For lovers of Sherlock, Shardlake and Ripper Street. A hugely enjoyable action-packed Victorian thriller with a great detective double act.

'Delicious Stuff.' Financial Times

Published in hardback as The Infidel Stain.

London, 1841. Mr Jeremiah Blake and Captain William Avery, recently returned from India, are invited by Viscount Allington to examine the particulars of a grisly pair of murders. Two printers from the seditious gutter presses have been brutally dispatched in distinct but similar circumstances. Fearing the deaths will stoke the fires of Chartism sweeping the capital, Allington hopes Blake and Avery's determination to uncover the truth will solve these crimes and help restore civic order. But there are others who seem equally determined that the pair shall fail . . .

It's 1841, and something very strange is going on in the back streets of London. There has been a series of dreadful murders in the slums of the printing district, which the police mysteriously refuse to investigate, yet the culprit must be caught before he kills again.


About the Author
M. J. Carter is a former journalist and the author of the Blake and Avery series: The Strangler Vine, The Printer's Coffin (formerly published as The Infidel Stain) and The Devil's Feast, and two acclaimed works of non-fiction: Anthony Blunt: His Lives and The Three Emperors: Three Cousins, Three Empires and the Road to World War One. M. J. Carter is married with two sons and lives in London.

Reviews
Vividly realised...the second outing for [Blake and Avery] is even more fun, with the same blend of derring-do and elegant writing. ..Delicious stuff. * Financial Times *
Witty and unfailingly readable...its contemporary resonance [is] all the more effective for being implicit. -- Andrew Taylor * The Spectator *
An entertaining stew of blackmail, murder, cross-dressing and incomprehensible slang ... like Dickens, Carter's righteous anger at Victorian hypocrisy does not prevent her from revelling in it with infectious glee. * Sunday Telegraph *
While the relationship between the dynamic duo Blake and Avery evolves in a nuanced, tender way the real star of the show in this complex, clever novel is London itself. * Evening Standard *
The Strangler Vine was a promising and enjoyable debut - plenty of action, rich in historical detail, all crowned with a very clever twist. Carter has proved with The Infidel Stain that it was not a one-off. * The Times *
If this series is not bought for film, it would be another mark of the corporate stupidity that lost the BBC Ripper Street. It is, however, far more pleasurable and impressive to read. * Independent on Sunday *
Vivid...done with brio. * Mail on Sunday *
A sinister tale involving political revolution, printers and porn, The Infidel Stain drips with period atmosphere. * Bella Magazine *
Compelling... Carter's book is historical crime fiction at its best. * Nick Rennison, BBC History Magazine *



Book Information
ISBN 9780241966624
Author M. J. Carter
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 266g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 23mm