A Season of Knives

I really enjoyed the first novel in this series of historical mysteries set in the Scots borderlands during the reign of Elizabeth I. The second one is - happily - just as good, with well drawn characters, lots of interesting historical detail and a clever whodunit at the center.

One of the great things about this series so far is that the history is more than scenery and decoration. Important plot points come out of the conditions of the place and the time. For example there is a wonderful scene in this one where Jenny Dodd impatiently tells the Deputy Warden only a man would imagine that any woman in her right mind would knife someone in her own bed. As any goodwife would tell you, that would just cause too much laundry to be show more contemplated!

Well think about it! You have to haul the water bucket by bucket from the well down at the end of the street, heat it on the hearth, drag it out into the yard, shave soap into it, scrub and rinse and wring and hang yards and yards and yards of heavy cloth. Its a whole day of back breaking work, and good luck hiding from you neighbors that you are washing blood out of your sheets.

Fun stuff here and I'm looking forward to the next in the series. show less

Still recovering from the mighty beating he took at the end of his first adventure, Robert Carey, still not especially secure in his position as Deputy Warden of the West March, where reivers cross backwards and forwarover the English/Scottish border to wreak havoc with impunity, finds himself racing to save his beloved Elizabeth Widdrington from a kidnapping while a woman finds her husband in bed with his throat cut. With Barnabus accused of murder and his arch-enemy circling for the kill, Robert must untangle the the knotted web of deception surrounding the dead man and save his servant from the gallows and himself from disgrace.

Thoroughly enjoyable, witty and exciting historical murder mystery set on the Scottish border in the 17th century.

Book 2 continues in the vein of excellence that was foretold by P. F. Chisholm initial Sir Robert Carey novel. Really evil,continuing villains from the the border marches which seems to spawn them under every heather bush and bonnet.

This is book 2 of the Sir Robert Carey mysteries. Same wonderful characters that we met in book one. In this novel Carey's enemy/rival tries to frame him for a murder.