'Most of us are au fait with the dark side of Victorian London, the sharp contrast between rich and poor in their overcrowded slums, the crime and prostitution, thanks to the novels of Charles Dickens.

However, James’s novels are not full of sentimentality, nor are his young ruffians angels in disguise. We smell the filth and blood and hear the screams of those beaten to a pulp by villains. As in many crime novels, it is not the vicious underclass who are the true villains, but those with power and money.'

Historical Novel Society