The Innocents

In the hotly anticipated follow-up to The Tumbling Girl, Minnie and Albert take on a new crime-solving quest in the world of a Victorian music hall.
The Variety Palace Music Hall is in trouble, due in no small part to a gruesome spate of murders that unfolded around it a few months previously.

Between writing, managing the music hall and trying to dissuade her boss from installing a water tank in the building, Minnie Ward has her hands full. Her complicated relationship with detective Albert Easterbrook doesn't even bear thinking about.

But when a performer's brother mysteriously goes missing, Minnie and Albert are thrown together once more. Then another body is found dead in a trunk, and a strange connection starts to emerge.

The crimes will propel the unlikely duo into the shady world of illegal gambling, dog fighting and monkey kidnappings as they trace things back to a tragedy that took place fourteen years ago, leaving 183 children dead. And given that the incident touched so many people's lives, everyone is a suspect . . .

About the author

Bridget Walsh was born in London to Irish immigrant parents. She studied English literature and was an English teacher for 23 years, before leaving the profession to pursue her writing. Bridget lives in Norwich, England, with her husband, Micky, and her two dogs. 

Summary

In the hotly anticipated follow-up to The Tumbling Girl, Minnie and Albert take on a new crime-solving quest in the world of a Victorian music hall.

The Variety Palace Music Hall is in trouble, due in no small part to a gruesome spate of murders that unfolded around it a few months previously. 

Between writing, managing the music hall and trying to dissuade her boss from installing a water tank in the building, Minnie Ward has her hands full. Her complicated relationship with detective Albert Easterbrook doesn’t even bear thinking about. 

But when a performer’s brother mysteriously goes missing, Minnie and Albert are thrown together once more. Then another body is found dead in a trunk, and a strange connection starts to emerge. 

The crimes will propel the unlikely duo into the shady world of illegal gambling, dog fighting and monkey kidnappings as they trace things back to a tragedy that took place fourteen years ago, leaving 183 children dead. And given that the incident touched so many people’s lives, everyone is a suspect . . .

Foreword

• Galleys available for reps, booksellers, press and reviewers. 
• Series widely endorsed by writers such as Julia Crouch, Sheila O'Flanagan and Essie Fox. 
• Submitting to book club boxes, radio book clubs and book of the month picks. 
• Big social media outreach to both our existing cohort of bloggers and bookstagrammers, while targeting big crime and historical fiction reviewers to ensure the best possible positioning. 
• Intention to host online events for overseas readers.
• The B format version of the first in the series, The Tumbling Girl, will be released the month before publication of The Innocents.

Report

Praise for The Tumbling Girl'Neatly weds historical detail and quiet wit' Sunday Times
'Splendid' Wall Street Journal

'Walsh's diligent research pays off in spades here, and her rich and nuanced portrayal of the period will leave readers feeling like they're on the soggy streets of London. Imogen Robertson readers will be eager for a sequel to this un-put-downable mystery' Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

'A sparkling novel and a complete delight to read. The characters and world are wild, vivid and enchanting. A wry, warm and proper rib-tickling slice of dirty Victorian gothic . . . I can't wait to see what Minnie and Albert are up to next' Julia Crouch, author of The Daughters

'Beautifully evocative, deftly plotted and with engaging characters, it was a page-turner from beginning to end' Sheila O'Flanagan, author of What Eden Did Next
'Brilliant . . . Beautifully written . . . keeps you guessing till the end' A. J. West, author of The Spirit Engineer
'An accomplished crime murder mystery, with an addictively gritty plot and truly remarkable cast of characters . . . deliciously dark and compelling' Essie Fox, author of The Somnambulist
'Minnie Ward is a woman you want to follow through all the wicked twists and turns of Victorian London. Bridget writes wonderfully. It had me on the edge of my seat until the final page' S. J. Bennett, author of Murder Most Royal
'A bravura performance . . . You can smell the greasepaint and hear the roar of the crowd on every page' Imogen Robertson, author of The Paris Winter

'Smart, funny and expertly plotted, The Tumbling Girl cartwheels off the page . . . A cracking start to a charismatic and distinctive series' Emma Styles, author of No Country for Girls
'I absolutely loved The Tumbling Girl. Bridget Walsh is a fresh and fabulous new voice in historical crime fiction' Elizabeth Chadwick, author of The King's Jewel
'One of the most engaging double acts I've read in ages. Delightful, dark and depraved' Trevor Wood, author of You Can Run
'A racy and thrilling ride that doesn't let up till the last sentence. Superbly done.' Femi Kayode, author of Lightseekers
'Walsh resurrects the culture and crimes of Victoriana without cliché or condescension, but with warmth, wit, remarkable texture and rare authority.' Tom Benn, author of Oxblood

Product details

• Authors: Bridget Walsh
• Publisher: Gallic Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 26.03.2024
• EAN: 9781913547523
• ISBN: 978-1-913547-52-3
• No. of pages: 296
• Series: Variety Palace Mysteries
• Subjects: Fiction > Suspense; FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths, Historical fiction, FICTION / Thrillers / Historical, Crime & mystery: women sleuths, Crime & mystery: private investigator / amateur detectives, Comic (humorous) crime & mystery, Thriller: serial killers