The Anarchists' Club — Alex Reeve

A blackmailer and a corpse found carrying his name and address stir up trouble for a transgender man living in Victorian London.

It's tough to be a preacher's kid, and for Leo Stanhope it may be harder than for most. He was born Charlotte, and in the Reverend Pritchard's home -- as in all of Victoria's England -- there is little room for persons unwilling to know their place and stick to it. And things are about to get harder: There's a gentleman who knows the secret that could get Leo locked up for life, and this so-called gentleman is not above a spot of blackmail. There is a bright spot, though, in the form of two little kids who are teaching Leo's heart to open again after a wretched year. In warming to them, he realizes how much more he has to learn. Leo knows how to be a man. Now he must learn to be a father.

“Well-crafted. . . . In this nicely plotted puzzle, Reeve movingly explores Leo's inner life. Readers will hope he'll return soon.” -- Publishers Weekly

“The Anarchists' Club culls dark Victoriana and the warped effects of love in its story that features classic red herrings, chases, and Leo's unflinching sense of justice, all adding up to an intricate, satisfying mystery.” -- Foreword Reviews