New York, November 1912. P.I. Max Buchanan is approached by Jimmy Murray to look into his brother Tom's death. The suspect? Jane Murray, Tom's widow. As Max begins his investigation, Jane only seems more suspicious. Widowed two times, both under suspicious circumstances. Ties to a gang. A clear motive. But despite himself, Max can't help but feel some pity for her. And it's clear that Jimmy is hiding something as well…

The Seventh Client has a story and art by Ham Yeong-seo. English localization by WEBTOON. Published by WEBTOON (July 21, 2026). Rated M.

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

If there's one thing I appreciate about WEBTOON's offerings, it's that they have actual historical fiction alongside the more standard romantasy (God, I hate that word) fare. There are still plenty of fantasy dukes and nonspecific Korean and European adjacent “pastlike” worlds, but several of the honest-to-goodness historical fiction webtoons I've read and enjoyed have come from this site, including last guide's Non Tua.

The Seventh Client is set in New York City in 1912, and already it's in line with works like those of Jewish-American immigrant author Anzia Yezierska (Hungry Hearts, Red Ribbons on a White Horse) in its understanding of what it meant to be a foreign woman in that place and time. Jane is an immigrant from Yokohama, Japan, and she's just lost her second American husband. Her first was elderly and left her well-off, her second appears to have been a nogoodnik, and his death at first glance seems to be related to his work as an “off-track” bookie. His brother is convinced that “the bitch” killed him, pointing to suspicions that Jane's quondam husband was also murdered via an overdose of barbital. To that end, he hires Max, a P.I., to find a way to get the police to consider Jane as a suspect. But from where Max is sitting (outside Jane's window), it looks more like her crimes are being young, Asian, and female.

Although the story is in early stages yet, it's already building a solid case for being an intriguing mystery. Jane has some behaviors that look very odd to Americans, and they also find her a bit inscrutable in line with contemporary prejudices. (1912 was a very bad time to be an Asian immigrant to the U.S.) Max wants to give her the benefit of the doubt, though, and she badly needs someone on her side. The art, mostly done in sepia tones, does a good job placing the story in time and giving everything a sort of unsettled feeling, in line with Max and Jane's mental states. If you're a fan of historical mysteries, this is absolutely worth your time – and, as an added bonus, there's even a scene where Jane puts on her corset after her chemise. Someone did their research, and it shows.