Leo Stanhope works as a coroner's assistant in Victorian London, spending his leisure time frequenting a brothel on Half Moon Street and playing chess at a club. However, he is hiding the secret that he was born a woman and has fallen in love with one of the prostitutes at Half Moon Street. When she is found dead, Leo has to prove his innocence and seek out the true killer in London's seedy underworld.

I absolutely loved this book! I liked the twist that Leo has his own secrets to protect even as he uncovers everyone else's and the character was so appealing and human. The settings were wonderfully evoked and the supporting characters were interesting and well developed, especially Alfie and Constance who run the pharmacy where Leo lives. The mystery was well plotted and intriguing throughout.

I'd wholly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical crime fiction. I hope that this is the start of a series as I'd like to read more about Leo in the future.

First of all, I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The House on Half Moon Street has three fundamental sides to it: it's a crime novel, a historical novel, and a character study of its protagonist Leo all in one. This shouldn't feel revolutionary - after all, this combination isn't exactly unheard-of - but the fact that Leo is a transgender man means that the exploration of his character and identity is inextricably linked to the realities of living as a transgender individual, which is something that is, unfortunately, still quite rare in contemporary literary fiction, let alone crime OR historical fiction, much less any other novels which fit into both of those genres. It's so wonderful to see how much more diverse modern literature is becoming, and the variety of voices that are finally able to be heard because of it.

As a crime novel, The House on Half Moon Street constructs an undeniably dark, gritty vision of 1880s London. At first I was quite concerned by how misogynistic the world it depicts is, but as always, there is a world of difference between a misogynistic setting and a misogynistic narrative, and while the novel does use a few tropes I wish it didn't - specifically, the main character's love interest is fridged, and there's a scene involving sexual assault - on the whole, the novel usually steers clear of the latter. I actually found it very interesting how Leo initially harboured some misogynistic convictions of his own, which were challenged and changed over the course of the novel, and it made him a much more interesting, nuanced character. Plus, the supporting cast was absolutely packed with incredible, complex women - Rosie! Constance! Madame Moreau! Lilya! Mrs Brafton! Jane! Audrey! Nancy! - all of whom had their own stories to tell, and the novel was greatly enriched by their presence.

The mystery at the core of the novel is also well crafted - I was able to figure out some aspects of it before they were revealed, which always tickles my ego nicely, but not all of it, and it was very satisfying when the last pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. I would say that the pacing could have been a little sharper in the middle, when there are a few overly repetitive internal monologues as Leo tries to work out what's going on, but all in all it was a great effort for a debut author, and I thought that there was a nice balance of plot and character development throughout.

Finally, Leo himself is a wonderful protagonist with a very compelling narrative voice - I can't wait to see what other adventures he gets into in the future!

This is a unique spin on historical fiction! The main character is transgender which I’d never come across before in this type of novel and it was a very unique way of telling a story. The entire novel felt different and more dangerous as the world certainly was back then - for transgender people it must have been unimaginable!

There is a fair bit of sexual intrigue and misogynistic detail in the book which I didn’t always like - a bit too much of anything gets a bit repetitive - but on the whole, it was a unique story to tell.

Leo’s transgender identity makes for an intriguing novel. I don’t begin to understand the hopes, fears of someone like this and in the 1880s, this raises the tension and awkwardness in society. I got to like him and as a character, he’s someone I would definitely like to know more about.

With all this, there’s very much a good plot and great character development and the novel carries itself along with ease.

An atmospheric historical crime novel set in Victorian London. The protagonist is Leo Stanhope who is transgender and only a few trusted friends know. But Leo's world comes crashing down when the love of his life Maria is found dead and Leo is arrested and accused of her murder.
I really liked this, it reminded me of the Jem Flockhart series by E S Thomson. I
Will definitely read more in this series.

Atmospheric and descriptive with a main character you really care for, this story as well written and likable. I was intrigued from the very start by it's twisty quirkiness and I especially liked Leo's (the MC) strong, narrative voice. I don't usually read books like this but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'd really like to read more to the series.

This is a thought provoking historical crime drama with Leo Stanhope, a transgender coroner's assistant, set in Victorian London. Born Charlotte Pritchard, he has 2 siblings, and feels an absolute conviction he is a man, cruelly made to live within the body of a woman, he leaves home at 15 years old, unable to live a lie any longer. He is estranged from his family and only connects with his sister, Jane, although she is not happy to see him. It begins with the arrival of the drowned body of Jack Flowers, a man deemed to be drunk who accidentally fell into the Thames. Leo is a frequent visitor to the brothel on Half Moon Street, to see the love of his life, Maria Milanes, who appears to reciprocate his feelings despite being a prostitute. Leo is horrified, shocked and griefstricken when Maria's dead body arrives at the coroner's office. He vows to find out how she died, unaware of where this will lead him and the danger it will place him in.

It does not take long for Leo to grasp that he barely knew Maria, a woman born Maria Mills into highly impoverished circumstances, which shapes her into a person who will do whatever it takes to survive. Her funeral gives Leo an opportunity to see and meet others from her life, including the brothel owner, James Bentinck, a man who claims family connections with the powerful Bentinck family and his bookkeeper, Miss Nancy Gainsford. Before long, Leo is arrested as the main suspect for Maria's murder by the police, but they are forced to release him after behind the scenes pressure is put on them. Leo encounters midwife and abortionist Madame Moreau, looks into other clients of Maria, feels betrayed, begins to glimpse the covert and depraved trade in human trafficking, and the misery and horror that it entails. As he begins to get closer to Rosie Flowers, pie maker extraordinaire, he begins to discern that there is a connection between Maria and Jack Flowers death. Leo is to be tested to the limits, whilst endeavouring to avoid being discovered as transgender, determined to discover the truth behind Maria's death.

Reeve writes a compelling piece of historical fiction, outlining the risks women have to endure and the powerless and precarious positions they face in Victorian London and creates a mesmerising central character in Leo. Reeve gives a psychological portrayal of the vulnerable Leo, having to live with the risks and dangers of being transgender in unenlightened times, it is scarcely much easier in today's world. Very few people know the real Leo, and he is forced to reinforce a self protective barrier between himself and the world. I should warn readers that they may find the brutality, abuse and rape outlined in the novel too much for them. One of my favourite parts of the novel is the growing close relationship between the strong and indomitable Rosie and Leo. A fantastic read which I recommend highly. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC.

I do like a good dose of historical fiction every so often. I especially like the cerebral investigative process rather than the main protagonist merely relying on technology. This book obviously has that as it is set in Victorian times, in London to be specific. But, what it also has is a main character who is transgender. I know that this practice was quite prevalent in these times due to woman needing to pose as men to gain employment or education, especially in certain circles, but here Leo is actually more comfortable and indeed identifies better as a man rather than the women he was born as. I found this to be quite illuminating, especially given the times, and some of his inner musings were quite eye opening too.
So, we have Leo who, at the start of our story, is working in a hospital morgue. He plays chess sometimes in the evenings and also has a standing weekly appointment with Maria, a lady of ill repute. She being one of the very few people who know the truth of his identity. They are in love. One day though they have an appointment outside of the brothel but she stands him up. Leo is devastated and thinks she could betray him but then she turns up at his place of work, dead. Due to her profession, the police find it hard to find out who murdered her and, clutching at straws, the finger soon points at Leo. Desperate to clear his name, and retain his true identity, and determined to find the killer, Leo takes it upon himself to investigate. But what secrets will he uncover and, in doing so, what harm will befall him?
Firstly, the book is set in the 1800s and so the values, opinions, laws, actions and attitudes are akin to this time. Pretty brutally in some places in the book. Some things were quite shocking by today's standards but it was totally what you would expect for the era in which the story is set.
Leo was a very interesting and obviously complex character. He plays his role to perfection however, even if some of the things he had to do were painful. He also developed well over the course of the book. Starting off as quite vulnerable and timid but blossoming into a fine upstanding man towards the end. We also got to hear his backstory in flashback. How he struggled with his identity as a child and the way he left the family home.
The rest of the cast were just as well described and all had their parts to play within the story, which they did, and very well too. I won't go into any further detail here as it is better to meet and get to know them as the author intended.
The plot was very well crafted and had me spinning around trying to get to the truth before Leo. I did manage to suss a few things out early but I think that's probably more due to the fact that I read far more mystery novels than Leo and thus have more experience than him!! You can't expect a character with his background to suddenly become a first class detective at his first outing; a fair dollop of floundering is only to be expected. I didn't get it all right all the time though and there were a fair few things that I really didn't see coming.
It doesn't mention it here that I can see but I have seen on other sites that this is actually the first in a series. This news excited me very much as I definitely though that Leo has a lot more to give as a character and I for one will be happy to continue that journey with him
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The House on Half Moon Street by Alex Reeve

It is 1880 and Leo Stanhope, assistant to a coroner in London, is in love. It doesn’t matter to him that his love Maria works as a prostitute in Mrs Brafton’s brothel on Half Moon Street. Leo knows that Maria loves him and he has proof. She knows Leo as he really is – a man who was born a girl called Charlotte or Lottie. But Lottie grew up knowing that there was no future for Charlotte the woman. There could only be Leo the man. Very few know Leo’s secret, which is just as well because a woman dressed as a man is committing a criminal offence. But all of Leo’s hopes for the future are shattered when Maria is found dead, murdered, and Leo is a chief suspect. With his heart broken, Leo must discover the truth but in doing so he learns how little he really knew the love of his life.

At the heart of The House on Half Moon Street is its vulnerable and yet immensely courageous transgender hero, Leo Stanhope. He’s so easy to warm to, and fear for, as he lets us into his secrets, we watch him mould his body, suppress his appetite to remain unfeminine, meet with friends who could destroy him with one careless word. The narrative is in the first person and so we know only too well just how much he loves Maria while we also suspect that this relationship is never going to end well. And we worry for him when we watch him risk absolutely everything to chase her killer.

So on one level this is a Victorian murder mystery and it’s a very good one. But on another level it’s an emotional portrait of Leo Stanhope who lived at a time when there must have seemed little hope for someone like him. At times the narrative takes us into very dark places indeed and there is one moment in particular which I found difficult to cope with, that contrasted so sharply with the tone of much of the rest of the novel. And so at times the novel does seem to straddle different worlds. Inevitably, it also reminded me of the much loved Jem series by E.M. Thomson. But there is so much feeling in The House on Half Moon Street that it is impossible not to warm to Leo, who is so beautifully drawn and brought to life, and fear for his situation. But there is more to this novel than Leo’s situation. It also reflects on the situation of London’s poorest women, including its prostitutes.

The portrayal of Victorian London is fantastic. We move around a fair bit of it and I really enjoyed where it it takes us but the best of scenes are reserved for Mrs Brafton’s brothel as well as the evenings Leo spends playing chess with his closest friend. But I particularly liked the moments Leo spends with his landlord and his young daughter. There is such a life to these scenes, although the thought of the landlord practising his dentistry skills is not a comforting one. I loved the lightness and humour of these pages, which do a fine job, I think, of breaking up the darkness.

The House on Half Moon Street is a really enjoyable and at times quite intense portrayal of life in London in the 1880s for poor women and for those who challenged Victorian conceptions of sexuality and gender identity. Leo is an intriguing hero with the weight of the world on his shoulders. The House on Half Moon Street is Alex Reeve’s debut novel and is, I’m delighted to say, the first of a new series. I’m really pleased that Leo will return.