The Detective Branch: From the author of The Last Days of Newgate (Pyke Mystery Book 4)

Pyke joins the newly formed Detective Bureau of the Metropolitan police inthis fourth grippingtale of corruption and murder in 19th century London London, 1844. Pyke has been part of the Metropolitan Police's newly formed "Detective Bureau" for six months. Unsurprisingly Pyke is confronted by faceless opponents within the Bureau and the New Police who don't like his unconventional methods, his criminal past, and his dubious law enforcement record. When the body of a policeman is found, it initially appears that the man has been killed while on duty in the course of a robbery that has gone wrong. But Pyke's investigations reveal that the policeman might have been murdered and the robbery offered as a ruse to cover up what really happened. Then a tavern landlordand, as Pyke discovers, a former policemanis killed and a connection to the dead policeman is unearthed: both joined the New Police at the same time and served under the same inspector in the East End. Digging into both men's past, Pyke's investigative team unearth evidence of corrupt practices and connections to slum-lords and high-ranking City of London officialsas well as a policeman who has subsequently climbed to the top of the New Police. Review Dramatically sketching the dark Victorian underbelly of London, Pepper creates a perfect sense of atmosphere and place as he ratchets up the tension in this satisfying thriller. CATHOLIC HERALD A quality slice of Victorian crime SOUTH WALES ARGUS About the Author Andrew Pepper is the author of The Last Days at Newgate , The Revenge of Captain Paine , and Kill-Devil and Water . Kindle Collection : mystery Pyke joins the newly formed Detective Branch of the Metropolitan police in a tale of corruption and murder set in the dangerous backstreets of 19th-century London... Drury Lane, 1844. A robbery has been committed at a pawnbroker's, leaving three people dead. The man called in to investigate is Pyke, head of the Metropolitan Police's newly formed Detective Branch at Scotland Yard. Pyke must find the culprit and quickly, especially as the identity of one of the victims threatens to expose his own criminal past. A valuable religious artefact appears to have motivated the robbery but when the main suspect commits suicide in police custody, the investigation falters. Then the rector of a wealthy parish is brutally murdered and Pyke spots a connection. His suspicions lead him to a dissolute former Catholic priest, rumours of devil worship, and an old case that no one wants him to investigate. With time running out and the murderer threatening to kill again, Pyke must face up to forces within the police and the church who would prefer the secrets of the past to remain buried for ever ...