Review
"A mine of historical information." --"Kirkus Reviews"
Book Description
Susanna Gregory, creator of the Matthew Bartholomew series of mediaeval mysteries, has created another compelling fictional detective set in Restoration London.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Thomas Chaloner, just returned from a clandestine excursion to Spain and Portugal on behalf of the Queen, finds London dank and grey under leaden skies. He finds many things changed, including the Government slapping a tax on printed newspapers. Hand written news reports escape the duty, and the rivalry between the producers of the two conduits of news is the talk of the coffee houses with the battle to be first with any sort of intelligence escalating into violent rivalry. And it seems that a number of citizens who have eaten cucumbers have come to untimely deaths. It is such a death which Chaloner is despatched to investigate; that of a lawyer with links to 'the Butcher of Smithfield', a shady trader surrounded by a fearsome gang of thugs who terrorise the streets well beyond the confines of Smithfield market. Chaloner doesn't believe that either this death or the others are caused by a simple vegetable, but to prove his theory he has to untangle the devious means of how news is gathered and he has to put his personal safety aside as he tries to penetrate the rumour mill surrounding the Butcher of Smithfield and discover his real identity.
About the Author
Susanna Gregory is a Cambridge academic. She is the creator of the popular Matthew Bartholomew series. For more information visit www.susannagregory.co.uk
