About this book
Overview
In November 1888, the specter of Jack the Ripper instills fear in every woman who makes her living on London’s streets. But there are other monsters at large, who shun fame and secretly claim their victims from among the city’s most vulnerable . . .
Options are few for unmarried mothers in Victorian England. To avoid stigma, many find lodging with “baby farmers”—women who agree to care for the infant, or find an adoptive family, in exchange for a fee. Constance Piper, a London flower seller gifted with clairvoyance, has become aware of one such person, Mother Delaney, whose promises she suspects hide an infinitely darker truth.
Guided by the spirit of a deceased friend, Constance gathers evidence about what really goes on within Mother Delaney’s Poplar House. It’s not only innocent children who are at risk. A young prostitute’s body is found in mysterious circumstances. With the aid of Detective Constable Hawkins, newly promoted thanks to Constance’s help, she links the death to Mother Delaney’s vile trade. But the horror is edging closer to home, and even the hangman’s noose may not put this evil to rest . . .
“A nail-biting story full of suspense and mystery.”
—Fresh Fiction
Options are few for unmarried mothers in Victorian England. To avoid stigma, many find lodging with “baby farmers”—women who agree to care for the infant, or find an adoptive family, in exchange for a fee. Constance Piper, a London flower seller gifted with clairvoyance, has become aware of one such person, Mother Delaney, whose promises she suspects hide an infinitely darker truth.
Guided by the spirit of a deceased friend, Constance gathers evidence about what really goes on within Mother Delaney’s Poplar House. It’s not only innocent children who are at risk. A young prostitute’s body is found in mysterious circumstances. With the aid of Detective Constable Hawkins, newly promoted thanks to Constance’s help, she links the death to Mother Delaney’s vile trade. But the horror is edging closer to home, and even the hangman’s noose may not put this evil to rest . . .
“A nail-biting story full of suspense and mystery.”
—Fresh Fiction
