A Dangerous Duet
Nell Hallam, an aspiring classical pianist, has dressed herself as a man and is playing the piano in a disreputable London music hall in order to afford the fees at the Royal Academy of Music. The year is 1875, and Nell knows that discovery of her deception would scandalize not only her employer and society in general but especially her brother Matthew, a Scotland Yard detective with whom she lives.
To be accepted at the Academy, Nell must first audition. Preparing for this is her focus until she comes upon one of the other music hall performers badly beaten in an alley. This leads her to discover a widespread conspiracy to rob the homes of the wealthy in London using nimble small boys to gain entry. As she struggles to stay safe while investigating the many tentacles of this crime ring, she looks for help from two very different young men at the music hall. But one of them must be lying. Nell’s brother Matthew is also investigating the case, and it is leading him closer to the music hall, its links with the underworld, and the possible involvement of Nell’s friends.
This is an intricately plotted book, well-researched and fast moving. The characters are generally well drawn. However, the large number of plots and subplots make it confusing to try to keep track of all that is going on. Also, a superfluity of characters makes it difficult to maintain connection with any of them. The latter part of the book has Nell dashing around London so frenetically that this reader felt quite exhausted.
