GARDEN ON SINS (Victorian Mystery #6) by Laura Joh Rowland will be published on January 11th 2022 by Crooked Lane Books.
Crime scene photographer/amateur detective Sarah Bain-Barrett and husband are traveling through London by train when the train suddenly derails. While searching the wreckage for other survivors, Sarah and Thomas find the body of a woman. Upon closer inspection, they determine that the woman was not killed in the train crash. She was strangled. The murdered woman was a Pinkerton detective who'd traveled to England in search of a missing American heiress. Because of a possible connection to a member of the Royal Family, the police commissioner commands Sarah, Thomas, and their band of friends to keep their investigation into the Pinkerton's murder top secret. Their investigation takes them to the seedy Cremorne Gardens—a combination theater, freak show, and museum. There is more to the pleasure garden than meets the eye, and Sarah and company discover illegal activities taking place after hours. As if this investigation isn't keeping her busy enough, Sarah is also spending her days sitting in a courtroom. Her father is on trial for the rape and murder of a young woman that took place over twenty years earlier. Benjamin Bain insists he is innocent but he refuses to name the true culprits. Sarah questions her father's innocence as she desperately searches for a witness who can help free him.
While I enjoyed parts of GARDEN OF SINS, it was not an easy read. There is a lot going on throughout the novel. The murder investigation/ Sarah's father's trial were the two main plots. There were also several subplots: Sarah's and Thomas's marital conflicts that are caused by his old flame, Mick's romance with a young woman, Hugh's recovery from a devastating injury, the arguments between Sarah and her sister, Sarah's continuing disagreements with her husband's superior officer... There was so much going on it that it was difficult to keep things straight. I could have done without a couple of the extra plotlines to make for an easier read. I was also disappointed in the outcome of the trial. The true culprit came as a bit of a letdown. And Sarah's father's actions at the conclusion of the trial were confusing. GARDEN OF SINS wraps up some of the storylines we've been following throughout the firth five novels in the series, and I definitely recommend reading those first.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.