Decimus Webb Books

The last train of the night pulls into the gas-lit platform of Baker Street underground station. A young woman is found strangled, her body abandoned in a second-class carriage.The brutal “Railway Murder” brings Inspector Decimus Webb to the newly formed Metropolitan Line on a bleak winter’s night. His investigation leads him through the slums of Victorian London to the Holborn Refuge, a home for “fallen women,” and to Clara White, a respectable servant. But Clara has her own tragic and shameful history. As her past is revealed, Inspector Webb must decide whether she is merely a victim of circumstances, or a prime suspect. Only then can he unearth a dark secret, hidden in the depths of underground London.Lee Jackson’s second novel brilliantly recreates the sights, sounds and smells of Victorian London, taking readers on a suspense-filled journey through its criminal underworld.

Lee Jackson's second Inspector Webb novel once again guides readers through the dark alleys and gaslit parlours of nineteenth century London. “Her arms were bare and milk-white, her hands dainty and graceful; her smileas sweet as any I have ever seen. An awful shame . . .” In the disreputable dance-halls and ‘houses of accommodation’ of 1870s London, a boastful killer selects his prey. His crimes seem like random acts of malevolence, but Inspector Decimus Webb, promoted to the Detective Branch at Scotland Yard, is not convinced. Webb begins to suspect a connection between the terrible murders, a mysterious theft at the Abney Park Cemetery, and a long-forgotten suicide. His investigations lead him, in turn, to the Holborn General Mourning Warehouse, devoted to the sale of ‘Mourning for Families, In Correct Taste,’ and its proprietor, one Jasper Woodrow, a seemingly respectable business man. As Webb delves into Woodrow’s life, he uncovers layer upon layer of deceit. But can he unearth Jasper Woodrow’s darkest secret, in time to prevent another tragedy? The Welfare of the Dead is a suspense-filled gothic mystery with the Victorian celebration of death at its morbid heart.

From the bestselling author of London Dust and The Welfare of the Dead : another Inspector Decimus Webb crime mystery, in which readers are guided through the dark alleys and gaslit parlours of nineteenth century London.