Elemental: Victorian brothel madam and sleuth

Who better than a brother keeper to access both Victorian worlds: the seedy underbelly of society and the hypocritical community leaders who both use and abuse the poor? Sherlock Holmes in this case is the attractive and confident Jean Brash, who survived the gutter and childhood abuse to rise to the position of madam of a classier than usual establishment, The Just Land. This brothel lends its name to the title of this murder mystery written by David Ashton, ‘Mistress of the Just Land’.

Another important player in this game is Inspector James McLevy (from the BBC Radio 4 series) who sets out to investigate who is murdering upstanding members of Edinburgh society. Unsurprisingly, he begins his search for information at the obvious place: the best brothel in town. A familiar face at The Just Land, does he suspect Jean of involvement? How could he possibly know that a corpse was found in the brothel basement strapped to a Berkley Horse, an apparatus of chastisement (S & M to the modern reader)? Or is he only interested in the fine sugar biscuits and European coffee on offer? Some cynical readers might surmise that Jean’s long red hair, fine skin and green eyes have something to do with his visits.

Twenty first century people don’t appreciate the honesty with which they can live out their destinies, at least here in the West. In the Victorian period, you had to have a front, a socially acceptable persona, especially if you were a woman. The author deals beautifully with this dichotomy. One of the characters, Sarah, is a young artist and budding lesbian. As the daughter of a Presbyterian clergyman she has to keep her passion and striving for independence under wraps. ‘So many women are agents of secrecy’, the author explains. Jean Brash has her secrets too, but unlike ‘proper society women’, she is free to live out her passions. The fact that the intellectual and artistic circles also like to frequent her establishment, make this all the easier. (One particular well shaped sculptor springs to mind).

Secrets, hypocrisy, seething revenge that erupts into grotesque violence, these are the elements that are brewed in the cauldron of murder. Mistress of the Just Land is an engrossing story, although it leaves me feeling grateful to be alive in the twenty first century even with all the bad news that hounds us daily. Jean Brash, elemental, a tour de force, will hopeful feature in more mysteries.

David Ashton, author, screenwriter and playwright has written extensively for radio, theatre and film. Published in paperback in 2016 by Two Roads, £8.99.

(Indiana Brown)