'A masterful first novel' Booklist, starred review

'Cox's tale abounds with startling surprises that are made credible by its scrupulously researched background and details of everyday Victorian life. Its exemplary blend of intrigue, history and romance mark a stand-out literary debut' Publishers Weekly, starred review

'[Cox’s] language is mesmerizing, and his themes of betrayal, revenge, social stratification, sexual repression, and moral hypocrisy echo those of the great 19th-century novelists' Library Journal, starred review

'A bibliophilic, cozy, murderous confection out of foggy old England' Kirkus Reviews, starred review

'With his audacious first novel, set primarily in 1850s England, Michael Cox has delivered almost everything Victorian readers might have expected (mystery, wit, romance, an evil double) and some (explanatory footnotes) they might not. Throughout he winks slyly at the era's literary conventions while twisting storylines back on one another. The result is a narrative as beguiling as it is intelligent, full of great country houses, epic loves, fierce anger and vicious habits of every sort . . .The Meaning of Night succeeds handsomely' The New York Times Book Review

'The story is unfailingly suspenseful . . . Cox deserves to find his labor of love requited' USA Today

'Almost from the start, the reader realizes that The Meaning of Night is more than a plot-driven thriller; it's also a study of psychological obsession' Washington Post

'For its atmospheric writing and sidelong view of moral ambiguity in a period not as partial as our own to shades of gray, The Meaning of Night is well worth reading' Newsday