The Case of The Curious Client by T.G. Campbell
- authorvalpenny
- 20 minutes ago
- 3 min read
I first met author T.G.Campbell when both of us attended an event to celebrate our novels being considered for dramatisation. It is therefore no surprise that when we met again at Authors at the Armouries in Leeds I bought one of her novels to read on my journey home.
The Blurb
In The Case of the Curious Client, the Bow Street Society are hired by Mr Thaddeus Dorsey to locate a missing friend he knows only as ‘Palmer’ after he fails to keep a late night appointment with him. With their client’s own credibility cast into doubt mere minutes after they meet him though, the Society are forced to consider whether they’ve been sent on a wild goose chase. That is, until events take a dark turn, and the Society have to race against time to not only solve the case, but to save the very life of their client.
The Review
The Case of the Curious Client is the first novel in the series about The Bow Street Society. This is a fictional group of amateur detectives, operating in Victorian London. Its members are a secret group who pool their varied talents to solve crimes where the police cannot help. Each of its civilian members has been enlisted for their unique skill or exceptional knowledge in a particular field derived from their usual occupation. Members are assigned to cases, by the Society's clerk, Miss Trent, based upon these skills and fields of knowledge.
The first thing I noticed about this book was the descriptions of both the characters and their surroundings were so detailed I could easily see them in my mind's eye. The books are set in late nineteenth century London and the scenes are beautifully drawn.
The main victim in the story is disabled and this fascinated me. I was made to consider how difficult it must have been for him in that period and I did wonder how much progress society has made since then.
The Case of the Curious Client is an intriguing puzzle, untangling the clever plot with its multiple twists would have appealed to Sherlock Holmes.
The story is written with great liveliness and races along. The story is well paced and initially it was not an obvious "whodunnit." In fact, there were actually two cases being investigated, and it was fun trying to figure out the link between them. Although I read a lot in this genre, I did not work out the link until it was revealed.
The novel has adult themes, this surprised me but I enjoyed the characters, the tale, the reveals, the red herrings and the conclusion and will crtainly read more of T.G. Campbell'sbooks in the future.
The Author
Tahnee Georgina Campbell wrote her first crime fiction story at the age of sixteen as a gift for her best friend. At only 40 pages long it fell considerably short of a “novel” but it marked the beginning of a creative journey that would eventually spawn the first of the Bow Street Society mystery novels; The Case of the Curious Client. During that time she attended the University of Winchester where she acquired her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Studies and wrote a dissertation on the social and cultural importance of the works of Agatha Christie.
The Bow Street Society is a fictional group of amateur detectives, operating in Victorian London, that feature in the murder mystery writings of award winning crime author, T.G. Campbell. Each of its civilian members has been enlisted for their unique skill or exceptional knowledge in a particular field derived from their usual occupation. Members are assigned to cases, by the Society's clerk, Miss Trent, based upon these skills and fields of knowledge.
The Case of The Curious Client won a Book Award with Fresh Lifestyle Magazine, an achievement she is extremely proud of. She's written a monthly feature for the magazine ever since. Her features cover a range of topics from Hidden London to every day life in Victorian era London.
The Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BowStSociety
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/TG_Campbell