A sunless sea

the long version

1864 and on the bank of the Thames, the mutilated body of a woman is found on Limehouse Pier. Inspector William Monk's enquiries unearth a connection between the victim and Dr Lambourn. A recently deceased scientist, Lambourn was a supporter of a new pharmaceutical bill to regulate the sale of opium. Not all is as it seems, as Lambourn's widow refuses to believe the verdict of suicide. She is convinced that he was murdered after government officials, intent on keeping the lucrative trade of opium flowing, discredited his research. Pressure mounts for the river police to find the Limehouse killer, and Monk's investigation into the depths of the opium trade threatens to expose corruption in the very highest echelons of society ...