Half Moon Street

Reeve’s impressive first in a Victorian mystery series introduces Leo Stanhope, who identifies as male though born into a woman’s body. Leo works at London’s Westminster Hospital as secretary to the surgeon in charge of the mortuary. He take pains to keep the truth about his anatomy secret, even as he develops strong feelings for Maria Milanes, a prostitute who works in a brothel. When Maria is found with the back of her head crushed near London Bridge, her body is taken to the hospital’s mortuary. Leo’s relationship with the murdered woman attracts the interest of the police, and the shock Leo experiences at the loss leads to an absence from work that costs him his job. Skeptical that the authorities will pursue all leads, Leo turns sleuth and begins looking into another recent death that he believes is connected with Maria’s: Jack Flowers, who worked for the brothel’s owner, supposedly drowned accidentally just a few days earlier. Readers will look forward to Leo’s further adventures. (June)

Correction: An earlier version of this review incorrectly used they/them pronouns in reference to the character Leo. This review has also been updated to correct a production error.