Praise for Under Ground

'From the choleric streets of the Fleet Ditch to the genteel surroundings of Hampstead; from the toshers making a living from scouring the mud on the Thames to a wealthy family with more than a few secrets, E. S. Thomson takes us on a rip-roaring adventure through London of the mid 1850s. Meticulously researched, magnificently atmospheric, and written with Dickensian charm, this intriguing novel proves that sometimes the best stories lie hidden under ground' Abir Mukherjee


'E. S. Thomson has done it again. A cast of vivid characters, gorgeously gritty settings and a rollicking plot, all backed up by meticulous research worn lightly. There is much to love in a Flockhart novel and Under Ground is no exception. Immersive from the start and satisfying to the finish, a faultless tale from one of our best writers of historical crime fiction. Jess Kidd

'In this book of superlatives, the chief brilliance is its characters. It's not only the main protagonists, Jem Flockhart and Will Quartermain, who delight but the familiar minor characters of Mrs Roseplucker and her enforcer Mr Jobber, and the family of the murdered man, the egregious but aptly named Mortmains. Add the Toshers of the sewers, Thimble, Fox and Badger and Under Ground abounds with satisfyingly Dickensian characters' Alis Hawkins