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She Be Damned by M J Tjia (view source)
Revision as of 13:55, 21 October 2021
, 13:55, 21 October 2021no edit summary
There's always the danger that a book focusing on the murder of prostitutes could fall into a rather misogynistic hole, but Tjia avoids this with skill. Having the lead character be a former prostitute allows her a certain amount of insight into the lives of the girls killed, and even the shortest life is imbued with humanity and dignity from the author, preventing this from becoming a book that relies on cheap shocks to thrill the reader. In fact, both Heloise and Amah Li Leen are characters years ahead of her time – independent, strong-willed and fully in charge of their own agendas, yet fitting well into the world which Tjia has created – one in which men hold the positions of power, but where behind every man there are several strong women.
Fun, thrilling and very well written – ''She Be Damned'' is a carefully crafted adventure that I hugely enjoyed, and I look forward to seeing what the delightful Mrs Chancey gets up to next. Many thanks to the publishers for the copy, and for further reading I recommend [[The Queen's Man by Rory Clements]] – another adventurous and well-paced thriller that combines historical detail with a clever plot. We think you might also like [[Trades of the Flesh by Faye L Booth]]. We also have a review of [[A Necessary Murder by M J Tjia|the next book in the series]].
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