need to read any future books in the series. Thanks to NetGalley for providing as ARC copy for my review.

The novel starts off strong. The plot revolves around this "sleeping beauty" and where she belongs. Is it with the rather nasty Mrs. Ester Oliphant and her daughters Frances and Faith? With the tempestuous artist August Legrand? With the precocious (and immensely likable) Venetia Napier and her aunt? It's an intriguing question, though Sarah and her fiance DS Barrett disagree as to which claimant is the right one. 

But there are multiple other subplots, some of which are distracting. After a while, backstory from a previous case threatens to overwhelm the current story. Apparently, a previous novel in the series dealt with the Jack the Ripper case. Sarah's first person, present tense narrative constantly refers to this case, including in an emotionally tense and meaningful scene near the end. Unfortunately, as I haven't read that previous book, the significance of this scene is lost for me. 

There are lots of things to like about the book, though. 

Sarah is a likable character. As most modern mysteries set in the Victorian era do, the female protagonist holds modern views of sex, gender, race, and sexual orientation. She goes to places where proper Victorian ladies don't go and holds a job that would make a proper Victorian lady faint in horror. Overall, she's supposed to be fighting conventional wisdom about women's place being in the home and all that.

Twenty-first century readers wouldn't read a novel about a Victorian-era female holding that time period's prejudices (too offensive for our tastes) or behaving like a "proper Victorian lady" (mostly because a proper Victorian lady would leave the crime fighting to men.)

But Sarah is unusual in that she's forced by circumstances to work as a crime scene photographer. (Most of these crime-fighting Victorian heroines apparently have no need to work.) This means that she's not investigating out of boredom or curiosity, but out of necessity; she needs to solve this mystery and get the sensational news story to keep her job. She's compassionate and fearless and strong-willed.

And she's a Victorian CSI: how cool is that? I never thought about crime scene photography having a place in investigations prior to the 20th century and it's fascinating to read about Sarah's profession. 

The other characters are also well-characterized. The new characters seemed a bit more vivid than the returning cast. Venetia, in particular, is a delight to spend time with. It is a lot of fun to root against the awful Oliphants and the equally awful Legrand and hope that all four will get their comeuppance.   

However, there are times when Rowland explains certain things that avid historical fiction readers should already know. For example, Sarah tells us that homosexual relations are against civil and religious laws, and that exposure in the press would lead to scandals and social ostracism. Maybe I'm wrong, but surely many fans of Victorian-era settings already know this. Do we really need to be told this? Simply showing the effects on Hugh and his lover Tristan is powerful enough. 

Because Rowland is excellent at showing this era in all its self-righteous pettiness and squalor. She shows how difficult things were for homosexuals: constant threats of physical harm, vicious tabloid gossip, and an unforgiving social hierarchical system where no one who falls from grace can redeem themselves. She deftly shows the lack of options for women, particularly poor ones. She's terrific at using time period details for developing characters, advancing the plot, and exposing the prejudices of a society too concerned with appearances and not enough with substance.

Rowland has the ability to recreate a time period so that it lives in our minds. It's one of her many strengths as a novelist. It's the reason the Sano Ichiro series (set in feudal Japan) is so beguiling: that series opens the door to a world that many modern Westerners know almost nothing about.

But Victorian England is much more familiar to me. Multiple other mystery series take place in that time period and some feature a female protagonist. Taking this book as representative of this series, I question whether the Sarah Bain series does enough to stand out from the crowd.  

This is the fourth book in this Victorian mystery series but it's the first that I've read. While I read this book as a standalone, it's a good idea to to read at least one of the previous books in this series, particularly whichever one delves into the Jack the Ripper case. 

Overall, The Woman in the Veil is a good novel. There is a lot to like. Fans of historical mysteries might really enjoy this. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Note: Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of The Woman in the Veil in exchange for an honest review. (This review will be posted on my blog on January 3, 2020.)

In 1890, a young naked woman is found bruised and battered in East London by Sarah, Hugh and Mick. They all work for the local tabloid newspaper, the Daily World. Sarah is a photographer. Lord Hugh is a reporter. Mick is an orphaned fourteen-year-old investigator. When the woman suddenly gasps for breath, the game is afoot for these former private detectives in the Woman in the Veil.

The naked woman has amnesia. Three sets of people claim her as a relative. Which, if any, are correct?

Everyone involved—perps, victims, and investigators—has a large backstory with many gaping holes to be filled. Sarah, Hugh, and Mick also have three previous book plots to relay to the reader. That makes this tale very sub-plot heavy. However, the author manages to insert some intense atmospheric foggy, murky setting in the book as well.

The Woman in the Veil is a twisty page-turner where no one is who they appear and everyone is hiding something. It’s recommended for readers of historical mysteries. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Woman In The Veil is the fourth book in the Victorian Mystery series.

Sarah Bain, Lord Staunton, and young Mick O’Reilly are headed to a seedier part of London, along the bank of the Thames, to report on the naked body of a woman that has been found. As the police are collecting evidence and Sarah is taking pictures of the body, she notices what she thinks is a sign of life in the female. She is barely breathing and is taken to the hospital in a coma. The doctors stitch up the damage from the beating the female had taken and the hope is that she can recover. When she comes out of the coma it is found that she is suffering from amnesia.

Sarah’s boss, Sir Gerald Mariner editor of the Daily World newspaper, plans to run a story on the unknown victim and decided to call her Sleeping Beauty until her identity can be determined. Meanwhile Sarah’s fiance Constable Bennett, despite an unsurmountable work-load, has been assigned the investigation by his boss, Reid. Reid has it in for Sarah and Bennett for a while and will do whatever he can to make it difficult Sarah and her crew. Reid also has it in for Bennett after got a promotion to detective, while Reid wanted him fired after a previous case.

Sarah, Lord Staunton, and Mick are hoping they can find the person who assaulted “Sleeping Beauty” before they can finish the job.

Another wonderful addition to this exciting page-turning series with interesting and believable characters.

I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Do you enjoy a multilayered mystery where every page seems to be a new twist and turn added to the plot? The Woman in the Veil is that kind of mystery. Right from the first chapter itself, I was hooked and had to keep on reading.

There are many things that I loved about this book. Firstly, it is a historical mystery - one of my favourite genres. Secondly, despite being book 4 of this Victorian Mystery series, it can be read as standalone since there are just enough backstories for readers to understand the context. Don’t you just love it when an author does that? Thirdly, the characters, especially Sarah Bain, the main character, are likeable and I enjoy their backstories. What is interesting is that Sarah also has her own family mystery to solve and this is the cherry on top. It makes you feel more connected to the character. It's like knowing more about a friend. And lastly, the plot is really intriguing and clever! It kept me guessing until the end. Honestly, this is a great series to read. Although I've only read book 3 (The Hangman's Secret) and this book 4, the story gets better each time.

Plot summary:
Sarah Bain and her friends, Lord Staunton and O'Reilly are crime scene photographers, investigators and reporters for the Daily World newspaper. One day, they are called to photograph a crime scene by the river at Shadwell. The murder victim is an unidentified woman whose face is mutilated. And as Sarah begins to photograph her, she discovers that the victim is still alive! "Sleeping Beauty" is what the media calls her since she is in coma now after surviving this brutal attack. Police is seeking the public to help identify her and there are three parties who come forward. This puzzles the police and Sarah. And as if things could not get any more mysterious, one day, Sleeping Beauty wakes up but with a severe case of amnesia.

Now go read this book to find out what will happen next. Who is Sleeping Beauty's rightful kin? Who is telling lies? Will Sleeping Beauty remembers anything before her attack?


***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***

"THE WOMAN IN THE VEIL" BY Laura Joh Rowland

A wonderful historical mystery series that I thoroughly enjoyed as a standalone. This is my first time to read this series from this author and I am very impressed. I really enjoyed reading this historical Victorian mystery sub genre. The setting is in 1890's London and the trio from the Daily World newspaper try to solve a crime scene. I enjoyed the clever plot and exciting story line. The characters were fun to read and likeable that I will enjoy following in this series. I enjoy this so much, I will be reading the backlist for this series. I enjoyed how Rowland was able to create the world of that time in London, with the gothic atmosphere, dialogue and amazing characters. I highly recommend this series!!

June 1890 in the hamlet of Whitechapel, the East End of London, Sarah Bain is a crime scene photographer for the Daily World newspaper. Walking the hot, murky streets in late evening, searching stories for the morning edition paper. Her colleagues Lord Hugh Staunton and Mick O'Reilly explore along with her.
A commotion draws their attention to the body of a naked woman who appears to have been pulled from the Thames River. She lies at the water's edge, white and still, her long, beautiful blonde hair partially covering her face. As they pull her hair back, they gasp in horror. She is shockingly mutilated with knife cuts scoring her face.
After taking pictures, Sarah is amazed to discover the woman is still alive!
As she begins to recover at the hospital, in a coma, she is dubbed Sleeping Beauty.
When she awakens she has no memories of her identity, or of what has happened.
Sarah's fiance Detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett leads the investigation into the disfigured woman's identity.
Banding together to solve the mystery, they end up putting themselves in many dangerous situations.
This Victorian mystery romance had quite a few plot twists.
A fun and lively suspenseful story with endearing characters.
Though it is the fourth in a series, it can be easily read as a stand alone.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

It’s 1890’s London and when the naked body of a woman is found washed up on the banks of The Thames, crime scene photographer Sarah is called to do her job. She gets the surprise of her life when she is working and discovers the woman is not dead at all. This set into motion the need to find out who she is and who wanted her dead in the first place.

This is the fourth book in the series. I have not read the others, but found this very easy to read as a stand alone.

In 1890, London-based Sarah Bain is a reporter and photographer for the Daily World, owned and operated by Sir Gerald Mariner. He is a domineering boss who orders his employees to chase down sensational stories that will pique the public's interest. Sarah, along with her partners, fourteen-year-old Mick O'Reilly and Sir Hugh Staunton (an aristocrat and gay man whose family wants nothing more to do with him), also conduct private investigations. Meanwhile, Bain's fiancé, Detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett, is alarmed by his future wife's habit of rushing into hazardous situations. Sarah admits, "I'm as much attracted to danger as frightened by it."

In Laura Joh Rowland's "The Woman in the Veil," someone discovers the body of an unclothed female whose attacker slashed and strangled her. Sarah, who is at the scene, calls for medical help when she notices that the woman is breathing. While the victim lies unconscious in the hospital, Sir Gerald publicizes her plight, and even gives her a nickname,” Sleeping Beauty." Sara, Hugh, and Mick are eager to keep Sir Gerald happy by providing him with dramatic human-interest stories. However, they have a loftier agenda--to help this unfortunate woman, whose scars may fade but will never completely disappear.

The most impressive aspect of this book are its vivid atmosphere and appealing protagonists. Rowland evocatively describes the stench of the filthy city streets and the desperation of those who have no one to protect them. As the tale progresses, Sleeping Beauty awakens but cannot remember who she is or how she sustained her brutal injuries. Eventually, various individuals come forward claiming to know her, but who is telling the truth? Furthermore, is Sleeping Beauty still at risk from her assailant? Although the novel holds our interest, it is weakened by its cluttered and contrived plot, cartoonish villains, and histrionic conclusion. These flaws notwithstanding, this work of historical fiction might appeal to fans of Victorian whodunits in which the central characters are compassionate, courageous, and willing to risk their lives to see that justice is done.