Sarah Bain is a photographer turned sleuth detective along with her fiance, Detective Barrett, and two friends, Hugh and Mick. The group bites off a bit more than they can chew when an unknown woman seemingly washes ashore brutalized to near death and without her memory upon awakening from her trauma.

Once the identity of the woman, referred to as "Sleeping Beauty" in the press, is believed to be solved, the mystery only deepens surrounding the details of what actually happened to her, and how the three families claiming she was in fact their missing family member play into solving this case.

The Woman in the Veil is a well-written, historical fiction mystery that is guaranteed to have you unsure of the "full picture" until the very end.

A Big Thank You to Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book! I love this series, and Laura Joh Rowland is one of my favorite authors! These stories are so well written with a lot of mystery and suspense. The author also does an excellent job of describing the setting-makes the reader feel like they are there. This is the 4th book in this series about crime scene photographers Sarah Bain, Lord Hugh Staunton and Mick O'Reilly. When a young woman is discovered with slashes on her face by the river Thames, this trio is called to photograph the body. Much to her surprise, Sarah discovers the young woman is still alive. But who is she? She has lost her memory. This is the story of how these crime solvers find out who the young woman is and who hurt her so badly. I loved it! I hope the author keeps writing more books in this series!

Having just finished Things in Jars by Jess Kidd, when I picked up ‘The woman in the veil’ it almost felt like a continuation of the story of the same story – from the location, the female protagonist, the age, and even the tone of the book.
Moral : Always switch genres between readings.
Laura Joh Rowland was an author who was on my TBR for her Japanese-nsipired Shinju novels. I have not read any of them and so when I sawher name pop-up on NetGalley, clicking on it was a no-brainer. This book was a historical fiction set in England in the late 1890’s. Our main protagonist, Sarah Bain, is a crime photographer and takes pictures of crime scenes for the Daily World newspaper with the help of her two collegues – one a street urchin, Mike, and the other a disgraced lord, Lord Staunton. She also has a love interest in the shape of a London police detective sergent Barett who is being persecuted by his boss for showing him up in his last investigation. They would like to marry but obstacles keep cropping up in their path that seem to be mostly self-inflicted. I have the impression that their love story is destined to be unresolved. The story begins with the discovery of a body of naked woman on th ebeach that the trio set out to photograph. Its only when the photographs have ben atkes that sarah realizes that the woman is still breathing. She is sifted to the hospital under the care of a very competent doctor and Sarah is tasked by her boss to find out her identity. When the woman wakes up it surprises people to find thst
I did enjoy the mystery part of the book and the story arcs that take into consideration various lives right from Sarah to the little boy in her care. Although he is not really that young as he is supposed to be courting an actress or at least trying to. Sarak also has a very traumatic and abusive childhood and this book wraps up the mystery of her missing father at the end, which was a relief. The mystery of the Jane doe seems to be a step down from the previous mystery which entailed finding out who was Jack the Ripper! I am glad I did not read that book because I donot appreciate pastiches set on that particular theme. It has been dried and dusted too many times for my taste buds at least.
This is a good mystery read, not too gory although the general atmosphere in this book is also persistently gloomy. Better to shake things up before reading this particular installment and reading something light and sunny.

This was such a fun little mystery with a neat fairy tale twist to it. The basic premise is that a woman is found with her face all cut up, unconscious. When she wakes she has no memories, and the hunt for her identity leads to uncovering of secrets and other murders.

The novel was a delightful, fast-paced romp through Victorian England, replete with the smell, fog and criminals the era was known for. The protagonist characters are delightful in their own ways and the antagonists were deliciously odious and so very punchable. And I love that though the novel has a female victim she is treated with respect and care. All too often, mystery novels with women victims cast them into these martyr roles that dehumanises them and turns them into abstract objects of pity.

As for the plot, phew! It was sensationalism in all the best ways. Sometimes, when I read a mystery, Also the fact that the main character, Sarah, is a crime photographer gives the series such an interesting take. The Victorian Era saw the birth of paparazzi and public domain scandals and tabloid journalism, and this book does not shy away from what all that means.

Pick this up if you want a good, brisk gambol of a mystery.

What a discovery! I really enjoyed this Victorian mystery. Ms Rowland had me guessing until the very end. I enjoyed getting to know the main character. She felt real and likable. The story progressed smoothly even though this was my first book by Ms. Rowland there was enough back ground for it to be okay that I had not read the previous mysteries. The is stands on its own and does leave you ready to read more in the future. Ms Rowland’s description of foggy town docks and stormy nights gave me goosebumps and quickened by breath. Very worth reading! I was given an advanced copy for an honest review. This really is a great mystery!

Laura Jon Rowland is a brilliant storyteller, creating suspenseful yet believable novels time and again. "The Woman In The Veil" is quickly paced yet the delicately nuanced characters of
Sarah Bain , Lord Hugh Staunton, Mick O'Reilly and fiancé Detective Sergeant Barrett are a utter delight.. The writing is strong and poetic, and the narrative is infused with just enough intrigue to keep the pages turning. ..
5 stars are not nearly enough !!


Thank you so much Laura Jon Rowland and Netgallery for The Woman In The Veil

Victorian England photographers used the device of the “hidden mother” to capture young children’s portraits. With this technique a child was held in the arms of a mother draped in black cloth to make her invisible, so the child appeared to sit alone. This seems to be a. metaphor for the entire mystery. People are hiding or assuming identities to free themselves from their past; parents or parental figures are deceiving their children and the outside world. Sarah Bain, engaged to a police officer, is a news photographer and works with two male assistants. Coming across an abandoned and naked “Sleeping Beauty” at river’s edge, she and her friends become deeply involved with discovering this woman’s true identity and family. Twists and turns and several lies prevent a smooth solution and lead to their being suspected murderers. Coincidentally, Sarah is in search of her father and the truth about her family. The storyline is good and Rowland’s characters engaging; the only weakness is the constant background references to alert the reader to connections to previous novels in the series.

This book is one of the strongest in this series! With the exception of the first novel, I've had the privilege of getting all the rest of them as arcs from Netgalley, and I'm very thankful. I really liked this story. There are several "twists," and I was constantly kept engaged and guessing. I LOVE the cover. This is a series I will continue to read!

An okay mystery set in Victorian London featuring a group of investigators--a photographer, an aristocrat, a foundling, and their retinue--working for a paper. While the mystery is the sort in which people find lots of clues but in the end are unable to make use of them because the villain reveals themself, it was a fairly well-plotted and -paced read. The subplot of the protagonist's father was mostly just annoying, though, so in future books I hope there will be less of that; and despite the protagonist's constant comments about worrying she'd lose her job, that particular concern never seemed very plausible.

This is fourth book in this series. I really enjoyed the story, it had mystery and a bit of romance. Looking forward to their next adventure! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy!

Great plot, great and impressive characters, and an intricate and intriguing mystery, gives the reader a fabulous journey.
The story centers around a woman found that barely survives a horrible attack. She was left to die and her memory is sketchy. The main characters are trying to identify the woman as well as the attacker. There are several twists and turns, a little romance, history and drama.
Hard to put down!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is the 4th in a series of a Victorian Mystery but a first for me. I have to say, I totally enjoyed this book and really liked the main characters. Sarah Bain is a photographer for a local newspaper. She shares her apartment with two young men, Hugh, a guy from a good family who was disowned by his family and Mick, an orphan who made his living from the streets. These three characters are very complimentary to each other and work well together. They don't mind putting themselves in danger to solve a mystery, and Sarah's detective sergeant boyfriend keeps Sarah on her toes.

I am looking forward to reading the three that I have missed and continue on with this series.

Thanks to Netgalley for the copy to read and review.

I love this series and the main character, Sara Bain. She is a crime scene photographer way ahead of her time. This series gets better with every book. This is so very well crafted with a plot that moves along rapidly and tells a great story. It was hard to put down and I cannot wait for the next in the series. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

The Woman in the Veil is the fourth book in a series chronicling the crime photographer Sarah Bain. I was intrigued by the description because of the setting in Victorian London. The mystery was interesting with some unexpected twists, but I hesitate to characterize this as a historical mystery. In many ways, the characters in this book felt like they should inhabit a steampunk universe. As a head’s up the book is written in first-person present tense (Sarah is the narrator). Generally, this is recommended for readers who like a good mystery with a different setting and are tolerant of multiple quirky characters.

I received a digital ARC via NetGalley.

This series keeps getting better and better, and the storylines of the main characters are moving along at an interesting pace with each book. This time the gang is involved in a mystery surrounding the identity of a young woman dubbed “Sleeping Beauty.” After they find her naked and suffering from amnesia, Sarah, Hugh, and Mick (with help from Barrett) must investigate the multiple families who step forward to claim the woman as their loved one. Mick’s personal life takes a back seat in this installment, although I have a feeling he will be at the forefront again soon. Despite all their complicated individual histories and family dramas, the trio proves once again that they are at their finest when they work together.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am an aficionado of this author's Sano Ichiro series but I was disappointed by this book in the Sarah Bain series, granted this was the first I read. Repetition of contextual information seemed unnecessary. The plot was convoluted but character development definitely minimal.

The Woman in the Veil was a page turner that I couldn't turn down. I finished it in a few days because I felt truly interested in the characters and what would happen in the plot. I felt very happy with the ending, it was just enough twist to make me feel like it was plausible. Sometimes too much twist makes me feel a little cheated. However, I wish the Victorian era and historic aspects of the novel were more at the forefront, it was more of a backdrop to the story. I did like seeing an independent heroine who cared about her friends and her work.

The Woman in the Veil is a fantastic historical mystery. I love the storyline and the characters. The writing is incredible. A must read for the year.

Great addition to the series! The excellent characters continue to develop along with their relationships, both romantic and friendship. The mystery itself never slowed down and had some well written twists and turns. Sarah continues to be a great protagonist who is smart and likeable. I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series when it comes out!

London, June 1890.

Sarah Bain and her friends Lord Hugh Staunton and Mick O'Reilly are crime scene photographers for the Daily World newspaper. After solving a sensational murder, they're under pressure to deliver another big story. On a foggy summer night, they're called to the bank of the river Thames. The murder victim is an unidentified woman whose face has been slashed. But as Sarah takes photographs, she discovers that the woman is still alive.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience