{review} india black

Carol K. Carr India Black (2010)

It is amazing what a woman can do if only she ignores what men tell her she can’t. If I do say so myself (and I seldom refrain from doing so), I’m a deuced fine shot, and if anyone feels inclined to meddle with me, he can expect some hot lead for his hubris.

This was a recommendation from adventures of an intrepid reader. And what a wonderful, escapist read it turned out to be. It's 1876. India Black, brothel madam ('Abbess' in the argot) and "deuced fine shot" becomes unwittingly involved in the fight to protect vital English military secrets from the Russians. This book has everything: 'real' historical figures, heaving bosoms, a lesbian romp, pistols sewn into undies, a whore with a heart of gold, and clients who like to dress up as Queen Victoria for kicks. There's a nice developing romantic story-line at play too in her fellow agent French, "a companion who made the Sphinx seem loquacious". In sum: a thoroughly enjoyable and highly unlikely romp. I'm hanging out desperately for the next one in the series. Pure escapism. Apparently this is the author's debut novel. Remarkable.

The stop at the Black Bull was the first of many that night. French would spring from the brougham and hurry into the King’s Bollocks or the Blind Wanker or wherever we happened to be, bellowing for the landlord and demanding food, drink, horses and information about any Russians who happened to be in the vicinity.

Rating: 9/10. (How did the body get from the floor to the bed, copy-editor?)

If you liked this... it was a great blend of Sarah Waters' Fingersmith, Y. S. Lee's The Agency {REVIEW} with a dash of Amanda Quick's The Paid Companion. And, of course, there's the next one: India Black and the Widow of Windsor (forthcoming).