I read ‘Back Home’ as a stand-alone novel as I have not read the other books in the series. It would have been good to know about what this character had been up to in India before he returned home but I did not feel that this detracted from my enjoyment of the novel at all. I have to make a confession first: I adore all things Victorian, so I suspected that this book would be a great hit with me and I was not wrong! It is perfectly paced and has an authentic voice which gives a real sense of time and place. The fascinating divide between the haves and have-nots of Victorian England is cleverly explored but not over-done. The author has clearly done his home-work here and weaves in subtle details without you even realising it. At no point does this seem like a history lesson but I finished the book feeling like I had learned a lot! I loved Williamson, the main character, and got a feeling for what had gone before in his life and how it had shaped his character. I was surprised by the manipulative nature of the secret services and Williamson’s initial acceptance of their authority. The relationships between the characters are believable and there are some exciting scenes. I never bored of the narrative!