Blog Tour: ‘Arrowood and the Meeting House Murders’ by Mick Finlay

I’ve been with Arrowood from the start of the series so I knew just what to expect in this fourth instalment – a fiendish mystery, grimy Victorian London and some great characters. Thanks to Mick Finlay and HQ for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, plus the invitation to join the blog tour.

This story centres on the murder of two people in a Quaker Meeting House – including someone that Arrowood was meant to be protecting. We are in a world of Victorian ‘ethnic’ shows where Black Africans are displayed for the pleasure of the viewing public and it is Arrowood – the working class version of Sherlock Holmes – who is left to untangle the mystery of the deaths. Accompanied by his sidekick, Barnett (the narrator of the story), Arrowood has to face tragedy at home, dubious kinds of ‘help’ from the police and a secret that has its roots in South Africa.

The real strength of the Arrowood books is the historical setting, As usual, we are presented with a vivid version of Victorian London – and it isn’t pretty. The racist attitudes of the white characters are presented as the social norm – although Arrowood and Barnett are, understandably, quite modern in their more enlightened views so they don’t lose the reader’s sympathy. The use of the ‘freak shows’ to display people feels supremely uncomfortable to modern sensibilities and Finlay does an excellent job of giving all the characters a dignity and humanity denied to them by their horrific situations.

Victorian London is grim. This is a world that jumps off the page because it is grimy, seedy and inherently cruel. The background information on Arrowood’s home situation – complete with poverty, infant sickness, women struggling to find their professional purpose – gives us an insight into life for people at the poorer end of the social spectrum. It is not easy reading, but it is meticulously researched – Finlay gives some interesting further reading and information at the end of the book. Similarly, the African background and culture is also rooted in historical fact and referenced in detail at the end.

The characters of Arrowood and Barnett will be familiar to regular readers of the series and are as expected. If anything, we see a bit more emotional depth to both characters in this book as they grapple with some difficult circumstances. I particularly like the characters of Effie and Isabel and would love to see them given more to do in the narrative (as they have occasionally in previous books).

This is a complex and well-plotted mystery. It perhaps doesn’t have the pace and liveliness of some of the earlier books, but it does have historical integrity and depth of emotion. It was genuinely interesting to read about some of the people marginalised in Victorian London, plus those who really have become casualties of political decisions regarding Britain’s Empire.

Overall, this is an interesting and (I assume) authentic view of Victorian London. The characterisation is strong and it raises some intriguing questions about morality, diversity and integrity. I’d recommend reading this as part of the series – it would work as a standalone, but is probably best enjoyed by those who know the back stories of the key players.

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If you fancy starting with book one in the series, it is this one: