I liked this book a great deal and plan to get the second book in the series to continue with it. Setting the stage for the characters and the location slowed down the reading of the book early on, but the history was excellent as was the characterization. The stage is set for an unusual historical era, Spring 1353 in Oxford is just past the plague or Black Death which took the lives of many. Nicholas Elyot, bookseller, scrivener and former scholar and University fellow is discussing with his motherless children the possibility of adopting a puppy. His sister Margaret, also bereaved and childless , who serves as his housekeeper was against the idea but they agree to give it a try. Later that day as he was coming from Yardleys farm for goose feather quills for his business he passed over a bridge and came upon a young man floating and dead in the Cherwell River. Two lay brothers of St. John's Hospital help him pull out William Farringdon. Was he a suicide? Was it a murder ? The crime would occupy his and his friend Jordain as well as his employees in a variety of ways. Nicholas children and sister, as well as family members of the deceased become at risk as the tale unravels. Recommended for Medieval mystery fans with fine period detail.
" Two macabre discoveries in a single morning present an intriguing challenge for Detective Inspector Tom Harper Leeds, England. July, 1893"
Thanks to NetGalley I am privileged to have gotten an ARC for this terrific 5 Star book by a favorite author. Leeds and vicinity is a favorite reading destination for me as long as Chris Nickson takes me there. The 1360s, 1730s and the Victorian era have equal fascination- is it the author or the origins of the population? I am not sure but all Nickson's books have that effect on me, Leeds or Chesterfield area equally.
This one was very exciting and seemed to be wrapping up some of the criminal elements and exiting them from the narrative. Where are we going now I am wondering, but wherever the plot takes us I will follow.
Detective Inspector Tom Harper is sent to represent the new "City" of Leeds at a "torpedo" as weapon exhibition, all of which begin to introduce a changed political climate for this area. He is, therefore, an eyewitness to a murder and concealment of that crime. In rapid succession, murder are committed which implicate two warring crime factions and possibly introduce a third. It s a mystery however so all is not as it seems.
Also spotlighted is Annabelle Harper who is a suffragist, hotel and bakery proprietor and beginning a new career associated with women's suffrage as a political entity Societal changes weave in and out of these murders, which have our characters growing and changing with Leeds as it takes it's place a a major city.
Visiting characters like Billy Reed and his wife provide interest and back up for some of this societal change, upward mobility being spotlighted. The specter of Scotland Yard as "Big Brother" was introduced but that bullet was dodged, for now!
I am very much looking forward to the next installment in Spring 2017 where we may see the Leeds City political climate continue to change. Pre Order links are up now at Amazon, add this to your wish list! Recommended for all mystery lovers of any era.
This was just an amazingly well done, and of course well researched mystery, and not my "usual" genre although that varies a bit. I try to read historical mysteries set in other countries than the US, and mostly different eras- medieval is a favorite. However Chris Nickson's mysteries make that criteria fly out the window. 1924 Leeds has partially recovered after WWI, although jobs are in short supply and crime is ramping up. Lottie Armstrong,WPC, is a female police officer in a period when women were being turned out of jobs that able bodied males "should" have first choice at. She and her partner Cathy Taylor were the only two women constables in Leeds, and they were not welcomed with open arms. A related group of crimes, some of which harkened back to the war, and involving the fairer sex allowed Lottie to come to the attention of Sgt. McMillan in CID. The first involved an unwed mother who disappeared from the maternity home she was placed in and eventually involved crime figures, murders and one suicide. Lottie takes her sworn duties quite seriously and runs afoul of the male Constables and eventually some higher up law enforcement as well. She is surprised when her redoubtable supervisor, Mrs Maitland, matron, speaks up in her defense on several occasions. Her career is ended with termination for doing what she felt was her duty, and definitely was the duty of some male constables. I would have been quite horrified about Lottie, accompanied by her sidekick Cathy, turning in their uniforms together except for one bright spot. My ARC, graciously sent to me by the author, revealed what appears to be a sequel to this series. However when and how the short narrative I saw begins, I think you need to find out for yourself by preordering this book. Make it your Christmas present to yourself.There has never been a Chris Nickson book that I did not enjoy and I will prove it now by ordering a Dan Markham book.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for a review. I very much enjoyed it, although I thought the ending ( which explained the mysteries) was a bit complex. That being said,I am going to right now order the available kindles of the Vera Series that I have not yet read. Ann Cleeves has always been a particularly favorite author for me! I have read the whole Shetland series as well as many of the other two. For myself, reading mysteries written for another country,culture or era works, best as it adds dimension and depth to the mystery. All of these books possess that depth for me. As a "baby boomer" which is not the term used in this book, but surely identifies these aging couples and a few singles in this tale, there was an added relevance for me. I was not expecting the ending and it did work for me, eventually. The inhabitants of the Valley although essentially professing the same reasons for being there, actually had disparate reasons. Vera Stanhope and her colleagues in Northeast England, are no less flawed or regretting missed opportunities than those they come in contact with in the course of this very fluid murder triad. Ex-offenders, social workers as well as young people and their parents all become at risk in this seemingly-sterile-but-not-really little enclave. This book is out next week in Kindle and another in February, but they work as standalone reads.Get yours now!
I so appreciate getting this ARC from NetGalley. It was one of the most enthralling books I have read in a long time. Probably the finest one about Eleanor, my favorite historical personage of all time. What is most amazing to me is how much research went into these last years of Eleanor's life and how little we have known about these events. I actually made bookmarks on my kindle to remind myself. As we do know, Henry imprisons Alienor (as was her actual birth name) at Old Sarum after the failed rebellion by his sons which she supported. She was held there in Salisbury for years, but Elizabeth Chadwick has revealed that sometimes she was under house arrest at various other castles in England and even Normandy. The enhanced role she had as Queen Dowager was quite amazing as were the things she did- and how she did them. The "hands on" way that Alienor, with Hamelin's help, amassed the exorbitant ransom was very intriguing as was the close relationship between Henry and Hamelin. After Richard was ransomed and had his 2nd coronation we knew that he went on Crusade. What I did not know was why Emperor Heinrich hated him so and looked for him to capture. We knew about John 's escapades while Richard was imprisoned but the scene at the meeting after Christmas in 1192 in London with the regents was pretty riveting. Also, if I knew about King John's son Richard begotten on his cousin, I had forgotten that even. I find the characters who were enfolded into Alienor's personal life made this such a fulfilling and poignant read. Richenza (later Matilda) and Joanna's relationship over the years with Alienor, as well as the time she was able to spend with her daughter Matilda of Saxony really rounded out the story of these years.
The cameo of her meeting with her daughter Eleanor ( Leonora) of Castile and those granddaughters was very fine, although they were obviously not as close. She rose to the occasions and accompanied Princess Blanca ( Blanche) over the Pyrenees in winter at 76.
My least favorite scene was her death, of course, but that was where her story ended. An amazing , engaging and gratifying novel to me, who adored Eleanor from the first book I ever read about her many years ago. Recommended to all readers and I am so very much hoping to hear of another in the works. Her granddaughter Blanche perhaps would work or her mother Eleanor of Castile. Order your copy now it is out quite soon.
5 Stars A very fine exploration of the history and lives of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor his wife. Mary Tudor has lately begun to be explored along with Margaret her sister Queen of Scotland. I definitely feel this author's work was just as complete and well done as those that have recently bit the best seller lists. I am very much hoping that this treatment by Sarah-Beth Watkins does just as well. There definitely were many events in the lives of Mary and Charles and their extended family that I never knew and was excited to learn. The recent ancestry of the Brandon line, as well as other children of Charles, both legitimate and illegitimate made riveting reading. I enjoyed her prior book on Katherine Knollys but this second historical narrative definitely surpassed it, at least in my estimation. There was a lot of detail about illnesses, prior marriages and properties acquired and lost which goes a long way to tell a story about a family. It was an easy read, but very well developed and the author brought Charles and Mary to life. I recommend it highly and really hoping there is another in the works.
4.5+ stars and a fine and enjoyable book. Moving between Jane and Thomas Cromwell was a bit distracting for me, as well as a tiny bit of a struggle making Jane vivid as a character. Her sharing a love of herbs with Henry was a tiny bit of a stretch, but the author made it work. Jane the Quene was much more enjoyable than I thought it would be since I am, and always have been a Boleyn fan. Janet Wertman came very close, indeed, to making Jane likable if not lovable. It probably was difficult, as the Seymours are not that enjoyable all by themselves. (Well let me digress there, and say that Elizabeth Seymour was very interesting to me in her marriage to Gregory Cromwell.) Jane became much more vital as a character, of course after her marriage and her death was definitely poignant. Henry is always Henry, but I am looking forward to some more glimpses into Elizabeth's marriage to Gregory Cromwell, as well as the other Seymours who will be spotlighted in the rest of the series. Very entertaining and recommended.
