‘The Innocents’ by Bridget Walsh

Published by Gallic Books,
11 April 2024.
ISBN: 978-1-91354752-3 (PB)

Minnie Ward is in temporary charge of the Variety Palace Theatre, but takings are falling and every new idea her boss Tansie comes up with just seems to put them more in the red. Then one of the stars, Bernard, asks her to help him find his missing brother – and soon she and Albert Eastbrook are drawn into another investigation together.

This novel’s set in 1877, but it begins with a vividly told account of a disaster from fourteen years earlier, based on a real tragedy in the Victoria Hall, Sunderland, in which nearly two hundred children died. That’s the springboard for this investigation.

The Innocents follows straight on from the first Variety Palace Mystery, The Tumbling Girl, and the characters are still suffering fall-out from that investigation. In particular, Minnie is trying to distance herself from Albert, telling herself she’s too busy for romance. She’s an engaging heroine, with plenty of spunk, and she’s surrounded by a great cast of characters: Tansie, the impractical manager with big dreams, and his pet monkey; Bernard, who sees himself as a Shakespearean actor slumming it to earn a crust; Frances, the costumier who wants to forget her past; the elegant, enigmatic book-keeper, Mrs Lawrence. Then there are Albert, private detective, and his policeman friend John, who are always ready to help with an investigation, especially when it’s a case of murder. The plot takes us from the theatre out to the houses of both rich and poor, to an animal fight ring and even to the classier end of Broadmoor, all convincingly described. There are good twists, a Gothic feel and a high body count.

A fast-moving Victorian murder-mystery, with a quick-witted heroine, an enjoyable background setting and plenty of action. If you enjoy period crime that’s somewhere between cosy and Gothic, this is for you. Recommended.
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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor
The first book in the series is The Tumbling Girl.

Bridget Walsh was born in London and now lives in Norwich with her husband. After a degree in English Literature, she worked as English teacher for 23 years. She completed a PhD in Victorian domestic murder at Birkbeck, London University in 2009, and in 2019 completed the Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) MA at UEA where she was awarded the David Higham Scholarship and received the UEA Little, Brown Award for Crime Fiction.

Twitter:@bridget_walsh1
www.linktr.ee/bridgetwalshwriter 

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh and came to Shetland as a newly qualified teacher. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  She lives with her husband and two Shetland ponies.

www.marsalitaylor.co.uk