Secret City is Richard Pawley's analysis of the life and writings of James Thomson, one of the most tormented authors of the Victorian era, best known for his work "The City of Dreadful Night." Pawley creates an emotional profile of Thomson not through secondary sources alone, but also through his writings. He does not simply give a critical evaluation of Thomson's writings and his contribution to the literature of the period. Pawley's analysis of Thomson's life allows Thomson to tell of his own agonies through his writing, and gives insight to the darker side of the Victorian era.