S. G. MacLean

The Black Friar - S.G. MacLean

'The Black Friar' is the sequel to 'The Seeker' and I hope more will follow in this highly entertaining historical series set during the reign of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector.

Captain Damian Seeker, a bluff Yorkshireman with a mysterious background works for Cromwell's right hand man, spy master John Thurloe. The 'Seeker', trusted for his discretion, is sought out for the most dangerous investigations into the enemies of the Commonwealth. Seeker has proven show more himself to be loyal to Cromwell, incorruptible and stalwart in the cause of the Republic - a man who will stop at nothing to complete his mission and protect the State he has just fought in a war to bring about. He is a feared and respected lone wolf.

In 'The Black Friar' the body of a government agent, bizarrely dressed in the garb of the Blackfriars, is discovered in the derelict monastery on the Thames. Seeker recognises him and Thurloe tasks the 'Seeker' to find the killer and uncover whether treason is afoot. Seeker comes face to face with some old adversaries and his mission plunges him into the midst of non-conformists and royalists who wish do him harm and hinder his investigation at every turn. These are dangerous times; royalist plots and dissident republican and Puritan factions creating an uneasy submission to Cromwell's reign, (there were several attempts during the years of the interregnum; to crown Charles II, to usurp power or to assassinate the Lord Protector). The Seeker in pursuit of his mission has a nose for the importance of the apparently insignificant hence the disappearance of a simple serving girl draws his attention. The very survival of the Comonwealth depends upon Seeker's delicacy and determination as the population is not to be alarmed or inflamed.

This novel reveals a lot about the story in the first book and character relationships are defined by the previous adventure. So although this novel can be read as a stand alone it would be rewarding to read 'The Seeker' first.

I love the Character Damian 'the Seeker' (surname unknown). He is no ordinary investigator, beneath the bluff Yorkshire soldier exterior is an intelligent man with very real traits and values that as the story unfolds make him both likeable and chillingly cold, the Seeker is dedicated and capable of a brutal single-mindedness for the cause. His is a role in the vein of Matthew Shardlake in C.J.Sansom's Tudor series or even Inspector Pekkala working for Stalin in Sam Eastland's 'Red' novels. The Black Friar should appeal to Sansom fans and maybe lovers of S.J.Parris' Giordano Bruno novels.

Even though this is a hefty 450 page tome I flew through it, hungry to turn the page and keen to find the latest revelation on the path as the plot unfolded. MacLean has an easy style that flows smoothly at a pace. The plot deftly navigates the complex political situation of the time and satisfactorily unwinds in a series of exciting chapters, some almost constitute mini endings in their own right as so much comes to light and yet enough is left for the denouement to keep the tension going to the very end.

Real people and events are respected and actual time lines adhered to, the story interwoven cleverly into actual history. Cromwell, Thurloe, Downing et al all seem plausible as do the character created by the author. The complicated nature of times of flux and the life of the city in this period are captured credibly. Nothing is as black and white as Cavalier v's Roundhead, here we have the Fifth Monarchists, a non-conformist dissident group that took its name from the Bible and several other factions. I learned something reading this book.

For me Seeker is superior to the much lauded L.C.Tyler ''A Cruel Necessity' featuring John Grey which pails by comparison because of a lack of human complexity and shades. S.G.MacLean, (a Scottish historian) is the author of a previous historical series featuring Alexander Seaton set in Scotland (Banff and Aberdeen) some 25/30years earlier than the events of The Black Friar in London. I haven't read these but I will be seeking them out.

I see why The 'Seeker' won the 2015 CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger, I think 'The Black Friar is just as good. Although there are a host of books set in this period of British history the Seeker series would be my favourite. The Black Friar is an intelligent historical mystery but the overall impression is one of enjoyment - I had fun reading this book. show less

Well. Well! Another random library selection - brought to you by the word 'library' - hits the spot! I'm glad I threw myself into reading this before the return date instead of just handing my copy back.

Shona MacLean has an absolutely captivating way with words, and her 'factionalisation' of Cromarty, with a lively cast of characters partly based on real life, instantly drew me in - even if I hadn't had to return the book to the library, I don't think I could have stopped reading.

Although show more set in 1831-1832, and in Scotland, the writing and characters put me in mind of Jane Austen (or maybe Gaskell, but better written) - only with a more Victorian sense of morality! There's the lecherous laird and his lovelorn wife, her friend from school who has married the older minister, the wealthy industrialist and his evil son, a young woman from the Caribbean who is more than just a maid, two ditsy spinster sisters, a schoolteacher with a secret and a émigré Polish count! Ostensibly, the forming of a library, and the contemporary titles chosen to read, from a biography of Byron to contentious novels, draws the village together, but unlike Austen, the harsh realities and ugly truths of the world at large, mean that not everybody is due a happy return.

I loved this story, and the close-knit community of Cromarty. The twists and revelations were well paced, to the point where I wanted to rush ahead to read the next shocking secret! The dialogue was also wonderfully Austen-esque, with formality masking some sharp-tongued barbs (Dr Fraser was a favourite of mine for this reason!) Charlotte's love life was a tangled web of passion and treachery, and as for Farquhar - he had it coming (no sympathy, even with a name like that!)

I even enjoyed the author's notes, explaining how the story came about, which characters were based on real people - and that there was in fact a Cromarty Library Circle. Recommended for Austen fans and history nerds. show less

Readers first met Shona MacLean’s 17th Century academic Alexander Seaton when he was teaching at a school in the Scottish town of Banff in 1626 and then followed him on a quest to Ireland a couple of years later. In CRUCIBLE OF SECRETS (or just CRUCIBLE I think in the UK) it is 1631 and Alexander is back in Scotland, now a Master at Marischal College in Aberdeen. When the college librarian is murdered in a rather gruesome way Seaton is asked by the principal to investigate matters with a show more view to ensuring that nothing about the man’s death (or life) emerges to damage the college’s reputation.

The brilliance of MacLean’s first novel in this series, [b:The Redemption of Alexander Seaton|4019922|The Redemption of Alexander Seaton (Alexander Seaton, #1)|Shona MacLean|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328789555s/4019922.jpg|4066404], was such that it allowed me to give the series another chance after being pretty disappointed with the second book (I was so underwhelmed I didn’t even bother to review it). I’m chuffed to report that, for me, MacLean was back on form with this instalment, focusing on the things she does very well.

The first of these is to depict a very enveloping setting. The novel transports the reader back in time to the all–male colleges of the era, a world in which justice is dealt with more speed than accuracy and one must live one’s life according to a long, and strict, set of rules. MacLean explores this element particularly well by placing several characters in what would today be minor trifles but were then major crises and watching these scenarios play out is completely captivating. At one point for example Alexander’s wife Sarah becomes virtually catatonic at the hint that his investigation might be leading him to have something to do with a secret society; it might sound silly that such a thing could cause worry but MacLean does such a good job of building the drama that we too believe a single word on a piece of paper is deathly dangerous. I adored visiting 17th Century Scotland but I’ll admit to being rather pleased to return to the 21st Century.

Another of MacLean’s great skills is her development of imperfect, credible characters. At the start of this novel Alexander seems to be at his most settled, having redeemed himself for past poor form, survived the dramatic events of finding out he is part of a family that half of Ireland wants to wipe out and finally having married the woman he loves and secured the job he has dreamed of. But he is soon tormented by jealousy which threatens to cripple him and this thread, exploring as it does the notion we are often our own worst enemies, is expertly woven into the novel and makes Alexander far more ‘normal’ than he might otherwise be. Other people in the novel are also driven by strong emotions – love, fear, hatred – and MacLean makes them all, even the awful ones, very real.

To top it all off CRUCIBLE OF SECRETS has a ripper of a plot that appears at first glance to be treading a well-worn path but which MacLean takes in unexpected directions. The clever kind that have you mumbling that you’d have worked it out yourself if only it wasn’t so swelteringly hot (or maybe it’s only me that likes to think myself cleverer than I really am). I thoroughly recommend this novel and though I would urge you to read the first book of the series because it’s truly brilliant I do think you could easily start the series with this one as it does provide enough back story for you to understand what drives Alexander Seaton. If you’re an audio book fan the narration of this one by Scottish actor David Monteath is a treat. show less

In my head, the Damien Seeker series is narrated by Sean Bean. I'm not complaining. Seeker is the ultimate Puritan enforcer, keeping the law for Oliver Cromwell. This is book four, The Bear Pit and there are many references to what has come before, so you may want to skip on back to book one.
After his exploits in Yorkshire, Seeker is back in London. He joins a group of soldiers in clearing out a gambling den and in the process finds evidence of a gory death involving a bear. But how can he show more pay attention to this crime when someone is plotting to kill Cromwell?
I do like this series, full of all the details about Puritan life, but making great use of the way many people's loyalties continued in another direction entirely. It does make me wonder if Puritan England really was such a small world: Marvell, Milton and John Aubrey turn up in this one. show less