Nansi has no memory of her life before being found, washed up and half drowned at Cardiff Docks, just that she was running from someone with her mother. The man who found her and took her in, isn’t as charitable as his actions sound. Manager of The Empire Theatre, Pernicious Sid is a cruel, vindictive man for whom Nansi must work in the theatre and steal from rich houses to pay her way with any extra money being saved so that one day she’ll be able to hire a detective to find her mother. Until then, she must do as she’s told while protecting fellow orphan Bee.

Life at the theatre changes when Constance and Violet arrive. Nansi’s life shifts from being perilous to life threatening, and she finds herself on the run from the only ‘family’ she knows, searching for a way to find her mother.

A darkly menacing, gothic tale; Gaslight is an enthralling read that will delight and scare in equal measure. Eloise Williams has created a strong, determined heroine in a richly evocative setting. Lighter moments offer relief from the devastatingly bleak life in this fast-paced drama that makes no apology for being as dark and disturbing as the lives of orphans in Victorian Cardiff would have been.

Great for fans of Rose Campion, The Sinclair Mysteries and The Laura Marlin Mysteries.

Many thanks to Firefly Press and Toppsta for the review copy; can’t wait to see it fly off my bookshelf at school!