A novel of two very different women, trying to live their own lives in Victorian London Josephine's background isn't exactly privileged, but she's always had an indomitable spirit and is determined to make her own luck. Her chosen path is far from easy, as women journalists are almost unheard of in Victorian England, let alone ones who specialise in crime reports. Harriet is content to drift from one opportunity to another, from man to man, living by her singing,ending up in prostitution before meeting a tragic end. Josephine is horrified and fascinated by the case; they would have been the same age, from not dissimilar families. What made one life turn out this way? Betty Burton turns her considerable storytelling talents to this exploration of what it means to be a woman in a man's world - be it the ultimate victim with no control or the one who dares to try to break the mould.