The House on Half Moon Street is a historical novel that blends mystery, the seedy criminal underbelly, and difficulties of identity. Leo Stanhope is a coroner's assistant, a chess player, and a trans man just trying to exist in Victorian London. He is in love with Maria, who works in a brothel owned by a shady businessman, and when Maria is found dead, Leo is drawn into the world of prostitutes, abortions, and abduction as he struggles to work out what happened to his beloved.

Though the novel has a driving narrative with a crime vibe, its real power is in its protagonist, who is determined and sometimes foolish, and its supporting characters, including charming gems like Leo's landlord's eleven-year-old daughter who tests Leo on the uses of various apothecary items. They are vivid and varied, with conflicted motivations and problems. The world in which they live is gritty and dangerous, full of misogyny and violence and abuse, and is well-depicted.

The narrative did at times seem to overdo the amount of description of Leo's discomfort with his body, which was presumably to try and get across his feelings to non-trans readers who perhaps haven't encountered many transgender characters before, and there was an unnecessarily detailed rape scene that it is worth warning about. Overall, however, the novel did seem to focus on the fact that Leo was just trying to live his life, even though ill-fated love and naivety helped draw him into a mysterious and criminal world.

The House on Half Moon Street is an atmospheric story with memorable characters that is an ideal read for historical crime and mystery fans.