EVEN GREATER LONDON, 1887. An uninterrupted urban plane encompassing the entire lower half of England and, for complex reasons, only the upper third of the Isle of Wight. The immense Tower casts electricity through the sky, powering the mind-boggling mechanisms of the city. The engineer-army of Isambard Kingdom Brunel swarms across the capital, building, demolishing, and rebuilding whatever they see fit. And at the heart of it all sits the country's first private detective agency. Archibald Fleet and Clara Entwhistle hoped things would pick up quickly for their new enterprise. No-one is taking them seriously, but their break will come soon. Definitely. Probably. Meanwhile, police are baffled by a series of impossible bank robberies, their resources absorbed by the case. Which means that when a woman witnesses a kidnapping, Fleet-Entwhistle Private Investigations is the only place she can turn for help. They're more than happy to oblige! But what's the motive behind the kidnap? As Clara and Fleet investigate, they find more than they could ever have imagined . . . From the creators of the acclaimed audio drama podcast Victoriocity comes a hilarious novel set in the greatest, most chaotic city in history. Twisty, inventive, and joyously funny, High Vaultage is perfect for fans of Ben Aaronovitch, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett.
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I had such a good time reading this book. Laugh-out-loud funny, High Vaultage is set in the same universe as the Victoriocity podcast, and it's Victorian London but not quite how you know it. Join Inspector Archibald Fleet and journalist Clara Entwhistle as they investigate a string of crimes that at first seem related, but may not be... or ARE they??
High Vaultage was so fun to read. If I had to pick my absolute favourite thing about this book, it would be the main characters Archibald Fleet and Clara Entwhistle. Every scene that they're in together is just pure gold. Absolutely love the dialogue and love their dynamic.
If you like alternate history, detectives, ridiculously likable characters, steampunk and witty dialogue - High Vaultage is for you.
Thanks, NetGalley, Gollancz and Orion for the ARC!