Description

From the author of Half of the Human Race (Channel 4 TV Book Club) comes an intricate and thrilling tale of love and conspiracy in Victorian London.

London, 1882. David Wildeblood, an idealistic young journalist, pounds the streets of Camden reporting on the notorious slums. The misery and squalor surprise him, but more shocking still is the realisation that someone is profiting from this destitution. Wildeblood’s urge to uncover the truth draws him into mortal danger as his investigations reveal a trail of corruption that leads to the very highest levels of society…

‘Powerful and heartfelt. Ms Eliot and Mr Dickens would surely approve’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Quinn blends his history, his political concerns, his ideals, his plot and his characters elegantly, with a light hand and the pace of a thriller’ Daily Telegraph

Publisher Review

Ambitious, gripping and disturbingly well done. -- Kate Saunders * The Times * Quinn's most mature novel yet... His picture of poverty's shaming, dehumanizing effect is powerful, and the recurrent call for pity heartfelt. Ms Eliot and Mr Dickens would surely approve. -- Holly Kyte * Sunday Telegraph * Cements his reputation as an accomplished and challenging novelist... Though it takes place 130 years ago, the questions that The Streets poses about how, as a society and individuals, we tackle deprivation arguably remain just as pertinent. -- Peter Stanford * Independent * Quinn blends his history, his political concerns, his ideals, his plot and his characters elegantly, with a light hand and the pace of a thriller. -- Louisa Young * Daily Telegraph * Displays the unsentimental yet powerful flair for romance that characterized his previous novel, Half of the Human Race. Perhaps most exciting of all, there is a sense that he is still writing within himself. -- Tom Cox * Sunday Times *