Lawless and the Flowers of Sin

Starred review from November 21, 2016
Set in 1860s London, Sutton’s complex second mystery featuring Sgt. Campbell Lawless is even better than its predecessor, Lawless and the Devil of Euston Square. To Lawless’s dismay, Sir Richard Payne, the commissioner of Scotland Yard, assigns him to supervise a new survey to count every prostitute in the city. Payne wants to use the findings to persuade Parliament to devote resources to combat immorality. He also asks the police sergeant to keep an eye out for a “particular friend” of Lord Palmerston, the prime minister. Despite Payne’s ostensible laudable motive, Lawless suspects that he has a hidden agenda. In any event, Lawless resolves to carry out the investigation honestly. The extent of the exploitation of girls and women shocks even the seasoned policeman, and those grim portraits of human misery will linger for the reader even as the author provides plausible twists to keep things moving.