Summary

A young woman, Natalie Meadows, jumps from Blackfriars Bridge, escaping from the horror she has just witnessed. But she is rescued and feels duty-bound to find out who murdered her best friend, the music hall star Nellie Warwick, and why.

Plot

Natalie reinvents herself as Flora Thorne and finds a position as housemaid to the Reverend Wallace and his daughter. From the sanctuary of their home, she is able to investigate the circumstances of Nellie’s murder. What she uncovers is a conspiracy of silence and corruption, and of unscrupulous men preying on women like herself and Nellie.

Themes and Conclusion

Her attempts to unmask the killer and to bring him to justice exact a heavy price on Natalie. LONDON DUST is a powerful evocation of the underbelly of Victorian London, full of flavour, completely convincing and utterly gripping.