Black Silk & Sympathy is the first in a new series from Deborah Challinor, set in the second half of the 18^th Century in stinky vibrant Sydney. Tatty Crowe is a woman in a profession regarded as male – she is an undertaker. The reader follows Tatty’s progress, and along the way they learn a lot about the funeral business; technically, socially, and criminally.

Tatty (Tatiana, charmingly mis-named after one of Shakespeare’s characters) arrives in Sydney with an interesting background that has given her business sense, sympathy for those outside of conventions, and a mistrust of men when it comes to money-management. She has a plan and a very pragmatic approach to ensuring it enfolds – and she takes a job in a funeral parlour.

Not being sure who is on the level and who dodgy, Tatty is cautious but embraces her new world. As she learns her new trade, we read about the technicalities of handling bodies, the details of arranging funerals, and the wide range of ancillary services that are required. Tatty’s natural empathy and confidence are both an asset and an annoyance to the parlour’s owner, Titus Crowe – Tatty being more willing to lower the price to suit clients than persuade them to go into debt to send off their loved ones in style.

It doesn’t take long before Tatty sees the truth in a piece of early advice: “You need to watch out for Titus Crowe, he’s not a pleasant man.” As with all Challinor’s novels, there is sympathy, power, and a welcome among the women Tatty meets, whether that be in passing: “… as they passed the housemaid, she widened her eyes very slightly at Tatty. Tatty responded with the briefest of eyerolls and they exchanged tiny smiles” – or the forging of long-term friendships.

Tatty knows that in society she needs a man to get what she wants, and Tatty Caldwell becomes Tatty Crowe. The reader knows from the Prologue what happens to Titus, and this knowledge adds an interesting dimension when reading of Tatty’s progress. She is a great character, and she is surrounded by other fascinating characters, who will presumably accompany her into future instalments of the series.

There are also less pleasant characters; those who can’t abide having a woman in a position of power, those who would betray her for money, and those who are totally unscrupulous when conducting their business. Among all the facts of Victorian undertaking the reader learns, are those relating to the appalling trade in non-European body parts – and the gruesome business behind satisfying that trade.

Tatty’s pragmatism smoothly slips into the illegal, and she makes some big choices to ensure the safety of herself, her staff, and her business. The awareness of what each other has done is what holds the women together (or splits them apart) – the knowledge that to survive in a male-dominated world, the odd crime is sometimes required. The story rips along, and it is amazing that the events take place over a mere four years.

Black Silk & Sympathy is a lively read, including a house fire, a brawl at a funeral, a nighttime grave opening, seances, house breaking, boisterous trials … Although it includes characters from Challinor’s Convict Girls series, Black Silk & Sympathy can be read as a stand-alone. I’m sure the Tatty Crowe series will be as popular as Challinor’s other series.