I read this book as a free download from NetGalley in exchange for a written review.
Constance Gray and Solomon Silver have just returned home from their Italian honeymoon and almost immediately are confronted with death literally on their doorstep. Two men are found dead on the back door of Constance’s “establishment.” The two men seem to have nothing in common as one is a vagrant who makes his home on the streets and the other is a wealthy man with a good reputation. It takes unraveling plots and clues to sort truth and ill intent in this seventh book in this series by Mary Lancaster. The book contains references to drug use, alcohol, prostitution, and suicide, so the reader should be aware if these are personal triggers.
I downloaded this book not realizing I was jumping into a well-established series with well-developed characters. Fortunately, Death on the Doorstep is a wonderful standalone book and the author does a good job of making the reader aware of past events without making them feel as though they have missed much.
The author weaves this tale with blackmail, threats, secrets, and old relationships resurfacing. The book is about 200 pages long and makes for a good weekend read. I appreciated the fact that there is no foul language and no explicit sex. Bedroom scenes are left in the bedroom. Although the reader should be aware that Constance is the owner of a brothel. She runs her “establishment”, as she calls it, as an opportunity for young women to leave the streets behind and learn a trade and find employable work. If they choose to remain in the oldest profession, they can do so safely, without fear of abuse or exploitation.
Constance and her husband, Solomon, have established an investigation service and it is through this agency that they investigate the deaths found on the doorstep.
I enjoyed Death on the Doorstep book and would read another book in this series or other books by this author. I give Death on the Doorstep book 4 out of 5 stars because of the references previously mentioned. I would recommend it to anyone over the age of eighteen.
All for One
Angela