The King's Evil

James Marwood has just been told by Lady Quincy that her stepson, Edward Alderley is intent on killing his cousin, Catherine Lovett.  She wants Marwood to warn Catherine.

Lady Quincy also wants Marwood to arrange a visitation with the king for her African page who has scrofula, also known as the King’s Evil.  The king is apparently able to cure it by simply touching the afflicted person.

A few days later, by order of the king, Marwood is assigned to investigate the death of Alderley.  He had been found dead in the bottom of the Duke of Clarendon’s well.  Clarendon is the father-in-law of the Duke of York who is brother to the king and heir apparent.  Marwood immediately wonders if Catherine had anything to do with the death.

While Marwood begins his investigation, Chiffinch, Marwood’s superior, receives a letter accusing Catherine of the killing of Alderley.  Chiffinch had sent officers to arrest her, but she was gone.  Chiffinch is sure of her guilt.

Marwood is sure that he is being followed; has seen a mysterious man a few times in his vicinity.  He is also surprised when he discovers that Lady Quincy recently had business dealings with Alderley.  What in the devil’s name is going on?

Marwood receives another surprise when he is ordered by the king to attend Lady Quincy when she travels to Cambridge.  He is to gather information on what she does and who she sees.  The king also wants information on the innocence of Catherine, should it exist.

When they get to Cambridge, Lady Quincy informs Marwood that they are there to retrieve a young girl, however they must go out into the Fens to get her.  Who is this little girl?  And what role does she play?

Marwood has numerous trials ahead of him before he can find the answers to these questions.  There will be treachery, double crosses and self sacrifice.  Author Andrew Taylor‘s historical thriller is an excellent read, and hard to put down.

Playing With Bones

DI Joe Plantagenet has had a rude start to his morning.  A young woman has been murdered in his city.  His boss, DCI Emily Thwaite, also is concerned about a child killer who has escaped custody.  However, their victim turns out to be someone other than they thought.

DS Sunny Porter is able to shine a new light on the case when he reads of a similar case  from over forty years earlier in a book his son had given him for his birthday.  Later DC Jenny Ripon tells him of a missing girl, and reminds him that nothing has been heard of another missing girl who had disappeared earlier.  Are their disappearances related to the killing?

Plantagenet is shocked when another young woman is killed in the same manner near the scene of first one.  Do they have another serial killer on their hands?  And if so, when will he strike again?

Author Kate Ellis has drawn several related threads together to weave a very good thriller in “Playing With Bones”.  A very good read.

Dead Souls

DI Kim Stone and DS Bryant have been called out to a field where professor of forensic archeology has been showing a group of her students the process involved in an investigation.  The thing is, Dr. A, as the professor is known, has discovered a skull.  Is it really Stone’s case?  DI Travis thinks that it is his because it is in his territory.  She regards it as her territory.

Their respective DCIs decide that it will be a joint investigation.  Travis will be in charge of the operation while Stone has the laboratory and forensics.  Can the two detectives work together again?  Stone isn’t betting on it.

While Stone is starting on her case, her two DSs discover that the case they have is an attempted murder.  Stone and Travis are surprised when Dr. A informs them that they have a second body at the site.

The tenor of the investigation changes when the son of the lessee is shot.  Could it be related to their case or simply coincidental as Travis believes?  The father acquiesces to Stone’s request to search the land, but when the victim’s sister shows up, she immediately revokes the permission because it is her name on the lease.

It is at this point that Stone is informed by Dr. A that there is a third body at the site, and none of them had been buried there in the first place.  One has a gunshot wound.  Now the question that arises, is how long have they been there?

DS Bryant and DS Dawson have another case on their hands.  A young man has been tied to rails, resulting in his death.  Dawson knows the lad.  He is a young reporter.  DS Bryant is appointed temporary DI to head up the investigation.

At the same time all of this DC Stacey Wood is following up on a suicide.  She has discovered that the young man was a racist, but not what led to his suicide.

Stone and Travis are shocked when Dr. A tells them details behind the deaths of the victims they are investigating.  At this point, the pace of action intensifies.  The reader is left on the edge of their seat wondering what is going to happen on the next page.

Author Angela Marsons has written a complex thriller that has several threads that she knits into an extremely exciting read, which is hard to put down.  I’m looking forward to reading the next in this series.

The Water Clock

The police have just recovered a car from below the ice in a the River Lark.  Philip Dryden is there when they open the boot.  Inside is a block of ice containing the body of a man.  As a reporter, he is able to beat the deadline for publishing the story.

Dryden works for the local weekly, and later that evening  learns that the local cathedral is having issues with its gutters, which could require costly repairs for the local council.  The following evening a badly decomposed body is found up on the roof of the cathedral.  When could the person have died up there?

The body in this case is quickly identified.  It was a teenager who had been involved in a gruesome robbery back in 1966.  A short time later, the prints on the victim found in the block of ice identify him as another person who was involved in the robbery.  Unfortunately, they don’t have a name for him.

How will Dryden get the evidence to show who was involved in the killing of the two men?  With weather becoming a factor on the Fens, it will not be easy.  Author Jim Kelly has several gauntlets for Dryden to overcome as he works out the murders.  A good, quick read.

Tabula Rasa

Medic Ruso and his wife Tilla have been posted to a small settlement along Hadrian’s Wall.  Ruso’s clerk Candidus has gone missing, and the couple are about to spend the night with some distant friends of Tilla’s.

Life is uneasy in the area, what with Ruso’s missing man, a kidnapped soldier and a search gone wrong.  Then a rumour abounds about a body in the wall.  When it appears that a lad spread the rumour, Tilla goes to speak to him.  The problem is that the boy has disappeared.  It would appear that a soldier had asked him to come back to the fort, but he is nowhere to be found.

Both the local Brits and the army set out in search of the lad.  Ruso has some suspects in mind, but nothing to prove that they were involved.  Tilla helps the mother of the boy to search, but they also have no luck.

How will they find the boy, and will Tilla and Ruso get the wedding blessing she was hoping for?  Author Ruth Downie has plenty of adventures awaiting the pair, with a surprising conclusion.

Emperor of Rome

Neither Galba nor Otho did not last long as Emperor of Rome.  Vitellius quickly succeeded them and took Rome.  The people weren’t prepared to give up on him. On the other hand, Sabinus was preparing fo his brother, Vespasian, who had been proclaimed Emperor by his legions to return to the city.  It would not be an easy accession.

Prior to Nero’s death, he had sent Vespasian to the east to quell the rebellious Jews.  The task is meant to keep Vespasian out of the way and away from Rome.

As Vespasian prepares to advance on Rome, he hears rumours of the western legions supporting Galba as emperor, however Nero remains in control.  However, when the Praetorian Guard turns against him, Nero commits suicide and the Senate proclaims Galba the Emperor.

Galba doesn’t confirm Vespasian in his role, rather sends Praetorian Guards to kill him.  After the attempt fails, Vespasian begins planning to become Emperor of Rome.  It isn’t long before Galba is dead and replaced by Otho.  How long before he is gone in turn?  It also appears that Vitellius has aspirations for the purple.

With Otho’s defeat and Vitellius firmly in power, Vespasian’s legions once again swear allegiance to the new emperor.  However, it isn’t long after this, that the armies of the east proclaim Vespasian as their emperor.

Where will this lead and to what end?  Vitellius refuses to retire, so civil war is inevitable.  How long will it last and who will be the victor?

Author Robert Fabbri’s historical series about Vespasian comes to an end with this novel.  Vespasian served as emperor for ten years before he died, and was a respected emperor, unlike those who had preceded him.  The series is an excellent read, well worth reading for fans of Roman history.

Summon up the Blood

Summon up the Blood by R. N. Morris

Detective Inspector Silas Quinn is the main detective in Special Crimes.  The head of the department, Sir Edward Henry, has just informed him that the future of Special Crimes is up in the air.  Henry has also given Quinn a specific task; to investigate the body of a man who was drained of all of his blood.

Quinn has the assistance of two Detective Sergeants; Inchball and Macadam.

The witness who had found him indicated that victim had had his throat slashed.  The police surgeon stated in his report that there were rope abrasions on the ankles, suggesting that the victim had been hung up to allow the blood to drain.  There was no blood on the clothing, so he had been naked when his throat was slashed.  So far the victim has not been identified.

The only item on the body was a silver cigarette case.  However, it initially seems to have disappeared at the police station, but then surprisingly turns up.  Quinn is sure that it belonged to the killer.  Inside the  case is an inscription, will it be a factor in finding the killer?

Forensics found a single flake of tobacco in the case.  It appears to have been soaked in opium.

Quinn decides to go undercover.  His sergeants are wary of the plan, and suggest backup, however Quinn vetoes that and tells them that they have other parts of the investigation to run.  Quinn is also sure that there will be more victims to come.

Quinn is later surprised when a journalist comes to him and tells him that he knows about the story.  He also knows the name of the first victim.  Quinn asks the journalist to back off publishing the story for a bit.  The journalist wants an exclusive arrangement when the time comes to publish.

Surprise and shock occurs when another three similar murders are found.  With the positioning of the bodies, Quinn comes to the realisation that there is a symbolism to the killings.

Author R. N. Morris presents plenty of suspects for Quinn and his two sergeants to investigate, but can he find the killer before he kills again?  Morris has written an interesting thriller, with a very surprising ending.  A good read.