The Keeper of Secrets
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'The narrative rolls out at a cracking pace, the characters are strong and interesting, and the sense of period is streets ahead of most historical crime fiction. I hope we haven't seen the last of the Rev Tobias - more, please.'ANDREW TAYLOR, author of THE AMERICAN BOY
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It is spring 1810 and young parson Tobias Campion is looking forward to taking over the small Warwickshire parish of Moreton Priory. But his first night in the village gets off to an inauspicious start when Tobias has to prevent a rich young blood from molesting the pretty housemaid Lizzie Woodman. Befriended by the local doctor, Edmund Hansard, and the capable Mrs Beckles, Tobias soon settles into his new role. He finds there is plenty to keep him busy in the parish. But beneath the quiet village life Tobias has a troubling sense that all is not quite as it seems.In the meantime, his admiration for Lizzie soon blossoms into something more. But he is not the only man competing for her attention and Tobias resigns himself to the fact that his feelings for the girl will remain unrequited. Besides, he soon has more serious matters to attend to. The suspicious death of poacher, the untimely demise of a local aristocrat and a mysterious attack on Tobias himself confirms his previous misgivings; malign influence is at work in the supposedly sleepy hamlet. And then Lizzie disappears. Tobias and Dr Hansard resolve to investigate. In their search for answers they find themselves delving into the dark secrets of the past, not anticipating the serious danger to which they are exposing not just themselves but also those they love.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In this very enjoyable historical mystery more than one character is the keeper of secrets. In fact, upon reflection, it would seem that almost every main character had a least one secret. The way Judith Cutler managed to weave all those secrets into a suspense novel was a delight for me to read.
Tobias Campion was given the living of Moreton St. Jude by Lady Elham, a distant cousin of his mother's. Tobias felt a calling to the clergy, even though his secret was that his wealthy family made it unnecessary for him to ever earn his own living. This world will prove to be a very different place from the one he has inhabited all his privileged life and in this world Tobias will come directly in contact with the poverty and privations suffered by the poor while the rich remain unmoved by those conditions. Tobias meets the beautiful housemaid Lizzie Woodman when he rescues her from the unwanted advances of another house guest at Moreton Priory. Her safety then becomes his concern and when she disappears, he sets about trying to find what has happened to her. Dr. Edmund Hansard and Tobias join forces to try to solve the strange and awful happenings which keep coming faster and faster as this story progresses.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plotting and the characterizations in this novel. Judith Cutler wrote a moving depiction of the incredible differences in the lives of poor and rich in Regency England and used her parson as a fine example of how men and women of conscience were moved to help with whatever means were at their disposal. I found her characters to be very interesting. I thought the pace of the story moved a little slowly for quite a while, I'm sure in order to give her the opportunity to explain who and what kinds of people her characters are. Nevertheless, it did seem to go slowly until the investigation began in earnest. After that point, the story positively flew. I did not guess until toward the end who the guilty party was nor the many secrets which were leading to the crimes. For readers who enjoy period thrillers, this one is well worth your time to explore.
Tobias Campion was given the living of Moreton St. Jude by Lady Elham, a distant cousin of his mother's. Tobias felt a calling to the clergy, even though his secret was that his wealthy family made it unnecessary for him to ever earn his own living. This world will prove to be a very different place from the one he has inhabited all his privileged life and in this world Tobias will come directly in contact with the poverty and privations suffered by the poor while the rich remain unmoved by those conditions. Tobias meets the beautiful housemaid Lizzie Woodman when he rescues her from the unwanted advances of another house guest at Moreton Priory. Her safety then becomes his concern and when she disappears, he sets about trying to find what has happened to her. Dr. Edmund Hansard and Tobias join forces to try to solve the strange and awful happenings which keep coming faster and faster as this story progresses.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plotting and the characterizations in this novel. Judith Cutler wrote a moving depiction of the incredible differences in the lives of poor and rich in Regency England and used her parson as a fine example of how men and women of conscience were moved to help with whatever means were at their disposal. I found her characters to be very interesting. I thought the pace of the story moved a little slowly for quite a while, I'm sure in order to give her the opportunity to explain who and what kinds of people her characters are. Nevertheless, it did seem to go slowly until the investigation began in earnest. After that point, the story positively flew. I did not guess until toward the end who the guilty party was nor the many secrets which were leading to the crimes. For readers who enjoy period thrillers, this one is well worth your time to explore.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Keeper of Secrets is historical crime fiction at its best. You already know from previous reviewers the storyline so I won't waste time repeating it.
If you can imagine the best Agatha Christie murder story with the characters found in a Jane Austen novel, you might have a rough idea of the flavour of the book. The period characters were very well realised - the kindly and benevolent parson and doctor, the lady of the manor and her wayward son and the poor of the parish. The story weaves a tangled web of secrets which keep you turning the pages.
This is not a thought provoking book, but it does depict very well the social injustices of the period. A story, which is hard to put down, and that has twists and turns that keep you guessing.
I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more from this author.
If you can imagine the best Agatha Christie murder story with the characters found in a Jane Austen novel, you might have a rough idea of the flavour of the book. The period characters were very well realised - the kindly and benevolent parson and doctor, the lady of the manor and her wayward son and the poor of the parish. The story weaves a tangled web of secrets which keep you turning the pages.
This is not a thought provoking book, but it does depict very well the social injustices of the period. A story, which is hard to put down, and that has twists and turns that keep you guessing.
I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more from this author.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was a very enjoyable historical thriller. The main character, Parson Tobias Campion was a delight and I can't wait to meet him again in a future book.There was atmosphere and detail, a well thought out storyline and some really likeable and unlikeable characters galore. I actually cared what would happen so devoured the pages eagerly. The language was written to reflect the era and the book as a whole was very entertaining. I highly recommend it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Well researched historical crime drama
This might be considered an ambitious foray by Judith Cutler into the world of historical crime fiction. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Mick Read
A Huge Disappointment
After all the gushing reviews I was hoping for at least an interesting fictional diversion. I'm going to be a lone voice in the wilderness. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ms. V. Butler
Gripping crime story, beautifully written
I randomly bought this book, reading the reviews and the synopsis and honestly, I wasn't expecting too much. Yet I really enjoyed reading it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by F. S. Carr
the keeper of secrets
i enjoyed reading this book. it was one of those that you dont want to put down once you've started. Read more
Published 15 months ago by tired eyes
Successfully honours the intelligence of the reader
This is the first book that I have read by Judith Cutler and I am sufficently impressed to want to read more of her historical fiction. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Alison McVey
just great!
This is a great book. It is a historical murder mystery and is thoroughly entertaining.
The sense of time and place is very well portrayed. Read more
The sense of time and place is very well portrayed. Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2010 by love reading
Extremely good
A Regency novel with a difference.
"A well written, interesting and enjoyable combination of historical mystery and social comment". Read more
"A well written, interesting and enjoyable combination of historical mystery and social comment". Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2010 by LEP
Fantastic!
This is a fantastic historical crime novel that grips you from the first chapter. Cutler has brought the past together with modern "paciness" in a way that makes you regret the... Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2008 by M. Smith
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