Alright, gather 'round, my fellow bookworms, because this one's a treat! Meet William Arrowood, a contemporary of the legendary Sherlock Holmes, but with a twist - his clients ain't exactly the cream of the crop. No fancy-pants, newsworthy folks here. Instead, he's dealing with regular folks like you and me, just trying to find their way in the world.

And get this - instead of a trusty Doctor Watson by his side, Arrowood's got Norman Barnett, his assistant and the narrator of this tale. Oh, but don't be fooled, Arrowood is convinced he's the bee's knees when it comes to detective work. Move over, Sherlock!

So, what's the case this time? A simple request from worried parents to find their missing daughter, Birdie. But hold on to your hats, because this ain't your average missing person investigation. Nope, it takes a wild turn into murder territory, with danger lurking around every corner.

You'll find yourself venturing into the back streets and villages of Victorian Britain, rubbing shoulders with some not-so-salubrious characters. And let me tell you, the treatment of those less mentally astute back in those times will leave you shaking your head.

But hey, it's not all doom and gloom! There are secrets to unravel, perils to dodge, and conspiracies to dismantle. It's like a rollercoaster of intrigue and excitement, with Arrowood's friendly rivalry with Sherlock Holmes adding a dash of humor to the mix.

So, if you're a fan of mysteries set in the Victorian era, filled with danger, daring detectives, and a good dose of laughter, this book and series are a must-read! Trust me, it's worth taking a peek at this hidden gem. I hadn't tried this author's work before, but now I'll be keeping an eye out for more adventures from him in the future! Four stars for sure!

Having read the Arrowood which is the first in this series and loved it I couldn't wait to read The Murder Pit, the second novel to feature Victorian Enquiry Agent William Arrowood and his assistant, Norman Barnett. The Murder Pit is a superb choice for those who like Victorian murder mysteries with a stunning sense of time and place.

There was a lot to like here; the main characters are engaging and realistic and the plot is clever. The setting is well drawn though, and there is evidence of some excellent research into Victorian attitudes to learning difficulties and asylums.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes historical crime drama and doesn't mind a slow build up to the final denouement. There's clearly a lot more life left in these characters and I look forward to the next book.

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

#TheMurderPit #NetGalley

Hadn't realised this was a sequel so it took me some time to go read the first book in the series. An interesting take and send up of the Sherlock Holmes genre (although not really humorous). Here our detective is a contemporary of Holmes although very different, dishevelled and slap-dash, another reviewer mentioned Columbo, which I think is apt. He is the Victorian Columbo to the suave, methodolgical and aloof Holmes. Very entertaining and I look forward to reading more.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of The Murder Pit, I delayed reading this copy whn I realised it was a sequel so i went and bought the first book to read beforehand. They are both great books. They can be read separate but the character development through the books is great. You really feel for the characters and want to know more. The plots are a little predictable but probably only to mega murder mystery fans with immense observation skills and who can solve most puzzles.

Arrowood is a contemporary of Sherlock Holmes but his clients are considerably less newsworthy or rich. Instead of Doctor Watson, William Arrowood has Norman Barnett as his assistant and the narrator of this story. Arrowood is also certain that he is the better detective . . . .In this case, parents request him to discover just what has happened to their daughter, Birdie. However, this supposedly simple investigation turns into a murder investigation with the intrepid duo placed in danger as they uncover a money making scheme and conspirators with murderous intentions.

This is a journey into the back streets and villages of Victorian Britain, visiting some of the less salubrious establishments and giving an insight into the care and treatment (or lack of it) of those less mentally astute in those times. It is a story filled with secrets to be revealed, perils to be avoided and conspiracies to be terminated. It is an intriguing mystery with great characters and Arrowood's rivalry with Sherlock Holmes adds humour to the events.

If you enjoy mysteries set in the Victorian era, with danger, detectives and daring, I recommend you take a look at this book and series! I hadn't read anything by this author previously but I'll certainly be looking out for more by him in future.

I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

Very well put together and structured perfectly. Really entertaining read and good characters that are down to earth.

The Murder Pit, the second novel to feature Victorian Enquiry Agent William Arrowood and his assistant, Norman Barnett, is a superb choice for those who like Victorian murder mysteries with a stunning sense of time and place. Written in the same style as what became known as the golden age of crime, classics such as those by Dame Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle and has the same distinctive gothic atmosphere and gives an authentic portrayal of London in the 1900s. It is described within the book as Holmes providing services and investigations for the rich and cream of Victorian society and Mr Arrowood providing similar services to the poor; after all, we all need justice.

Arrowood is very much the opposite to Holmes in another respect to; he's practically thrown together. This rugged, slapdashness reminded me of Columbo, who made his dime tricking suspects into thinking he was a stupid, clumsy and simply clueless police investigator. Arrowood very much takes inspiration from Columbo, and he is ultimately a flawed and human character who it's easy to admire. He's an intelligent, solid investigator. I have to admit that the historical time period of the novel was executed better than the mystery, as I had figured out what was going on particularly early on. The sights, smells and noises leaped off the page and brought to life the poverty-stricken inner city and shone a light on the desperation of inhabitants. The sheer prejudice of the Victorians shocked and intrigued me in equal measure.

Many thanks to HQ for an ARC.

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of the second in the Arrowood series by Mick Finlay.

While ‘The Murder Pit’ works fine as a stand-alone I had read the first, ‘Arrowood’, last week and enjoyed it very much.

William Arrowood is a down market ‘private investigating agent’. He is quick to point out that while Sherlock Holmes handles cases for London Society, he deals with everyone else. He considers Holmes a ‘deductive agent’ following physical clues, while he bases his investigations on people and emotions.

In this case Arrowood and his assistant Norman Barnett, who serves as his ‘Watson’ and the narrator, are hired by Mr and Mrs Barclay, who are concerned about their daughter Birdie. Described by them as ‘weak-minded’ due to damage at birth, since her recent marriage to pig farmer Walter Ockwell Birdie has not made contact with her parents. They are concerned that she is being held there under duress.

Arrowood and Barnett encounter resistance from the Ockwells and the local community. What at first seemed a simple case becomes increasingly complicated and expands into a murder investigation.

In this novel Finlay tackles the subject of mental illness and cognitive disabilities during the late Victorian period. As such he uses terms and descriptions consistent with the period. In an Author’s Note at the beginning of the novel he acknowledges that this may be uncomfortable for modern readers.

As someone who is put off by anachronisms in historical fiction I was glad that he remained true to the period setting while providing further notes and sources at the conclusion on the subject for those wishing more information.

The exploration of these social issues does slow the pace some but I felt that Finlay wanted to bring attention to them, elevating the novel beyond a historical mystery.

Not only is Finlay’s historical research excellent but his ability to create an evocative atmosphere through description allows a very immersive experience. He certainly doesn’t romanticise the period so it’s very gritty and smelly reading.

The running theme of Arrowood’s dislike of Sherlock Holmes and desire to be recognised as his equal provides ongoing humour. Both he and Barnett are complex and flawed men with good hearts.

This is the second in the Arrowood series and i loved the first one and was expecting more of the same.
Unfortunately it was not to be. Don't get me wrong i enjoyed this book but think i was spoilt by reading the first one.
There is a lot to like a clever plot and a historical crime drama, but it was slow burning and it actually took them a long time to actually start investigating the crime and where was the humour ?
I would like to thank the author, HQ and Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for giving an honest review.

In late 19th Century England, consulting detective William Arrowood tells a client: "When we take a case, we go on a journey into people's souls and that.....is often a dangerous and cruel journey." That statement neatly sums up the plot of the 2nd book in the Arrowood series in which the detective and his assistant, Norman Barnett are hired by Mr and Mrs Barclay, who haven't seen their daughter Birdie, who they describe as simple minded, since she married Walter Ockwell and went to live on his pig farm in Catford, in the south east of London.
Arrowood is seen as the lower classes' version of Sherlock Holmes and Barnett is his "Watson". He loathes Holmes with a passion and is always ready to talk about the latter's luck in solving some of his famous cases. Arrowood, on the other hand, has been described by the London newspapers as an "interfering busybody". He sometimes uses Barnett to burgle offices in order to find proof of crimes and occasionally treats his assistant in an abominable manner. Indeed, this poor man's Sherlock Holmes is often his own worst enemy and his investigations can have disastrous results. During this case, he uses his own sister, Ettie, to gain inside information about the Ockwell's farm and the people living there. It is Barnett - a more sympathetic character - who narrates this unrelentingly grim tale which concerns a mental asylum, the Poor Law Union and the exploitation and torture of young men and women, described in 19th Century parlance as "mongols" - a word still used as an insult to describe people with Down’s syndrome, or anyone with special needs.
What begins as a seemingly straightforward missing persons case soon descends into a tortuous murder investigation after the disappearance of an old gypsy woman who had revealed gossip about the Ockwell family. Walter Ockwell and his domineering sister Rosanna repeatedly refuse to let them see Birdie, while they are met with indifference by almost everyone in Catford who view the Ockwells as decent, hardworking people. Arrowood is threatened with violence in a local pub as he pursues his investigation. The officer in charge at the local police station, Sergeant Root, refuses to follow up any of Arrowood's leads and he has to contact Inspector Petleigh, his only friend at Scotland Yard, for help.
Meanwhile, he and Barnett uncover a sinister link between Ockwell's farm and the local asylum. It seems that several pillars of the community may also be involved in financial fraud involving its inmates.
As with the first book, "Arrowood", the author effortlessly captures the sights, sounds and smells of late 19th Century England - especially the extreme poverty and hardships suffered by the people who Arrowood and Barnett encounter in the course of their investigation. We learn more about the main characters in this story. Arrowood's wife, Isabel, has left him for a younger man, while Barnett harbours a sad secret about his personal life. Arrowood also relates details of his and Ettie's childhood.
At times the plot is somewhat convoluted and the reader may be confused by the myriad of characters, some of whom are only peripheral to this story, but overall this is a fascinating insight into the seamier side of 1890's London. Much of it is based on historical fact and Mick Finlay is to be congratulated for his meticulous research which brings this Victorian detective tale vividly to life.

My thanks to the publishers, HQ and Netgally for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

Mick Finlay writes wonderfully atmospheric and richly detailed historical crime fiction set in Victorian London, a London that lauds the abilities of Sherlock Holmes, coming to the aid of the country and the aristocracy, where the police seek his help. Working much lower down the social ladder, struggling financially, is the other private detective, William Arrowood, the 'guvnor', with his sidekick, Norman Barnett. Arrowood believes he is at least as good as Holmes, but languishes in obscurity, taking cases that mean walking the poverty stricken foggy mean streets and slums of the city, where the desperate and destitute masses face the dangers of diseases like cholera, abuse and unemployment, where for them just to survive the day is a victory in itself. Arrowood's wife, Isabel, has left him for a lawyer in Cambridge, leaving him hoping she will return, despite acknowledging that he gave her good reasons to depart. Barnett is the narrator, a man from a much lower social circle than William, often treated with indifference and under-appreciated by the 'guvnor'.

It is 1896 and a new case arrives in the form of Mr and Mrs Barclay, whose daughter, who they describe as simple minded, unquestioning and malleable, Bridie has married Walter Ockinell, a pig farmer in Catford. To their despair, Bridie has not been in contact with them, and they are convinced that the Ockinall family is keeping her from them. They want William to arrange an opportunity to meet Bridie face to face, worried that she is being ill treated. It all seems straightforward, a case that will easily resolved quickly, but instead they enter territory that is to tax them to their limits, and bring great dangers. The Ockinalls refuse to let him see Bridie, and they encounter a wall of silence in Catford when it comes to getting information on the family, constantly told the Ockinalls are good people and have a excellent reputation. Frustrated, they begin to have concerns about the workers on the farm, and worry about the disappearance of an old tinker woman who had offered snippets of sinister information about the family. The local policeman, Sergeant Root, dismisses their report of the missing woman, and seems to be in the pocket of the Ockinells. William Arrowood and Barnett are to encounter individuals with mental health issues and Down's Syndrome, cruelty and deplorable exploitation and begin to tug at the threads of a conspiracy that involves an asylum in Caterham, the Poor Law Union and more.

Finlay has done impeccable research on the period, and makes excellent use of this in his enthralling storylines. He captures the developing Victorian debate on mental health, the Mongoloids, the asylums, the preponderance of deranged theories, the proposing of eugenics and beliefs that you could identify a bad 'un by merely looking at their physical features and face, and the lack of voice, rights and justice of those ensnared in the asylum system. The plot and conspiracy outlined in the novel is based on real life scandals of the time, incorporating financial fraud, exploitation and mistreatment of those in asylums. Arrowood himself is a figure of compassion and good deeds, but can be unlikeable and disagreeable. He partakes of the demon drink and laudanum, and his physical features barely inspire confidence. However, you have to admire him and Barnett, determined to face down the horrors they uncover and throw light on them, particularly given the wide array of those who disparage them, and are intent on discrediting them. Even when Arrowood thinks at long last they will receive favourable coverage of their activities, this does not pan out. So they must continue, scrabbling for work and poorly rewarded in the near future. This is a wonderfully entertaining and compelling piece of historical fiction. It is the second in the series, but it worked perfectly fine as a standalone. Many thanks to HQ for an ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of The Murder Pit, the second novel to feature Victorian Enquiry Agent William Arrowood and his assistant, Norman Barnett.

When Arrowood is engaged by the Barclays to return their daughter, Birdie, to them he sees it as a quick case. Little does he know. Birdie is married to Walter Ockham and lives on the family farm with him but she has learning difficulties so the Barclays believe that her refusal to see them is influenced by her new family.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Murder Pit which is an interesting read on many levels. It is narrated by Barnett rather than Arrowood which gives a nod to the conventions of the time and allows for a mostly dispassionate account of Arrowood’s methods although Barnett isn’t averse to commenting unfavourably on these methods if he doesn’t approve. It is told in a warm, inviting style which lures the reader in with honesty and a dash of humour and doesn’t let go.

The historical detail is amazing. Arrowood and Bennett do not inhabit the high society of Holmes and Watson but grub around in the lower echelons. You can feel the squalor, poverty and desperation and the fear of destitution that drives many of the characters. The gulf between the haves and have-nots is measured in smugness and self confidence. With Birdie being “slow” there is much discussion of perceived mental impairment. Victorian thinking on the subject is horrible, prejudiced and irrational, but fascinating in its naïveté and misuse.

The plot is good but slightly longwinded, allowing the author to explore the wider issues of Victorian society. There are a few twists and turns but the basic plot is fairly obvious from the outset.

I haven’t got round to reading the first novel yet although it’s lurking in my TBR, but there is no need to have read Arrowood to fully enjoy this one. Arrowood is a good protagonist, smart but not always likeable. He eats and drinks too much and has a tendency towards conceit but his heart is in the right place, abhorring cruelty and exploitation. Barnett is apparently the more straightforward character, working class and decent, but I suspect there is much more bubbling under his surface than Arrowood’s. Only time will tell.

The Murder Pit is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

This is the second novel to feature Victorian private investigator Arrowood and his partner Barnett. In this one, the pair are tasked with checking up on a girl, married off to a farmer, who is refusing to see her parents. As Arrowood tries to contact her, it becomes clear that there are serious problems and intense danger at the farm.

I really enjoyed the first Arrowood book and there was a lot to like here; the main characters are engaging and realistic and the plot is clever. However, I did find it a little slow in places and lacking a bit of the humour that I liked so much in the first book. It is worth sticking with because the plot works out in the end, but for a long time it felt like a crime novel without any real crime. The setting is well drawn though, and there is evidence of excellent research into Victorian attitudes to learning difficulties and asylums.

I'd recommend this to anyone who likes historical crime drama and doesn't mind a slow build up to the final denouement. There's clearly a lot more life left in these characters and I look forward to the next book.

Step into the world of Mr William Arrowwood and Mr Norman Barnett (the narrator), who voluntarily invite themselves into all manner of difficulties in order to solve a case. Their methods are sometimes foolhardy and often illegal. Mostly, their extensive efforts are underappreciated by the press and public alike.

Now this duo certainly doesn’t lack aptitude as detectives. But their approach, no matter how well intended, encourages people to view them with suspicion and they find it almost impossible to gain the same professional reputation as their ‘competition’, the unblemished Sherlock Holmes.

It’s their tenacity I especially liked. No matter how many setbacks they endure they just keep chipping away, if only to give a voice to those who would otherwise go unheard. Scene setting is particularly vivid too: from the biting cold of financial hardship to anyone unable to offer resistance against exploitation.

Getting anywhere near the root of the truth becomes an unimaginable struggle, as layer upon layer of manipulation and misfortune must be uncovered. Still, nothing appears to deter these two physically striking individuals with personalities to match.

I hadn’t realised that "The Murder Pit" was book two of their ‘antics’. No matter. Although there were references to their previous cases this story flowed like a standalone. Besides, I quite enjoyed getting to know Arrowood and Barnett, and the people they met along the way.