ISBN: 0-425-19807-3 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
The combination of gritty realities of life and crime in 18th century London, and likable continuing characters add up to a solidly satisfying novel.
Reviewed by David on May 28, 2005
Genre: Mystery (Police Procedural, Historical)
Synopsis: The blind Sir Fielding, Magistrate of the Bow Street Court in 18th Century London, tackles the death of a young girl. The girl shows signs of sexual abuse prior to murder, and the sordid crime takes Sir John, and his more agile assistant, and the book's narrator, Jeremy, to poor and dangerous parts of London, as well as the popular and rough horse races at Newmarket.
Full Review: The crime, cupidity and poverty are realistically and grittily portrayed, as are the rough pleasures, occasional wit and kindness of the characters populating the author's England. The class society and its ills are portrayed starkly but without preaching, and while interesting, the investigation often takes second place to the main characters' personal development.
The solid historical background, and solidly, subtly portrayed characters make this another enjoyable novel in a very satisfying series.
Copyright: 2003
Series Name: Sir John Fielding Mysteries
Overall: 6; Plot: 5.5; Characters: 6; Style: 6; World-building: 6.5; Originality: 6.5;
Berkely Publishing Group (Berkeley Prime Crime), September 2004, Cloth, 306 pages
ISBN: 0-425-19807-3 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com