Tragedy strikes Minnie Ward's beloved Variety Palace Theatre when a man is found dead in suspicious circumstances. Along with private detective Albert Easterbrook, she investigates. The trail leads them from the streets of London to a grand country house in the Suffolk countryside, home of the shadowy Spirit Sisterhood, who promise their clients an audience with the deceased. Minnie isn't buying it. She goes undercover within the Sisterhood and enters an eerie world of seances and mediums. But unravelling their secrets will bring Minnie face-to-face with ghosts from her own past. Can she get to the truth before the murderer kills again?



Bridget Walsh was born in London to Irish immigrant parents. She studied English literature at university and later acquired both a PhD in Victorian domestic murder and an obsessive interest in the weirder elements of nineteenth-century life. Bridget lives in Norwich with her husband, Micky, and her two dogs. Her debut and the first book in the Variety Palace Mysteries The Tumbling Girl won the Historical Writers Association Debut Crown and was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Dagger. The Innocents was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year. Both are available from Pushkin Vertigo.



A witty addition to Bridget Walsh's Variety Palace Mysteries



An addictive mix of mysticism, murder and music hall



From a murder far too close to home at the beloved Variety Palace, through dodgy Victorian séances to an even dodgier spiritualist cult in the wilds of Suffolk, Minnie and Albert blaze brighter than ever in this vividly conjured mystery with properly scary ghost story vibes. Another cracking page-turner from Bridget Walsh and this series. My favourite detective double-act



Wonderful. A supremely atmospheric historical mystery, both haunting and relentlessly entertaining



An excellent addition to the Variety Palace novels with memorable characters and a plot that explores the exploitation of people's grief. Minnie is a wonderful protagonist who brings strength and humour to even the darkest moments



It was an absolute delight to catch up with Minnie and Albert again. They're the best double act out there and in The Spirit Guide they're joined by a host of dubious conmen, mediums, ghosts, gullible heiresses and killers. What's not to like? Can't wait for the next one, and the one after that and the one after that!



Seedy Victorian London takes a turn for the grimly gothic... Opening in a tea room but leading to a contemporary understanding of trauma, this is true crime in a petticoat



I'd recommend this one... Strong characters, a look at the underbelly of Victorian London and a twisting plot with some genuine peril



- - PRAISE FOR THE VARIETY PALACE MYSTERIES



Walsh does a splendid job depicting Minnie's flea-bitten yet appealing theatrical world and Albert's monied yet treacherous milieu



Rich with theatrical detail and brimming with brilliant characters, this is a series not to be missed



Brilliant . . . keeps you guessing till the end



Neatly weds historical detail and quiet wit



My favourite new crime series of recent years



Triumphant . . . Walsh once again seamlessly combines vivid period detail, clever plotting, and thoughtful characterizations. This series merits a long run



A rollicking good yarn



A wry, warm and proper rib-tickling slice of dirty Victorian gothic



Warmth, wit, remarkable texture and rare authority



Pacy, captivating and accomplished



From the first dramatic and heart-breaking pages to the breathless final scenes, The Innocents by Bridget Walsh is the superb second novel in the Variety Palace Mysteries series. Victorian crime at its exciting and grittiest best. Don't miss it



'Beautifully evocative, deftly plotted and with engaging characters, it was a page-turner from beginning to end



A brilliantly written page-turner. A bravura performance tumbling us into a compelling mystery in a vivid, richly imagined world. You can smell the greasepaint and hear the roar of the crowd on every page



Bridget Walsh is a fresh and fabulous new voice in historical crime fiction