Witty and cunningly plotted . . . as entertaining as her first

Sunday Times

A masterful voice in the mystery world. As you'd expect from an ex-King's Counsel, her language is as rich as it is precise ... Topsy Tillotson is a heroine I thoroughly enjoyed rooting for, and the court scenes are a heart-in-mouth highlight. I'm a big fan of the series and I'm already looking forward to Gabriel's next adventure

S. J. Bennett, bestselling author of Death in Diamonds

We have the top-hatted world of the Temple, malice and vicious competition alongside Gabriel's calm scholarship, the well-observed dynamics of class and gender conventions within and outside the Temple, police procedure, muckraking journalism, fine courtroom description, murders, tombs and homosexuality, all delivered with calm, skill, wit, humanity and a searching reaching into personalities and values

The Critic

Following up on a successful debut novel is tough for any author. Expectations are high but rarely fulfilled. Smith is one of the exceptions ... a brilliant mystery

Daily Mail

Perfectly paced with lots of twists and turns and an intellectually satisfying denouement

Historical Novel Society

[Gabriel Ward KC is] one of the most attractive figures to appear in crime fiction recently. Sally Smith ... brings both lightness of touch and elegance of prose to her enchanting story

Literary Review