A Bespoke Murder - Tapa dura

Cleverly plotted, well written and invoking the atmosphere of the time, I heartily recommend this book as an excellent read. I am delighted to see that this is the first in a new series and I look forward to the next one.

With thousands of Britons fighting in the trenches, a severely depleted police force remains behind to keep the home front safe. In London, Scotland Yard is overstretched when the sinking of the Lusitania sparks a wave of anti-German riots across the city. The immigrant tailor Jacob Stein, is found dead in his burnt-out shop. Initially Jacob's killing appears to be wartime hysteria - but when it transpires that Jacob had been stabbed amidst the flames, Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy must take on the case and track down Jacob's killer. Their hunt carries them from wartime London across the Channel to the chaos of the front line.