A Most Dangerous Woman [Import] [Hardcover]

Lee Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

Lee Jackson returns with a new lady detective, in the first of a gripping series set in 1850s London.

When the mysterious Sarah Tanner opens her Dining and Coffee Rooms on the corner of Leather Lane and Liquorpond Street, her arrival amongst the poor market traders creates a stir. Few doubt that she has a past, but no one can possibly predict how it will return to haunt her. When an old friend is brutally murdered by the unlikeliest of assailants, Sarah Tanner is the only witness. Unable to turn to the police, she reluctantly finds herself drawn back into the dark underworld of the Victorian metropolis.

Assisted by unlikely friends, dogged by the criminal machinations of the greatest gamester, felon, villain, swindler, and scoundrel in London, she must unravel a web of treachery and deceit that takes her from the gaming hells of Regent Street to the suburban heights of Upper Holloway, from the slums of St. Giles to the fast-flowing waters of the Thames. Relying on her wits and trading on her past, Sarah Tanner risks gambling her own life upon a desperate quest for justice and vengeance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Jackson’s series is the best of current Victorian mysteries.”
–Sunday Telegraph

“Victorian London is brought vividly to life from the very beginning . . . engrossing historical detail.”
–Time Out

About the Author

Lee Jackson’s first book, London Dust, was short listed for the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award. He is fascinated by the social history of Victorian London and spends much of his time on the ongoing development of his website.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Heinemann (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0434015520
• ISBN-13: 978-0434015528
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 1.2 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,728,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting twists, November 12, 2007

By 

Wyvernfriend (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Most Dangerous Woman (Hardcover)

This is a story of Sarah Tanner, a woman who opens a dining and coffee rooms on the corner of Leather Lane. There is some wonder as to where she came from but she has a fine coffee house with good food, so not much is asked. Too many questions might scare her away and after all, if she's willing to work here she obviously has secrets to keep.

It isn't until an old friend is killed in front of her that she is forced out of her comfortable existence. She's forced to investigate because the person she sees murdering is a police man and in her past she was known to police.

Told mostly from the viewpoint of Sarah herself it's an interesting story with a lot of twists and turns, even at the end when you think that everything has been sorted out and that the story is heading for it's conclusion. Like real life things aren't always as they seem and your assumptions are put on their head.

I enjoyed this story, enough to want to look up more by this author.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Victorian Mystery, August 12, 2008

By 

mona milford "mona_s world" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Most Dangerous Woman (Paperback)

This was the first book I read by L.M. Jackson/Lee Jackson and I enjoyed it quite a bit. This is a new series I look forward to reading long into the future. The amazon seller I ordered it from was in the UK and the book arrived very fast in excellent condition.

3.0 out of 5 stars For Readers Who Like Action Rather Than Details, September 25, 2011

By 

Barb Mechalke (in the lovely Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Most Dangerous Woman (Hardcover)

I have been looking for a new series for a long time now and I thought this book might be the beginning of a good series and the end of a quest for me. I am fussy about my fiction...I like details and well developed characters who have realistic relationships and I like stories with logical reasons behind characters motivations for doing the things they do.

This book is for readers who don't care so much about the details of the setting or the logic behind the events that unfold. People who like a quick paced mystery where the protagonist's every effort is rewarded with another step closer to the objective will enjoy this story.

For me it was all too unlikely and unrealistic. The writing wasn't horrible, neither was it very good. The dialogue wasn't very good, neither was it horrible. I didn't dislike it enough to give up on it but I can't recommend it to anyone either.

I do know that I am still looking for a series that fits my tastes. I recently listened to the first three audio books in the Sally Lockhart series by Philip Pullman and I thought they were wonderful. I also loved the Julian Kestrel series by Kate Ross and the Captain Lacey series by Ashley Gardner. If you are a fan of those series or you're willing to recommend something similar in a series that you enjoyed please leave me a comment and let me know what you recommend, thanks so much.