This novel is set in 1911 and centers around Isaac Bell, the chief investigator of the Van Dorn Detective Agency.

Van Dorn is hired to find a young girl who ran away to become an actress.

Hoping to find her and set her father's mind at ease, instead she turns up brutally murdered.

"[1] Kirkus Reviews posted a positive review of this novel, saying, "Despite an awkward transition or two and a bit of padding (there’s a recipe for Welsh rarebit), the Bell series hits the right note for those who like crime fiction with a unique setting.

"[2] Likewise, Publishers Weekly gave a positive review, observing that The Cutthroat had an "intriguing premise" that "Jack the Ripper is alive and well and rampaging across early-20th-century America" which fans of historical action novels would enjoy.