The story opens with a murdered young woman. Charlie Tuesday, seventeenth century bounty hunter (but specifically for thieves) is believed to be the murderer by the dead woman’s sister, Maria. And so begins a chase which takes him all over London because the only way he can clear his name is to find out who the true murderer is. As more bodies are found, plague victims and murder victims, Charlie must search further than London for answers as to who is killing these young women, what this has to do with the plague and how his only heirloom, a key with a crown over three knots, is somehow linked to the crimes. What he finds, however, pulls him and Maria into a complex conspiracy that involves King Charles II, the mayor of London and several high ranking nobles.
This was a fast-paced, well-judged book that made a compelling read. It is set at the time of the Great Plague of London in 1665, in the years after the English Civil War, when King Charles II had returned to resume the monarchy of England. The author builds the tension well, taking the main character and his friends to the point of calamity and then opening a door or window to allow them to escape. She is an experienced writer and it becomes obvious early on that the reader is in good hands.
Additionally, I became aware early on how good were the author’s descriptions of place. It did not matter where the action was set, the detail was full and interesting, providing a very clear picture of the places and people involved, but without it dragging or slowing down the action. When I discovered that C S Quinn had been an historical researcher, it made a lot of sense, as her descriptions of London of that time period had a sparkle and vigour which made it plain that this was a world with which she was very familiar.
I really enjoyed this book and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who likes crime fiction or historical drama but does not want anything which requires deep concentration. It moves at a good pace, shines a light into the historical period with its customs and beliefs and leaves one wanting more. I am looking forward to reading her further books.
C S Quinn (taken from her author page on Goodreads)
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