A Necessary Murder: A Heloise Chancey Mystery

Tjia’s well-crafted second whodunit featuring the Victorian courtesan and occasional private investigator Heloise Chancey improves on its predecessor, 2017’s She Be Damned. At a party Heloise is hosting, one of her guests brings up the murder of three-year-old Margaret Lovejoy, who was found in the outhouse of her family’s home in Stoke Newington with her throat slit. The week before, Robert Lovejoy, the girl’s father, received a letter warning him of a “terrible tragedy.” A similar communication was recently received by Sir Henry Pidgeon, who was with Robert in Sarawak years earlier when the British fended off an attack by a Chinese gang. Then another acquaintance of Sir Henry, who also was in Sarawak with him, turns up on Heloise’s doorstep with his throat slit in the same manner as Margaret’s. The murder weapon appears to be a short sword known as a kris, which was stolen from Heloise’s display cabinet. The police persuade Heloise to infiltrate the Lovejoy household, posing as the new nursemaid. Heloise proves an able, empathetic sleuth. Strong prose and plotting bode well for future entries. (July)