5-STAR REVIEW: CHILDREN OF THE SHADOWS by Erica Vetsch

Thorndike & Swann Regency Mysteries: Book 3
Publication Date: October 10, 2023

Detective Daniel Swann and debutante Juliette Thorndike once again team up to solve a dangerous mystery—while trying to keep their growing romance secret.

Someone is preying upon the street children of Regency London. They seem to think no one will notice when urchins go missing—and even if they are noticed, who will care?

Daniel needs to do something about the missing children. But with recent revelations about his past and an unexpected, somewhat unwelcome inheritance to deal with, this is a terrible time to dive back into the seedy underbelly of the crime world. Nevertheless, he’s still a Bow Street runner, and his partner Lady Juliette is sensitive to the plight of these wayward youngsters. They’re on the case, searching shadowed alleys and coal-drenched streets to find the missing.

But the tangle of expectation and the dynamics of power cannot be easily ignored, even if there are children in danger. When Daniel’s past threatens to overwhelm his future, he will need a miracle and the help of his friends to both apprehend the villain and unravel his tangled family web. And it may be that his new responsibilities demand that he leave the children of the shadows to their terrible fate—or lose everything.

Erica Vetsch’s popular Regency mystery series concludes with a bang, sure to satisfy readers who have hung on every page since book one.

Erica Vetsch delivers yet another gripping tale. Children of the Shadows, the third book in the Thorndike and Swann Mystery Series, is a story crafted of spellbinding intrigue inhabiting Regency London’s streets.

Bow Street Inspector Daniel Swann is on the heels of a murderer who has seemingly struck twice. But there’s more afoot than just murder. Street children, those children typically living in the shadows of London’s sprawling Metroplex are turning up missing—one here, one there until an alarming number have disappeared.

While Daniel Swann is busy with murders and missing children, Lady Juliette is relegated to the sidelines to play the part of society debutante. While her parents are off on another assignment from the Crown and Uncle Bertie is sent on a mission inland, Lady Juliette takes up residence at the Duke of Haverly’s home and under the watchful eye of the Dowager.

While the London season rolls on and clues are discovered and investigated, Lady Juliette and Daniel long to be together. They are forced, however, into an arms-length acquaintance while Daniel’s claim to the title of Earl of Coatsworth is investigated and presented to the ultimate deciding authority, the Prince Regent. If his claim is supported and endorsed by the Prince, Daniel will become an earl and be able to ask Lady Juliette to be his bride. If not, he and Lady Juliette will be forced to abandon their romance in light of the societal rules of the day. Daniel’s honor demands he step away from Juliette if necessary, but it is very nearly both of their undoing.

Investigation into the crimes heats up, placing Daniel’s job as an investigator on the line, while Juliette is determined to help those blamed for the children’s disappearances but lands herself in gaol instead. Their futures uncertain, their love on the line, Daniel and Juliette must determine a way forward in Children of the Shadows, both for themselves and for those they care about who have been innocently caught up in a web of crime.

Children of the Shadows is as fast-paced and thrilling as the love story between Daniel and Juliette, and it is sweet and heartfelt. Well told, perfectly paced and richly endowed with historical detail, this is a splendidly delightful read.

Erica Vetsch is a New York Times best-selling author and ACFW Carol Award winner, and has been a Romantic Times top pick for her previous books. She loves Jesus, history, romance, and watching sports. This transplanted Kansan now makes her home in Rochester, Minnesota.