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The Murder Pit
Mick Finlay
1896: A missing daughter. Three dead children. A sinister connection between a farm and an asylum.Arrowood must catch the killer before he strikes again – and before Sherlock Holmes or the police take the credit…
MICK FINLAY was born in Glasgow but left when he was a child, living in Canada and then England. Before becoming an academic, he ran a market stall on Portobello Road, and has worked as a tent-hand in a travelling circus, a butcher’s boy, a hotel porter, and in various jobs in the NHS and social services. He teaches in a Psychology Department, and has published research on political violence and persuasion, verbal and non-verbal communication, and disability. He now lives in Brighton with his family.
Copyright (#ulink_cb58e776-56b7-5d82-8533-e12f821337b2)
An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018
Copyright © Mick Finlay 2018
Mick Finlay asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Ebook Edition © January 2019 ISBN: 9780008214777
Praise for Arrowood (#ulink_4cb8fef7-a932-5e52-85a0-4db6c62662f6)
‘Arrowood is a flawed but engaging hero and the plot spins from peril to twist and back with real panache.’
The Times
‘A fantastic creation.’
The Spectator
‘Richly inventive.’
Daily Telegraph
‘Strongly reminiscent of Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike novels…a memorable detective who can stand among the best.’
Harrow Times
‘Mick Finlay’s atmospheric, detailed, singular London is a terrifying place I hope to return to again and again.’ Ross Armstrong, bestselling author of The Watcher
‘If you ever thought the Sherlock Holmes stories might benefit from being steeped in gin, caked in grime and then left unwashed for weeks…Mick Finlay’s 1895-set detective debut is for you.’
Crime Scene
‘A book with enough warmth, charm, humour, and intrigue to signal the start of an excellent new series.’ Vaseem Khan, author of The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra
‘Stunningly dark and atmospheric crime debut…Arrowood is just the opener for a thrilling and original new series.’
Lancashire Evening Post
‘Readers of historical detective fiction will enjoy this well-set, darkly humorous addition to the canon.’
Historical Novel Society
To the good people of Haslemere Avenue
and 33P. Late 80s, early 90s.
Author note (#ulink_3b739e75-6e0c-5cd2-b90b-012c85cf4ce1)
In the 1890s, the terms ‘idiot’ and ‘imbecile’ were used to refer to people we now describe as having learning, developmental or intellectual disabilities. Down’s syndrome was known as ‘Mongolism’ and people with the condition were often called ‘Mongolian Idiots’, ‘Mongoloids’ or ‘Mongols’. Although it’s uncomfortable to hear these labels nowadays, the term ‘Down’s syndrome’ only came into use in the 1960s.
Contents
Cover (#u786dbf97-80d6-5395-8956-e78e7708c883)
About the Author (#u628129a3-1bd0-576e-b8b5-2b66f93ba100)
Title Page (#u6d9b7f6e-0739-58d8-ab9e-23b3e8e84dc3)
Copyright (#ulink_0e4167f6-f308-5283-ac73-5861169debb3)
Praise (#ulink_bc7ab1eb-a387-5f32-81ce-167a7c4cca93)
Dedication (#uf707bf51-6456-51bd-90b9-e8a4a87af43c)
Author Note (#ulink_1885b2a1-52d2-5e74-882e-2a53959a1a78)
Chapter One (#ulink_7419dfd9-7ecf-53bb-9db5-3ff8cc0342d7)
Chapter Two (#ulink_9daf5d6a-4b3e-5ff4-8b9a-4b177cbbfde5)
Chapter Three (#ulink_57345290-05b0-5199-b73e-770c3360ded3)
Chapter Four (#ulink_a9cf6e70-dfda-5ffa-95b2-bd1d9564b7b2)
Chapter Five (#ulink_6368ea7d-ed81-53db-b8c2-884c7230c595)
Chapter Six (#ulink_7ff52993-1cda-5f87-9612-198841689d2c)
Chapter Seven (#ulink_a698b633-daed-5975-b86c-71bef8571e41)
Chapter Eight (#ulink_c5ca2913-5471-5f1c-93c8-585daef0cfe6)
Chapter Nine (#ulink_33646076-39e7-54f0-9cc6-7c894dfe0f48)
Chapter Ten (#ulink_4221e347-3dff-5106-bc05-1e30827a6510)
Chapter Eleven (#ulink_eb3fb6f1-f5e4-5b1b-bf95-be6a60af35d4)
Chapter Twelve (#ulink_04c007ad-5bcb-5df0-8858-927c44eebb0a)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Forty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Forty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Forty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Forty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Forty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Forty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Forty-Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Forty-Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Forty-Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Historical Notes and Sources (#litres_trial_promo)
Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ulink_34c72e18-65db-5cee-8bcd-12b2d538b644)
South London, 1896
Horror sometimes arrives with a smile upon her face, and so it was with the case of Birdie Barclay. It was early New Year, the mud frozen in the streets, smuts drifting like black snow in the fog. Shuddering horses trudged past, driven on to places they didn’t want to go by sullen, red-faced men. Crossing sweepers stood by waiting for punters to drop them a coin, while old folk clutched walls and railings lest they should slip on the slick cobbles, sighing, muttering, hacking up big gobs of germs and firing them into the piles of horse dung as collected at every corner.
We hadn’t had a case for five weeks, so the letter from Mr Barclay inviting us to call that afternoon was welcome. He lived on Saville Place, a row of two-bedroom cottages under the train lines between the Lambeth Palace and Bethlem. When we reached the house we could hear a lady inside singing over a piano. I was about to knock when the guvnor touched my arm.
‘Wait, Barnett,’ he whispered.
