Publication: 22nd October 2026 – Viking Books
London, 1911. Coronation fever. Suffragette unrest. A city crackling with tension.
When a policeman is found brutally murdered on the streets of Kensington, blame falls on the three women seen fleeing the scene.
Their sole witness? Stephen Pike: ex-borstal boy, under-butler extraordinaire and assistant to the most unconventional detective in London, Miss Decima Stockingham. Sharp-tongued, fearless and bored of behaving herself, she’s the only one able to see that this case is not what it seems.
Aided by an invisible network of maids – their eyes and ears in every house in London – this unlikely duo must catch the killer before time runs out. But in a city dazzled by ceremony and divided by change, you never know what might be lurking in the shadows…
After reading The Murder at World’s End I was thrilled to discover that it was just the beginning of a series and this second book, The Shadows of Kensington Gore, is as entertaining and captivating as the first one.
The book starts a year after the events at Tithe Hall. It’s the summer of 1911, the hottest summer since 1868, weeks and weeks without rain, and with droughts all over the country (pretty much like summer 2026), and the city of London is preparing for the coronation ceremony of George V while the suffragettes march around the city. Miss Decima Stockingham and her long-suffering servant-assistant Stephen Pike have been living in London for the past year, solving crimes, in the case of Miss Stockingham, and being yelled at, in the case of Stephen. They are living in Kensington Gore, one of the most distinguished addresses in all London, right in front of Kensington Park and the Albert Memorial and next to the Royal Albert Hall. And it’s here that one evening the suffragettes reunite, but the tension is high, a policeman is found dead, a suffragette ribbon in his mouth, and three women are seen running away. With the help of a mysterious source and of the Ivies, a group of maids spying all around London, Miss Stockingham and Stephen must solve the case before it’s too late.
I really hope there will be many many more books in the series because I really enjoyed it. Miss Stockingham and Stephen are an unlikely duo in every sense, but I love their banter and their easy relationship. Despite her years, Miss Decima Stockingham is the sharpest of all and she reminds me of Miss Marple as she solves crimes from the comforts of her home. Sharp-tongued, bold, and smart, she has everyone around her on their toes. Leaving his past in the Bow behind, Stephen Pike can’t believe that he is living in one of the most fashionable areas in London, even though working for Miss Stockingham is far from easy, from her yelling to avoiding the books she throws at him when he doesn’t respond right away. A bit awkward and goofy, Stephen is the only person who ever stands up to her and he hopes that, one day, she will appreciate his help in her investigations and make him more of a partner than an assistant.
The Shadows of Kensington Gore is a gripping and engaging read from start to finish and I can’t wait for more!
A huge thank you to Viking Books and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this fantastic novel.
Ross Montgomery is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author of books for children and, now, for adults. He won the Waterstones’ Children’s Book of the Year in 2024 and the Barnes and Noble Children’s Book of the Year in 2025, and has been shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book of the Year and the British Book Awards. The Murder at World’s End is his first adult novel and was an instant Times bestseller.
He lives in London with his wife, their baby and a cat named Fun Bobby.
