The Blood Flower is the fourth book – and sadly, the last – in Alex Reeve’s Leo Stanhope mystery series. I’ve been following this series since the first book was published and am sorry there won’t be any more to look forward to, but the author has stated that he has achieved what he set out to achieve with these novels and is ready to move on to other things.

The four novels in this series all work as standalone mysteries, but if you want to get to know Leo properly and understand his history and relationships with the other characters, I would recommend starting with The House on Half-Moon Street and reading the books in order if you can.

In The Blood Flower, set in the late Victorian period, Leo and his wife, Rosie, are heading for the south coast of England, where Leo, in his position of journalist with a London newspaper, has been asked to cover a murder case in Portsmouth. Rosie’s sister, Viola, happens to live in Portsmouth with her husband and Leo is looking forward to seeing them for the first time – but Rosie seems strangely reluctant for him to meet his in-laws. He doesn’t have too much time to wonder about this, however, because work must come first and soon Leo is being updated by the local police on the deaths of two young people, both found by the Portsmouth docks with their throats slit.

When Sergeant Dorling dismisses the two victims as misfits and outcasts and seems more concerned with how Leo is planning to portray the police in his newspaper article, Leo knows that if the murderer is going to be brought to justice he will have to solve the mystery himself. His investigations lead him to the notorious Papaver nightclub and a circus at the New Hippodrome theatre in search of the mysterious Blood Flower which seems to have played a part in both murders. But Leo has a secret of his own: he was born and raised as Charlotte Pritchard, before leaving his old life behind to live as the man he knows he really is. Only his closest friends know he is transgender, but if this information falls into the wrong hands he could find himself in serious danger.

I think this is the best book in the series; I enjoyed it even more than the last one, The Butcher of Berner Street. The Portsmouth setting makes a nice change from the Victorian London of the previous three books and Alex Reeve brings it vividly to life, with a contrast between the tourist areas with their colourful beach huts, bathing machines and shops selling postcards, and the darker side of the city which is where most of the story is played out. It was good to meet some of Leo’s old friends again – the actor Peregrine Black; Alfie the pharmacist and his young daughter, Constance; the elderly Jacob and his wife, Lilya – but moving the action away from London also allows Leo to meet lots of new people. Of the new characters, one I found particularly interesting was Olga Brown, or Miss La La, a black acrobat from Prussia and a real historical figure (her portrait was painted by Edgar Degas).

Leo himself continues to be a very likeable and engaging narrator, liable to make mistakes or say and do the wrong thing, but that only makes him feel more human. His transgender status is just one part of who he is and never really dominates the story; this, like the other books in the series, is a mystery novel first and foremost and the mystery is always at the centre of the plot. It’s quite a complex one and there are some interesting twists and turns towards the end as we discover what the Blood Flower is and who was responsible for the murders. Once the mystery was solved, I was sorry to have to say goodbye to Leo and his friends but I respect the author’s decision to move on and will be interested to see what he writes next!

1883. Leo Stanhope, transgender journalist and amateur detective, and his wife Rosie have come to Portsmouth – but this is no simple seaside retreat. While Rosie’s sister expects them for dinner, two young people have been killed by the docks.

Having learned from experience, Leo wants to leave this to the police. When detectives dismiss the victims as only ‘molly-lads’ and misfits, though, he knows he has to help. But what connects the two victims, a boy from the streets and a young woman with a strange tattoo? And why is Leo himself being watched?

As he begins to uncover a web of theft and secrets surrounding the murders, Leo’s investigation draws him deeper into Portsmouth’s underground nightlife, the dangers of the Navy dockyard – and uncomfortably close to the in-laws he had just begun to get to know.

Can he find the truth without losing his chosen family? Just how much will he risk to bring the right people to justice……

The writing style is great and it's fantastically written. A wonderful story, beautifully told. I absolutely tore through it!

Not me realising this is part of a series and I understand nothing after 15% in.

Giving it five stars as I will not finish it, but it feels unfair to give it less because the fault lies with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for providing an advance review copy in exchange for this honest review.

I was glad to catch up with Leo and sad to say goodbye. It's another entertaining, brilliant, and well thought novel that kept me hooked.
I loved Leo, a well rounderd and relatable character.
The historical background and the setting are vivid, the mystery solid, the characters fleshed out.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book is the 4th in this brilliant series, starring the rather interesting Leo Stanhope. He has a bit (understatement) of a backstory and past so you might want to, and it's always best practice to, start from book one and read in order. They have all been cracking books so...
Anyway... I was very excited when I read the synopsis for this book as it transpires that Leo is coming to my hometown! Although, having now read the book I think it probably won't score very highly on the "Come to Pompey" tourist guide scale, picturing said city in a rather smelly and downtrodden (in places) light. But I guess it's as accurate as it was then...
Anyway... Leo is called there to cover a death for his paper. I say for the paper, also for himself to investigate, it soon transpires... being an amateur detective of some note (past books must be read).
It also gives Rosie, who travels with him, time with her sister as she lives in the city with her own husband. Rosie is a bit reluctant for Leo to meet his in-laws and we see why later in the book so I won't spoil things.
Suffice to say, Leo gets embroiled in more than he bargains for when he starts to investigate, even getting in bother with the Navy. As per usual he comes across a whole host of interesting and intriguing characters - right from the off. Some who help, other hinder, all adding value and colour to the proceedings.
But here's the sad part... This is Leo's last book. His last adventure. And that really does make me sad as I really have enjoyed my time with him throughout the four books. I wish it wasn't so and I am really going to miss him, Rosie and all the other series characters I have met along the way...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Alex Reeve's latest in his Victorian historical drama series is also the last featuring transgender transgender journalist and amateur detective, Leo Stanhope, he and his wife Rosie, the children, Sam and Lillian, have arrived in Portsmouth by train, but this is no seaside holiday. For Rosie, it is a relief that Leo is staying with actor and painter Peregrine Black whilst she stays with her pregnant 'psychic' sister, Viola Broadman, and her dubious husband, Bill. Leo is there professionally as a science writer on the Daily Chronicle, his boss, TJ Whitford, providing expenses for him to write a story of murder, two young people have been killed by the docks with the same MO. Mickey Long, and an unidentified woman with a odd tattoo, have had their throats slit and their bodies posed in the same way, and the local policeman, Sergeant Dorling is keen to have the police, and himself in particular, portrayed positively in the London newspapers

Having learned from traumatic past experience, Leo wants to leave the investigation to the police, but when the police dismiss the victims as only ‘molly-lads’ and misfits, he feels honour bound to help. But what connects the two victims, a boy from the streets and the young woman? Working together with Rosie, Leo's marriage of convenience is to come under strain over issues they had not thought to address. He gets help in translating the dead woman's slavic dialect tattoo, from Jacob Kleiner in London via telegrams in which the two play a game of chess, this lead to the The Hippodrome, and a circus run by the powerful and ruthless Mr Quinton. Here Leo meets the talented black acrobat, Olga Brown aka Miss Lala, the dead woman identified as fellow performer, Natalia La Blanche. In a dangerous case that takes in the underground Papaver nightclub, a naval officer, Lieutenant Chastain, the beautiful and alluring Alice Morgan, Quintan's mistress, Leo hunts a killer, as he tries to work out what the blood flower is and the exact role it plays in the murders.

Reeve brings this atmosperic and riveting historical series to a thrilling end, and the flawed Leo is the undoubted star and highlight, providing a social and political commentary of the issue in this particular period of history. It is barely surprising that he is angry when his true identity is divulged to others, the dangers this poses to him and the threat to his life cannot be understated, whilst other prejudices are illustrated with the entrenched racism and hostility directed towards Olga Brown, despite her remarkable abilities. I have really loved this brilliant series, and will miss it now it has ended. This is a gripping read, packed with intrigue, suspense and tension, inhabited with characters I have come to love, such as Rosie, pharmacy owner, Alfie, and his daughter, Constance, and Jacob. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

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This is the fourth and final book in the historical mystery series featuring Leo Stanhope. Leo and his wife Rosie travel to Portsmouth and become embroiled in the investigation of a double murder.
This is the only book in the series I have read so I had no previous bond to the characters. Although Leo has quite a back story, I didn't feel as though, not having read the earlier books, detracted in any way from my enjoyment of this book. The characters grew on me as the story progressed.
It was a light and entertaining read. The plot was interesting with plenty of twists.