This is a wonderful piece of historical writing, which skilfully examines the reasons why so many people end up being ‘trafficked’ into the sex trade. For so long, historical writing was dominated by the ‘big figures’ like Napoleon or Churchill. It’s pleasing to see history being written about ordinary people, occupying their own place in history. Laite does this brilliantly, and whilst she is forced to fill the gaps in the historical record to maintain her highly entertaining and informative narrative, her detailed footnotes demonstrate the depth she went to in order to maintain authenticity. She is careful, when events are not clearly supported by archival facts, to be even handed in suggesting possible outcomes without a hint of bias.Much emphasis is placed upon the real drivers for why women fell under the spell of the criminals who sought to exploit them. This had especially resonance for me. My own much loved and dearly missed grandmother was born in 1910, entering domestic service at the age of 14. She remained in this profession, firmly ‘downstairs’, until her death in 1993. As a boy in the 1970’s, I would frequently be dragged along to visit a lovely old lady called ‘Eaddie’ who gave me much cake. She was my grandmother’s best friend. I only learned, years after my grandmothers death, the reason for their inseparable bond. They met as 14 year olds, in the same middle class house into which they entered as domestic servants in 1924, and shared a single bed for several years. It was a hard, monotonous and exhausting life. For me, it is unsurprising that girls like Lydia Harvey would have felt the allure of lovely dresses and the ‘opportunity’ to travel. My Grandmother could easily have been Lydia Harvey.The description in the chapters is detailed and compelling. As a Londoner, my personal favourite is the chapter on the detectives, where the description of the streets and the routes taken by the policemen are absolutely spot on. Also, and in a recurring theme, Laite points out the the ‘financial rewards’ for prostitution/pimping greatly outweighed that which could be made legitimately, whether that be in domestic service or as serving as an officer of the law. Rightly, Laite points out that the morality of the time (as true then as today) hides the reality of an economic and legal system that did little to support working people, and how little has changed. In such an environment, it’s hardly surprising that the pimps and traffickers continue to thrive.Laite also astutely criticises the whole ‘white slave trade’ narrative of the time. It’s amazing how this caricature has endured over the last century, and still exerts its influence. Shock and horror - nice white girl drawn into the sex trade - terror!!!!! This is still so powerful. The disappearance of Suzie Lamplugh - whilst obviously tragic - should be seen in the context of many other working class/ black women who disappeared the same year to no headlines. Only this year, a similar case involving a ‘nice white middle class girl’ disappearing in London and tragically being found murdered created headlines (and a major demonstration) - again in a year with similar disappearances among other groups of women going unreported. Somethings, it seems, never changes.Laite dedicates a chapter to each protagonist, and is even handed to all. Even the pimps, thoroughly despicable though they were, get a fair hearing.During the course of this book Laite quite literally takes us on a journey around the world, asking many questions about both then and now, asking us how much has really changed. This brilliantly researched book is both compelling and challenging. It brings ordinary people to life, and if we look hard, they are not really that different from all of us today.Superbly written and utterly engaging, surely this work will be seen as the standard by which historical works on this subject may be compared.