This was disappointing. Historical fiction can be a heavy lift, especially when it is set in a time of such twisted and unfamiliar mindset as Puritanism. This succumbed to caricature, and did not really grapple with the Puritan outlook, other than blame-and-shame. It basically took a modern-minded protagonist, thrust him into the uncongenial setting, and he didn't much like it. We likely wouldn't either, but if you are expecting insight or understanding as to the trends of those times, you will not find it here. ( )

Yorkshire in the 1630s is a bleak, impoverished place. Puritanism is gathering strength. The harvest has failed for the third year in succession, and desperation is spreading. The response of the local authorities is a law and order crackdown, which needless to say has done nothing to reduce thefts or public disturbances. Local coroner John Brigge has to find his way through this tricky place. He is a relatively well-off farmer, also the public coroner and a governor of his town, but his status is made precarious by his secret, but widely suspected, Catholicism. His mystical turn of mind is out of place in the brutal, coldly rational world that is emerging in England. For most of the story Brigge heads ever-deeper into bewilderment and disarray. Neither personal decency nor public office can accomplish much when they do not align with current forces in society. The book is rich in contemporary references. See my extended review ( )

Set in Northern England, in a town that at times almost seems as if it must be London, in what the author claims is the 1630s, HAVOC in its third year gives a grim picture of a disintegrating society. This is not history seen from the top, as we often have with political histories, but seen from the bottom, looking at events from the point of view of the ordinary person. The tension between those trying to keep the peace and those trying to feed their families is very real.

John Brigge is the coroner but lives outside the town, He is also a member of the board of governors, a friend of the Master. Fanaticism is growing. Suspicion that Irish immigrants, secret papists, and an impending invasion are responsible for failed crops, rising prices, disease, and poverty, give power hungry members of the board of governors the opportunity they need to increase their powers and to implement drastic punitive measures. Other members of the board, including John Brigge, become their victims.

As coroner John Brigge works with an ad hoc jury of common citizens to decide the cause of death of all corpses. The jury vote according to their eyes and often reflect the opinions of the townspeople rather based on any expert knowledge. Too often there is no rationale explanation of the cause of death and the reason assigned is "act of god". The starting point of the unravelling of John Brigge's life is his dissatisfaction with the commonly held view that an Irishwoman Katherine Shay has killed her baby. His suspicions are aroused when the serving wench at the inn where the murder supposedly happened, who is cited as a witness to the murder, is mysteriously unavailable.

HAVOC is rich in detail and presents a description of the dystopian society in early Stuart England that will eventually spawn a civil war, the execution of a king, and the rise of Cromwell. Fascinating reading. ( )

Read the review on my blog. ( )

John Brigge is the coroner and a governer of a small city in northern England in 1630. On a cold winter day he is called to investigate the death of a newborn baby and to establish the guilt of it's mother, a charismatic Irishwoman. Although the governers of the city and its population are baying for blood Brigge is not satisfied and sets out to find a vital witness.
This book is about religious hatred, intolerance and superstitious fear of the unknown. The powerful Puritan governers torture and murder to establish their authority all in the name of God.
This book was long listed for the Booker Prize in 2004. It is an exciting read but not a very comfortable one with the vivid scenes of human suffering and death. ( )