A Plague of Poison

Bascot de Marins has been asked by Lady Nicolaa to sort out the matter of two sudden deaths.  Both men appear to have eaten tainted food, or were their deaths caused by some pestilence?  It is quickly determined that the intended victim was Nicolaa!  Is the cook guilty of attempting to poison her?

The following morning de Marins is called into the town where three people have died from the same poison; honey from the same apiary.  The people of Lincoln begin to express their fear and distrust of their fellow citizens.  Some decide that it would be best to leave.

When another death occurs, it seems like the only culprit can be the potter who made the pots in which the poisoned honey was kept.  Arrested and brought to trial, the evidence presented can only lead to one conclusion and that is a verdict of guilty.

The same day of the trial, another man is brutally murdered.  Gianni, de Marins' adopted son, suggests that the killer could also be the poisoner.  As he investigates further, de Marin is inclined to agree.  It seems that someone has possibly returned to Lincoln bent on revenge.  He now needs to find the necessary evidence to prove his theory.

Can de Marins gather the evidence needed out the killer before he strikes again?  Author Maureen Ash’s novel comes to a quick conclusion as de Marins and Lady Nicolaa set their plans into action.  A good, quick read.

Battle for Rome

Aurelius Castus has been tasked with delivering a message from Emperor Constantine to Emperor Licinius.  Will he survive the ambush set up by the Burgundians?  By fortune he does, and as a result he is appointed tribune of the Second Britiannica Legion.  It will be a big task preparing the legion for the upcoming battles.

Constantine has decided to march on Italy and consolidate his hold as emperor.  Some battles are easier than others, and men die.  In one battle, Castus leads the breaking of a seige, and in another he is badly wounded in the face.  It was after the last battle that he is informed by a friend that his wife has been having an affair.

South of Verona, an army is massing to repel Constantine and raise his seige on that city.  It is following this battle that Castus loses his command.  He had once again saved Constantine during battle, but this time he had had to carry the emperor from the battle, and one doesn’t lay hands on the emperor!

Castus is next tasked with travelling to Rome as a spy by his old nemesis, Julius Nigrinus.  Is it safe for them to travel behind enemy lines?  Author Ian Ross has an exciting conclusion to this historical novel.  The story is based on historical facts, and is full of fast paced action.  A thoroughly enjoyable read for fans of historical fiction.

The Reckoning

Hawkwood is back in London and in need of help, so he turns to his old friend, Nathaniel Jago.  A body has been found in a newly prepared grave.  It is not the body that was supposed to be buried there.  It is that of a young woman.  The pathologist, Dr. Quill, shows Hawkwood a distinctive tattoo on the body, which may help to identify her.  Later he shows Hawkwood a word that had been carved into her stomach.

In need of further help, Hawkwood turns to Dr. Robert Locke at Bedlam.  Locke assures him that the killer has likely struck in the past and is sure to strike again.

Jago finds out that the tattoo of a rose on the victim’s shoulder is actually intended as a brand; the girl belonged to a madame who runs an upscale bawdy house.  When he questions Eleanor Rain about the missing girl, he gets no positive answers, but she assessed him quite accurately.

Later, Hawkwood learns from another escort that, indeed there is a missing woman from that establishment.  Ezra Twigg, the clerk at Bow Street, is able to provide Hawkwood with four files of similar murders from across London.

When another girl from the same establishment is found murdered in the same manner of the first, with the killer having committed suicide nearby, it seems the case is closed.  However, Jago points to the fact that the suicide had suffered a severe cut to his hand and could never have held a pistol in it to be able to commit suicide.  The killer is still out there!  However, the Home Secretary has pressured Chief Magistrate Read to shut down the investigation.

But will Read and Hawkwood do as they are told?  What ensues is fast paced action involving Hawkwood and his crony, Jago.  It is an exciting read, and hard to put down.

Deadly Intent

DI Anna Travis has just moved to a new, upscale flat, and before she can get settled in, is called to a murder site in Chalk Farm.  DCI Carol Cunningham is in charge.  It turns out that Travis knew the victim - retired DI Frank Brandon.

Travis’ new partner is DC Gordon Loach.  He is new to the Murder Squad.  Travis is not impressed by him.  Having talked to the financial advisor of the widow, Travis has a name to research.  It proves to be an alias for a known drug Lord in England.  However, he seems to have disappeared.  Could he have been behind the killing?

Later a car driven by Brandon is located by Cunningham and Travis in a lock up.  Inside they find a body, which is identified as a driver for a business firm.  He had been the person who had sent some people to the location where Brandon was killed to get drugs.

Travis starts to do a bit of independent investigation, and when she finds information, Cunningham warns her about going rogue.  It could mean Travis losing her job.

As more evidence comes in, it points to a possible connection with the drug scene, and one man in particular.  The body count is going up, too.  Each dead person seems to connect to the same person.

It is at this point that Detective Chief Superintendent James Langton begins to oversee the case.  He puts a lot of trust in Travis’ suppositions.  But will that be enough to catch the man responsible?

Author Lynda La Plante mystery is filled with many twists and turns leading to surprises and a stunning conclusion.  This story is fast paced and full of action.  I found the book hard to put down, and am awaiting the sequels.

Captain of Rome

Atticus has been ordered by Varro to advance into the harbour at Thermae and to destroy the Carthaginian fleet there.  Once inside the harbour they are surprised by another Carthaginian fleet, which blocks the entrance.  Meanwhile the Ninth Legion is trapped inside the city by Carthaginian cavalry.  Atticus is able to rescue some of the legion, but as his fleet escapes, some of his ships are destroyed by the Carthaginians.

As Atticus’ ship travels towards Rome, they find a near drowned sailor who recounts a pirate attack.  Apparently the pirates didn’t take any prisoners and torched the ship.  Atticus wonders at the changed tactics of the pirates.  Normally the crew was taken as slaves and the ship as a prize.

Back in Ostia, Varro orders Atticus and his crew to disembark the ship.  Atticus’ friend and commander of the marines aboard is also given the same order to disembark with his marines.  What does this mean for them?

Varro is censured for his command at Thermae.  However, Scipio has plans to use Varro to get back at Atticus.  Before they can sail away on a new task, Atticus is attacked and badly injured.  Septimus becomes very wary of Varro.

Having recovered and passed Varro on to another squadron, Atticus’ ship once again becomes a pirate hunter.  But will hunting pirates be enough to stop the might of Carthage?

Author John Stack has one of history’s largest naval battles awaiting Atticus and his friend, Septimus.  The outcome is very important to both city states.  Based on historical facts, Stack’s novel is excellent, fast paced and full of action.  A very good read for fans of historical fiction.

The Good Priest

Father Vincent Ross’ life has been in a bit of a turmoil recently.  He has been accosted by a gang of drunken youth and a married woman has made a pass at him.  Most troubling was that one of the group of youth had accused a fellow priest of being a paedophile.  What was Ross to do?

Later a man confessed to him that he had killed a man!  Bound by canon law, Ross could tell no one, nor did he know the killer, however the killer did name his victim.  Could the victim be the bishop?  He had the same name.  He calls 999 to warn of the bishop’s attack, and finds out next day that he had survived.

When questioned by a DS, Ross refused to answer.  Not long after this it’s reported that the killer had been found.  He had committed suicide and left a note admitting to the attack.  Father Ross is convinced that the suicide was not the attacker, because he knew him, and his voice wasn’t the one he had heard in the confessional.

A few weeks later, Father Ross is attacked in his own home by the husband of the woman who had made a pass at him.  Ross goes into a retreat to recover.

What follows is a series of murders.  Ross is certain that they are associated to the theft of a book from the bishop’s house when he was attacked, because all those who have been killed were at one time priests and accused of being a paedophile.  However, the police are unaware of the connections.

Author Gillian Galbraith includes many of Father Ross’ personal trials and tribulations as he sets about his own investigation into the murders, but will it lead to his own death?  Read on!  A good, quick read.

The Pure in Heart

DCI Simon Serrailler and DS Nathan Coates have been called out to investigate a missing child.  A young lad was snatched while he was waiting for his ride to school.  The thing is, the police don’t know that for sure.

Several days later Serrailler’s handicapped sister passes away.  Later that same day, his other sister gave birth to a son.  With all that’s going on, Serrailler is in a mix of emotions.  Unable to sleep, Serrailler goes for a drive and spots a car that was observed in the area where the boy was snatched.  He follows it and, with backup apprehends the driver.  A few minutes later, someone comes along to pick up the car.  Serrailler is injured while trying to stop the new suspects.

Later the father of the missing child commits suicide, and a day later the body of a child is found.  Is it the boy?  And what’s the connection to the suicide?

Author Susan Hill has plenty of troubling times ahead for Serrailler and his team as they continue the investigation.  Hill works Serrailler’s personal life into the story and how each affects the other.  A good, quick read.

The Missing Ones

Detective Superintendent Myles Corrigan has just called DI Lottie Parker and DS Mark Boyd to the local cathedral where a body has been found.  It is quite obvious that the woman was strangled.  Later that day, a colleague of the victim is found hanging in a tree outside his home.

As Lottie starts her investigation, potential suspects begin to pop up.  Then the pathologist shows Lottie and Boyd that both victims were tattooed in the same spot with a similar, amateur tattoo.  That evening Lottie is attacked on the way home.  Almost strangled, she survives because an approaching taxi scares the attacker off.

This is followed by a reporter asking Lottie questions that are vaguely close to the mark.  How did he get the information?

Then a third body turns up.  The pathologist is sure that the man had been killed before the other two victims.  This is another case of strangulation.  Lottie is sure it is the missing priest she was asked to locate.

Later a witness comes forward who knew the first two victims while they were all in an orphanage.  He states that there were two killings in the orphanage at the time and the two bodies were buried under an apple tree.

Will this evidence be enough to stop a killer?  But then, who is the killer?  Author Patricia Gibney has plenty of work left for Lottie and her team before the killer can be found.  There are also a few surprises awaiting the reader.  For a first murder mystery by Gibney, this is an excellent, fast paced read, which I found hard to put down.  A top notch read, and I can hardly wait to get my hands on the sequels.

Wild Fire

Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves

Helena Fleming seemed to have randomly turned up on DI Jimmy Perez’s doorstep, but there wasn’t anything random about it.  She was concerned about the notes which she had been receiving.  They were drawings of the hangman game.  Was it related to something that had happened in the past or was there something more sinister?

A few days later, Helena’s son finds a young woman hanging in their byre.  It was the nanny who worked nearby for the local GP.  It isn’t long after her call that Perez and the GP, Robert Moncrief, are on the scene.  Perez recognises immediately that it’s not a suicide.

Perez sends his DS, Sandy Wilson, to examine the dead woman’s room and car.  Wilson feels that there is something suspicious about the car.  Perez has requested his superior, Willow Reeves, to be the SIO.  She brings shocking news with her. She is pregnant and Perez is the father.  How will this news affect Perez’s ability to investigate?

As the investigation progresses, the team interviews several potential suspects.  A couple of days later another woman is found strangled.  Could it have been because she had been spreading rumours about the young victim?

Will there be more victims before the team can solve the mystery?  Author Ann Cleeves has the mystery unravel in an unusual way, which will leave the reader somewhat surprised.  Another good murder mystery by this author.

Persephone

Having lost the Danish fleet to the British, Napoleon sets his sites on Portugal.  He invades, and at Lisbon, Sir Thomas Kydd and  his ship Tyger, are assigned the task of bringing British citizens off to safety.

Kydd is surprised when one of the British refugees turns out to be Persephone Lockwood, an old flame of his.  She doesn’t want preferential treatment, but Dillon, Kydd’s confidential secretary, persuades Kydd to give up his cabin on Tyger for her.

Portugal decides to declare war on Britain, but do nothing in hopes that will satisfy Napoleon.  At the same time, Russia declares war on Britain.  However, the Regent of Portugal decides to take his parliament to Brazil before Napoleon can take Portugal.  As a result, Tyger is sent on patrol.  Kydd is unable to get get Persephone aboard.

Left stranded, Persephone must make her way to Oporto before the French army arrives.  She travels in disguise in the company of an American woman and an orphan boy.  Fortunately she is able to get passage from there to England.

When Kydd runs into Persephone in London he feels a real need to impress her, but how can he achieve that?  It isn’t long before he is in the company of the Prince of Wales, but will it be enough?

Having achieved his goal, now Kydd must decide between retiring from the navy and standing for parliament, but that will mean buying land.  Unfortunately his bid for parliament fails.  It is shortly after this that Kydd receives the shock of his life.  He turns to his good friend, Nicholas Renzi in search of an answer.

Can Kydd win a land battle with all guns a-blazing or will it result in all his dreams sinking away?  Author Julian Stockwin’s latest historical naval novel takes a different twist compared to his past novels.

Bloodmoon

Bloodmoon by Peter Tremayne

Sister Fidelma is on her way to an abbey in southeastern Ireland, accompanied by her partner Eadulf and their guardian Enda.  However, Eadulf is grumpy because Fidelma hasn’t let him in on the reason for the trip.

Unfortunately shortly after their arrival, Abbot Nessan, the man with whom Fidelma had gone to visit, was found murdered!  It is after this that Fidelma informs Eadulf that she is under a secret oath, and she can’t even tell him about it or the mission.

On the next stage of the journey they are ambushed by two bowmen.  The arrows were aimed at Fidelma, but fortunately they missed.  Enda and Eadulf were able to deal with the bowmen.  They then have to cross a river by boat.  As they near their destination they are approached by a warship.  Is this further trouble or a possible escort?

They learn of the possibility of war amongst the clans of the area and possible conspiracies.  So the little group must travel on.  Unfortunately they are taken prisoner.  While jailed, Fidelma finds another prisoner; she is the one accused of killing Abbot Nessan.  Fidelma knows that she didn’t.  She also finds out from her that the queen of the high king of Ireland has been abdicated.  Who is responsible for all of this?

Can the small group escape and solve the mystery of the conspiracy?  Author Peter Tremayne has plenty of adventure awaiting Fidelma, Eadulf and Enda before anything can be solved.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.

War of the Wolf

Uthred is securely ensconced in his castle at Bebbanburg.  At sixty, why would he want to involve himself in the troubles of England?  However, when Ceaster in Mercia calls for his help he responds with ninety knights.  After getting inside the walls of Ceaster, Uthred finds out from Prince Aethelstan that he had not been summoned.  Had he walked into a trap?

Uthred decides to take his men to the north and attack Arnborg, a man who may have been behind the deception.  He easily takes Arnborg’s fort because Arnborg was elsewhere.  There he finds that Arnborg and his lord, Skoll Grimmarson, have marched on Eoferwic, where Uthred’s daughter and son-in-law rule.

Uthred and his men head towards Eiferwic.  On the way, he runs into Skoll’s army.  The hunter is now the hunted.  Fortunately for Uthred, he runs into Osferth and his army.  Together they are able stand off Skoll.  However, Uthred has vowed to kill Skoll.  Before he can do that he must attend the Easter Witan.  There Sygtrygger, King of Northumbria, is forced to swear allegiance to King Edward.

Having done that, Uthred and Sygtrygger must now focus on bringing Skoll to justice.  It will not be easy, and author Bernard Cornwell brilliantly describes the battle that follows.  This historical novel is a very entertaining read, and hard to put down.

Swords Around the Throne

Centurion Aurelius Castus of the Third Cohort, Sixth Legion has earned the enmity of Centurion Satrius Urbicus of the First Cohort Second Legion after beating the man while defending his own men.  Both legions are on their way to Colonia Agrippina to prepare for war against the enemy across the Rhine.

In one of the first battles across the Rhine, Castus loses a good friend, Centurion Valens, a man who had been with him in Britannia.  Castus’ fortune changes after a major battle in which he comes to the aid of Emperor Constantine.  As a result he is appointed to the emperor’s bodyguards.

Shortly after becoming a member of the bodyguards, Castus is told by one of the emperor’s staff to be on the watch for a traitor amongst the bodyguards.  However, treachery results in Castus being imprisoned and charged with treason.  He is told that Constantine is dead and there is anew emperor to whom he must swear allegiance.

Constantine is not dead, and he brings his army south to besiege Massilia where the upstart emperor is.  Castus finds himself in a tenuous position now.

Author Ian Ross has plenty more action awaiting Castus before the conclusion of this novel.  Based on historical fact, it is well researched and well written.  A thoroughly good read for fans of historical fiction.