Robin Blake

Intriguing Georgian mystery!

Titus Gragg determines that he and his family will flee the miasma of a sweltering 1744 summer and the threat of disease by taking a house in a small village in East Lancashire.
What he walks into is a murder inquiry. A shrewish wife has recently died from the practice of stanging. And with that the idiosyncrasies and customs of a remote rural hamlet left to its own devices soon becomes apparent.
The opening is a damning comment on the spread of gossip and of show more speculation growing into disturbing action. I was immediately struck by it.
"At the beginning there were just three conspirators, but like a wine spill on a tablecloth the disturbance spread and soon most of the village had caught the stain."
A brilliant introduction!
All in all, an unusual story that has a distinctive writing style which continued to lure me in. I found myself becoming more readily involved with the inner views of Titus as tension intriguingly grows under his careful insights. As the death of the woman is focused on, other players are introduced.
What I also came to realize was the particularly painstaking methodology of Titus, his sense of responsibility to his calling, and to his fellow citizens. Into this cameo medieval like village life comes Titus's doctor friend Luke Fidelis, who immediately sets about helping out with his friend the coroner's inquest.
Along the way we meet several interesting village members. There's the two major land holders in the area who are at odds over a bee swarm amongst other matters. (The analogies of the bees as a metaphor for human interactions is a fascinating inclusion throughout the story).
The violin player Blind Billy whose capering and music hijinks appears to egg on the mob mentality that infuses the villagers when they are in the throes of high running emotions (and alcohol). That all this is fueled by gossip, prejudice and speculation is disturbing.
An ex-soldier, Harry Hawk, returned from the French Wars with terrible facial scaring becomes the scapegoat. Is he innocent or guilty?
It is truly ironic that Titus' initial decision to take his family to safety actually exposed them to a different set of dangers in this closed, suspicious community.
This was a very peculiar and mesmerizing tale that has marvelous Chaucerian elements and a satisfying resolution.

A NetGalley ARC show less

1746 Coroner Titus Craft is once again sent to Chimneystacks Farm to investigate a death, this time taking with him his friend Dr. Luke Fidelis. The investigation exposes a Tontine Fund of which the victim was a member. So who will be next. Is this the motive, and who is the guilty party.
An enjoyable and well-written historical mystery, with some likeable characters. The book can easily be read as a standalone story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest show more review. show less

In Lancashire, England, 1740, the small township of Preston is rife with superstition and paganism. When the mysterious, reclusive Dolores Brockletower of Garlic Hall is found in the woods with her throat slit from ear to ear, some say it is the work of the Devil. Rumors of witchcraft and lycanthropy abound. The prime suspect is Dolores's strange husband, Squire Ramilles Brockletower. Titus Cragg, lawyer and part-time coroner, must ask his friend Dr. Luke Fidelis to help him uncover the dark show more secrets responsible for Dolores's death--secrets that will eventually destroy the lives of several more inhabitants of Preston.

There is a lot of folklore, mythology, including the ideas of werewolves, vampires, etc. thrown into the mix. Any one of these thems would have been doable but all of it was just "too much". It was interesting to see how a crime was handled in the absense of forensic science, with so much superstition thrown into the mix. Probably closer to 2.5 stars but I'll give it the benefit of a doubt as it is a first novel for this author. show less

Spoiler's Prey is my first Cragg and Fidelis mystery, although it's the 9th volume in Robin Blake's historical mystery series. I'm withholding judgement on the series and intend to try one or two more volumes, but Spoiler's Prey didn't leave me hungry for more.

On the one hand—
• the novel takes place in an interesting period when much of the common land was being enclosed and those who had farmed their rows on the common plots and hunted in the common woods were facing the prospect of show more becoming wage laborers. Common plots and woods were being converted t grassland for pasturing sheep for mutton—leaving those who would soon be working for paltry wages unable to produce or hunt the small amounts of food that might help their families make it through difficult year
• the tension among faiths at the time—distrust of those who are still Catholics and the burgeoning of what would ultimately become the Methodist church—is given some play

On the other hand—
• the central characters—particularly Fidelis (a doctor) and Cragg (a coroner)—come across as oddly dispassionate; they're fulfilling their societal roles, but don't show the kind of fervor one might expect of them, especially given the changing and volatile times in which they live
• the machinations of of the Lord hoping to enrich himself via enclosure aren't treated as problematic by the Fidelis and Cragg, but just accepted with little thought about their larger impact

I do intend to read another one or two volumes in this series to get a feel for its scope and development across time, but I don't know yet whether I'll be trying to hunt down all eight volumes I haven't yet read. I would need more motivation than I got from Spoiler's Prey on its own to make that sort of commitment.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less