The Victorian Underworld by Donald Thomas

The Blurb On The Back:

There is no descriptive Blurb on the Back, instead we get the following quotes:

Donald Thomas introduces us to the slums and fetid courtyards of nineteenth-century London and in doing so provides a sweeping portrait of the vast world that did not accept "Victorian Values". The villainy is astounding. It is also entertaining. The author has a practised eye for the best anecdotes and presents amazing characters, some of whom come equipped with names that sound positively Dickensian ... a wonderful profile of Victorian London.
The Spectator

Thomas writes with a historian's ironically neutral eye about brothels, pornography, forgery and serial killers, and includes a gripping account of the London-to_Paris mail train robbery, in which a gang got away with a quarter of a ton of gold bullion.
Guardian

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Thoroughly entertaining and definitely worth a perusal by anyone who enjoys discovering how people used to live.