Phil Lecomber’s Midnight Streets invites readers into the shadowy alleys and smoky clubs of late 1920s Soho, delivering a gritty and immersive Golden Age crime thriller that eschews the polished parlours of classic whodunnits for the grimy streets of working-class London.

George Harley, a Cockney private detective, finds himself drawn into a tangled web of danger after saving a young girl from an abduction attempt. The stakes are quickly raised as he discovers the incident is tied to an incendiary book and a series of gruesome murders, dragging him into a deadly game of wits with a vicious killer. Harley’s uneasy alliance with Scotland Yard adds tension to his position in Soho’s underworld, where gangsters and informants are as threatening as the mysteries he’s trying to solve.

Lecomber’s London is richly atmospheric, painted in shades of smoggy greys and flickering streetlights. From the razor-wielding gangsters to the weary streetwalkers, the supporting cast brims with vivid characters who bring Soho’s underbelly to life. Harley himself is a compelling protagonist—gritty yet sharp-witted, with just enough heart to keep readers rooting for him as he navigates a world of betrayal, violence, and moral ambiguity.

The novel’s strength lies in its attention to historical detail. Lecomber skilfully recreates 1929 London, capturing the language, culture, and tensions of the time. The contrast between the glitz of upper-class crime fiction and the stark realism of Harley’s world adds depth, making the narrative as much about the era as it is about the mystery.

Midnight Streets is a gripping read that blends the hard-boiled detective tradition with a distinctly British flavour. Fans of historical crime fiction and atmospheric mysteries will find plenty to love in George Harley’s debut adventure. Lecomber’s Soho feels so real you can almost hear the rattle of trams and the clink of pint glasses—and it’s a place you won’t soon forget.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Phil Lecomber's historical crime thriller ,"Midnight Streets" is set in the gritty and squalid environment of 1920's Soho.

When Private Detective George Harley saves the life of a young woman he is delighted to be asked to investigate a seemingly linked series of murders by the police, this turns out to be a definite case of be careful what you wish for. Harley plies his trade around post WW1 Soho ,a former soldier and "spook",something he's reluctant to talk about, he's no saint and grew up with many of the mobsters he treads carefully around while conducting his investigation.

This is an excellent tale that brings the almost schizophrenic world of old-time Soho to life,the bustling retail area where the gangsters,prostitutes and all forms of lowlife surface after the shops and offices have closed down for the day, the drug dealers and pimps who start work after the butchers and greengrocers have closed and the office girls gone home.
The action is continuous and frequently shocking as Harley finds himself between rival gangs of thugs, the strange and deranged and with bent coppers thrown into the mix for good,or possibly bad,measure.

I really enjoyed this book,not least the references to things that are not generally known ,the child workers sent to Australia and the various esoteric orders that were popular at the time. There are real historical characters in the plot as well as some who are very obviously based on real people. The story does take a little while to take off as there are so many characters I initially found it quite hard to keep track but once it got going I was hooked.
This is the first book in a series,and one I'll definitely follow.