Come for the clever mystery, stay reading late into the night for the vivid, tender portrayal of a world where women are bought, sold and abused, yet fight to retain their vim and dignity. I would gamble what’s left of my virtue on Daughters of Night being the best historical crime novel I will read this year

Outstanding

Here’s one where the pages turn all by themselves and the plot doesn’t let you go

This is right up with the best of C. J. Sansom and Andrew Taylor . . . A real treat, for readers of literary, detective and historical fiction

Shepherd-Robinson’s ingenious plotting, eagle eye for detail and evocative prose picked me up and dropped me in the underbelly of Georgian London. Like all the best historical fiction it makes the reader think as much about the way we live now as then

A dark, fascinating and richly imagined world – brilliantly done!

Rich in historical detail, impeccably plotted . . . Laura Shepherd-Robinson really is the queen of the historical crime novel

Deft characterization, wonderful writing and great pace . . . Laura Shepherd-Robinson is a big talent

A very satisfying whodunnit . . . The twists and turns were masterful

Top-drawer historical fiction meets compulsive, just-one-more-chapter crime. Expertly plotted, gloriously grisly, with characters who stomp around your brain long after you turn the last page. In other words, masterful

A masterfully plotted labyrinth of a novel with a dangerously dark heart, teeming with memorable characters. Eighteenth-century London seethes from the page. I loved it

Just finished Daughters Of Night a stunning tour de force from the hugely talented Laura Shepherd Robinson breathtaking stuff

Laura Shepherd-Robinson has at once proved herself a star

It thrums with life and colour, the characters are bawdy and beautiful and sly and savage, the twists are wicked, and the denouement has a satisfying modern flavour without ever straying from the confines of the setting

Every bit as good as Blood & Sugar, better even. Rich in historical detail, a fascinating exploration of the London sex-trade, and I loved the twist . . . Another terrific novel

This book blew me away. Pitch-perfect within the eighteenth-century world and wholly immersive, it is an exquisite mystery, an exceptional voyage through danger and an extraordinary novel

Exquisitely crafted and enormous fun. Murder, mythology, deception and dark doings in Georgian London

Shepherd-Robinson’s second offering is without doubt even better than her award-winning debut . . . Every page is a joy to read – this deserves to sweep all before it in the end-of-year book awards

I absolutely loved it. Laura reimagines an eighteenth-century London with seemingly effortless clarity – I read it in a permanent state of rapture, covered in goose bumps. If you want to be lost and thrilled by another world, then this is the book for you

A historical murder-mystery masterpiece, with an exquisitely crafted, page-turning narrative and flawed characters that the reader can’t help but to root for

Laura Shepherd-Robinson has written a story that is not only a page-turner of a thriller but, to an extent unusual in historical novels, where you feel you really are listening to a voice from the eighteenth century

Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s historical crime thriller Daughters of Night brings Georgian London to life in all its seedy glory

This richly woven tale brings history vividly to life . . . A gripping read

[Daughters of Night] pitched the period perfectly, you got a real sense of what London was like. The attention to detail is exceptional and the plot races along. Loved it

Spectacularly brilliant. Once in a blue moon levels of fantastic. One of the most enjoyable and enduring stories I have ever read

Utterly fascinating . . . Niftily plotted, vivid and thoroughly researched

Daughters of Night is a deeply satisfying novel, reminiscent of Iain Pears’s later work in its feel for historical detail and character, and the way it subtly asks questions about our own age

There is no doubt that Shepherd-Robinson is a rising star in the historical fiction firmament

[Shepherd-Robinson] would be advised to clear her shelves for future awards

Deservedly described as a strong contender for the best historical novel of the year, it is a lushly written and evocative look at Georgian society, high and low, centering on the violent death of a woman who turns out not to be quite who she claimed. It is fuelled by a quiet anger over the lack of agency available to women then, and, by implication, now

Read Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, but read Blood & Sugar first: a) because it’s brilliant, and b) because the characters overlap. They’re both murder mysteries set in a meticulously and hyper-vividly drawn 18th-century London. The first is eye-opening about slavery, the second is about prostitution, or rather the first is about race and the second is about woman. Total page-turners

[A] delectable whodunnit oozing with menace and lively period language

I loved Daughters of Night even more than the fantastic Blood & Sugar. A gripping page turner that had me immediately invested in every rounded character, this was a perfect blend of rollicking good read and insightful commentary on both the past and present. In Caro Corsham, Laura Shepherd-Robinson has created a heroine who is hugely believable and hugely engaging. 5 shining stars from me