A Dangerous Duet by Karen Odden, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Nell Hallam, a talented nineteen-year-old pianist, has a desire to become a concert pianist…but not the means to pay for tuition to the Royal Academy. To earn money, she takes to playing the piano at the Octavian, a Soho music hall…but dressed as a man, as in this Victorian society, a woman could not work at this job. Meanwhile, her brother, Matthew, a newly-appointed police inspector, has been busy tracking down a ring of thieves, so Nell is able to keep her job a secret from him. But their paths cross anyway, in A Dangerous Duet, a mystery by Karen Odden.

Working at the Octavian gives Nell a view of a world completely opposite to hers: the rowdy, foggy streets of Victorian London, strange and sinister people lurking in shadow, poor urchins stealing riches in exchange for bread and a dry sleeping spot, and many dark secrets. Though Nell faces scary times, she does have some exciting times and meets some interesting people, including Jack Drummond, the son of the owner. One day, when Nell comes early to rehearse, she stumbles onto information that leads her to believe that the music hall is part of the crime ring. Worst of all, it looks like Jack is one of the criminals. Will he be swept up by her brother as he closes in on rounding up his gang of thieves?

This novel is a captivating historical-fiction mystery that is part thriller and part romance set in the Victorian era. The characters are well-drawn and appealing, and the storyline is strong enough to keep the reader guessing and doing some detective work of their own. Recommended.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of A Dangerous Duet.

Acknowledgment: HarperCollins provided a copy of A Dangerous Duet for this review.