The Case of the Unknown Woman

A gripping Georgian-era historical murder mystery following Black barrister’s clerk, Isaiah Ollenu, in a just-post-emancipation Britain

A highwayman hunts unchecked on Bristol’s misty downs…

Bristol, 1773. A string of highway robberies on the Clifton Downs above Bristol has gone unchecked for months. There is no sign of the highwayman being caught, and with insurance claims for stolen valuables piling up at Ashby’s door, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

So, when there is a report one morning of a fresh attack the night before, he rushes to investigate, calling upon his accomplice, Isaiah Ollenu.

The victim of the robbery is unknown, but shots were heard in the area and a woman was found unconscious, though apparently otherwise unharmed, at the scene. She was taken to a nearby church rectory to recover but, before Ollenu and Ashby can question her, she dies.

All that was found with her was a blue dress, a pair of shoes, and a pocketful of coins.

Will this be enough to track down the elusive highwayman? Or is there more going on in the shadows of Bristol’s alleyways than meets the eye?

A fascinating insight into the repressed lives of women in 18th century Bristol, and the counter-culture that sprung up in violent opposition to the staid norms society demanded.