A review by drlark
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

4.5

I can't quite give this a 5* because I don't think the book needed to be as long as it was, given that the entire story takes place in less than a year, and some of the scenes felt way too long in the final third of the book, right when the plot should be picking up. BUT. Fingersmith is near perfection. I've never read anything quite likes this -- a slow-burn, queer, Dickensian thriller. Like *chef's kiss*, wow.

A good-hearted daughter of thieves, Sue, gets roped into a scheme to rob a young heiress, Maud, of her fortune by helping the dastardly Gentleman marry her then ship her off to the madhouse. Sue will play the heiress's maid, earn her trust, and persuade her of Gentleman's love. Unsurprisingly, the plan goes awry as Sue and Maud grow closer.

The twists! The reveals! The romance! The tension! The writing! All of it -- so, so good. I will definitely be picking up more by Sarah Waters.