Review: Incendium by AD Swanston

Incendium ... fire and death in the name of piety ...

I love historical mystery fiction - especially when featuring some ell known players such as Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and favourite of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Elizabeth’s reign saw a number of plots and rebellions. The plots came from a number of sources: disgruntled nobles; Catholics and from overseas. Plots often had an aim of removing Elizabeth from power and replacing her with Mary, Queen of Scots. Many were motivated by religious belief. Often funded by powerful leaders from overseas, these plots posed a significant risk to Elizabeth’s crown. The best documented of the plots are the Northern Rebellion (1569); Barge Incident; Ridolfi Plot (1571); Throckmorton Plot (1583) and the Babington Plot (1586).

As in reality, there is a plot against the Queen following what was known as the Ridolfi Plot (1571).    There were plots on both sides of the English Channel as Paris prepares for the wedding of Henry of Navarre and Marguerite de Valois (which in itself is just a prelude to the St Bartholomew Day's massacre).  Of course, this doesn't take into account all the petty rivalries and jealousies among her household and court, for which a whispered word here or there could lead to the downfall and execution of a favourite.  Dr Christopher Radcliffe, lawyer and spy for the Earl of Leicester, is given the task of navigating the murky depths of the court to investigate and root out treason and its culprits wherever they may be. But the word "incendium" hints of a new plot against the Queen. 

Swanston gives us a real feel for Elizabeth London, the "viper's nest", where there are more real life treasonable plots than you could poke a stick at. And just when you think all is resolved, you find yourself only halfway through. Very clever writing.

see also: Elizabeth Plots & Rebellions

Review: Conan Doyle for the Defence by Margalit Fox

Fox's book is based around a notorious real-life crime of early 20th Century Britain - the Scottish Dreyfus Affair - which consumed Arthur Conan Doyle in the last decades of his life.

It was essentially the murder of a Glasgow widow in 1908 which saw German Jew Oscar Slater accused and imprisoned - an obvious frame up. Slater spent 18 years behind bars, and when released in 1927, the "case for the defence" began in earnest (Slater managed to smuggle a please out of prison to Conan Doyle two years previous).

However, Slater was not the "unimpeachable character" that we would expect but an "affable rascal", who was already known to police. This was not a case of proving who did it rather than who didn't. It was a very real lesson in bigotry versus reason, for Slater proved the perfect patsy for a high profile crime that needed an immediate resolution.

The book is broken down into four parts: the narrative of the murder; the diagnostic methods of ACD's investigation; Slater's trial, conviction and imprisonment; and ACD's meticulous analysis of Slater's case and his liberation.

It is a compelling tale of the evolution of the judicial system in Scotland, and a stark reminder of how the justice system could quite easily make guilty an innocent man as Slater was " ... too guilty to be released yet not guilty enough to be hanged ...". It is also a tale of a very real travesty of justice - regardless of how despicable the man.

Well researched and annotated - a lengthy read.

What I am struck by, is that some time prior, Conan Doyle tried his hand a solving another murder - which was very similar to this one - emphasis on tried, as he never did find resolution. This formed the basis of Sinclair McKay's The Mile End Murder

See also:

The Debatable Case of Mrs Emsley by Arthur Conan Doyle

Defrosting Cold Cases

Review: Black Death by MJ Trow

Synopsis:  September, 1592. “Kit, I know we have never been friends, but you are the only man in London to whom I can write. Someone is trying to kill me”.

Christopher Marlowe had never liked Robert Greene when he was alive. But when the former Cambridge scholar is found dead in a cheap London boarding house, shortly after sending Kit a desperate letter, Marlowe feels duty bound to find out who killed him – and why.

What secrets did Robert Greene take with him to the grave? And why is the Queen’s spymaster, Sir Robert Cecil, taking such a keen interest in the case? As plague stalks the streets of London and the stage manager of the Rose Theatre disappears without trace just days before the opening of Marlowe’s new play, the playwright-sleuth finds himself in the midst of a baffling murder investigation – where nothing is as it first appears.

Another outing in Elizabethan England has Kit Marlowe investigating the death of Robert Greene, one of the first professional writers of the day, and a contemporary of both Marlowe and Shaxsper - the man who referred to the Bard of Avond as an "upstart crow".

Kit receives a message from Greene, no friend of our Kit, asking Marlowe to come to his aid - instead Greene is found dead in mysterious circumstances. In reality, around this time, Greene wrote exposés on the Elizabethan underworld, such as "A Notable Discovery of Coosnage" (1591) and the successful and amusing "A disputation betweene a hee conny-catcher and a shee conny-catcher" (1592).

Against this we have the appearance of the magus Simon Foreman, currently favourite of Elizabeth I, sidelining Dr John Dee, and the disappearance of steadfast Tom Sledd. But London is not only being stalked by a killer but also the Plague, resulting in a closure of the theatres, leaving Kit ample time to investigate.

Marlowe is as witty and irascible as ever; all the usual suspects are present; and red herrings abound.

Review: The Teahouse Detective by Baroness Orczy

Synopsis: All of the twelve detective stories in this volume are puzzled over by Orczy’s mysterious armchair detective, the “Old Man In The Corner”.

The second released in a series by Baroness Orczy, as an alternate to Sherlock Holmes.

Another series of mysteries, this time the narrator is (though not mentioned) out young reporter Polly Burton (though one is never sure - it is just implied). Another afternoon of classic crime escapism.

Synopsis: A classic collection of mysteries featuring the Teahouse Detective - a contemporary of Sherlock Holmes, with a brilliant mind and waspish temperament to match that of Conan Doyle's creation.

Simple and entertaining series of stories featuring an old man providing his own commentary on a number of "national" crimes to a young reporter who he meets in a teashop.

An afternoon of escapism, as twelve short mysteries are played out before the reader. It is only a matter of solving them before their final denoument! Must be read after "The Case of Miss Elliott" even though released first.

Review: Time Travelling Professor by Elizabeth Crowens

Synopsis: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is obsessed with a legendary red book. Its peculiar stories have come to life, and rumors claim that it has rewritten its own endings. Convinced that possessing this book will help him write his ever-popular Sherlock Holmes stories, he takes on an unlikely partner, John Patrick Scott, known to most as a concert pianist, but a paranormal investigator and a time traveler professor to a select few. Like Holmes and Watson trying to solve a mystery, together they explore lost worlds and their friendship is tested to the limits when they go back in time to find it. Both discover that karmic ties and unconscionable crimes have followed them like ghosts from the past, wreaking havoc on the present and possibly the future.

I found the storytelling very disjointed; I wasn't sure there was any real structure apart from positing the narrator into various historical scenarios strung together on some invisible thread that at various times flirted with past-life regression and astral travel. Too many themes crammed together. that the narrative felt like it was tripping over itself.

I have the second in the series - A Pocketful of Lodestones - and won't be reading or reviewing it anytime soon.

Review: The Judge's Wife by Ann O'Loughlin

A spellbinding, haunting, heart-wrenching tale told in three narratives - Grace, Emma, and Vikram.

Wicklow 1954: a woman is sent away to an asylum days after giving birth.

Dublin 1984: a woman goes in search of her lost mother.

India 1984: a man looks back on a love lost.

This is a tale of conspiracy, hypocrisy, and passion with a deadly secret binding all together. But it is more than that. It is also a social history of the times, when a man, in this instance a Judge, could put away his wife not for being insane but for a social indiscretion.

In Ireland, the asylums reflected broader society. They were not the creation of doctors or asylum managers. They served a very real social purpose at a time of great change in Ireland, especially in the 1950s which were marked by economic stagnation, world wars, trade wars, religious change, declining population and emigration. The change to the family structure with the growing industrialisation of the country as a whole saw fewer families living off the land, where in the past an individual with a disability, or possibly a mental illness, might find a role. 

But in Ireland, asylums also became a convenient solution for many difficult societal problems, wherein communities and families used mental hospitals in complex and often subtle ways, according to their needs. You only have to look at the fallout from the Magdalene Laundries scandal today, which, for more than two centuries, saw women in Ireland sent to institutions as a punishment for having sex outside of marriage. Unwed mothers, flirtatious women and others deemed unfit for society were forced to labor under the strict supervision of nuns for months or years, sometimes even for life.

By the 1950s, the asylum system had expanded to such an extent that Ireland had the world highest rate of asylum residency per 100,000 population with over 21,000 residents or 0.7% of population (WHO, 1958.) This alarming increase happened within a society who had got used to locking away the undesirables, the non-conformists, the disabled, the perceived immoral. This then is the tragic backdrop to the story of The Judge's Wife.

Mental Treatment Act of 1945 - Brendan O'Kelly

Review: The Antiquarian - The Art Restorer

Did you ever have that feeling that once you write a review of a book you have just savoured that the euphoric feeling you have just experienced would disappear as soon as the review is written. So you hold off for as long as possible just to hold onto that feeling - this is one of those instances.

Five years ago I read both The Antiquarian and its sequel, The Art Restorer - both stories still vivid in my mind today, but I just had that feeling that if I put pen to paper (figuratively speaking), than I would lose that memory. But the time has come.

The Antiquarian:

A gripping historical thriller in which the search for a mysterious and powerful object hidden in the heart of Barcelona leads to ambition, desire, love—and murder. This story is supposedly based on real events though the author gives us no clue - which is disappointing as I love to follow up with my own research to see how the two parallel.

We meet a circle of antiquarians - Artur Aiquader, Samuel Horowitz, Enric Torner, Guillem Carelus - who collect historical manuscripts. In this instance, Artur comes into possession of the manuscripts dating back to the 14th century belonging to the Casadevall family with links back to a possible hidden treasure. However, Artur is not ready to share what he has found, and he is soon found murdered, obviously at the hands of one who is known to him. A note from Artur to his adoptive son, Enrique sets off the investigation, not only into Artur's death, but also into the mystery of the manuscript, as it is slowed being translated and its contents revealed, transporting the reader back to 14th century Barcelona. 

In the 14th century, Europe had become overpopulated, political frontiers had ceased to expand and internal colonization was coming to an end, but population levels remained high. Europe was experiencing a period of climate change which resulted in famine and pestilence, economies took a hit, prices of basic food stuffs rose, and Barcelona, like many other cities, was struck by several outbreaks of the plague.

Social upheaval followed the widespread deaths. Whole families died without heirs, leaving their farms abandoned, and looters and nobles were quick to take advantage; the latter seizing any property unclaimed after 30 days. The result of this abuse and the increased value of labour was a series of peasant uprisings which continued for many years, part of a long struggle of working people against the upper classes.

Turning on others, especially marginal members of society, was a common response during the trauma of the Black Death. Jews, especially, were attacked and killed throughout Europe - and Barcelona was no exception. The violence committed against Jews in the city led to the end of the Jewish neighbourhood, El Call, and foreshadowed greater and more intensified persecutions of Jews, including the Inquisition. 

Enrique, with the help of Bety, investigate who within Artur's inner circle could have motive. And there is the shadowy figure of the mysterious Frenchman. Against this historical backdrop, that the last few climatic chapters finally enlighten us, and draws this modern day story to its conclusion.

The Art Restorer:

This sequel sees novelist Enrique Alonso return to Barcelona to attend the reopening of the San Telmo Museum and to catch up with his ex-wife, Bety, now the PR manager. However, it is when art restorer Craig Bruckner is found dead, that Bety suspects foul play and enlists the aid of Enrique to find out what really happened.

Bruckner's death, and his focus on the works and life of the artist Sert, become the basis for Enriques new novel (set in the 1940s). The past comes back to haunt Enrique is the murder of his adoptive father Artur three years prior still casts a long shadow.

Josep Maria Sert i Badia was a catalan artist, who after studying in Rome, moved to Paris (1899). Sert was commissioned to paint the interior of the Vic Cathedral in the Province of Barcelona, Catalonia in murals (1900), which took him more than 30 years to complete. After this, he also undertook commissions for the Rockerfeller family in the United States (1930s). He was linked with two notable women - Misia Godebska (d.1950) and Isabelle Roussadana Mdivani (d.1938) - who were prominent in the Parisian cultural scene (alog=ng with the likes of Chanel, Cartier, Cocteau, Diaghilev). 

Enrique decided to follow in Bruckners footsteps to unravel the mystery of Sert and discover who killed the art restorer and why. The mystery hinges on events in the past, this time, Paris during WW2 when the painter brokered the release of a girl from a concentration camp with a Nazi official - the payment being made in diamonds.

What is glaringly omitted from what little I could find on Sert online, was his life in the 1940s in Paris. Was he in Paris during the war or back in Barcelona where he died (1945).

Essentially this is a well crafted novel with three stories running parallel - the main story; the story of the fictional novelsist; and the backstory to it all, the life of Sert.

Review: Judas the Apostle - The Last Sicarius

Judas the Apostle by Van R. Mayhall Jr.

A modern day biblical thriller featuring archaeologist Clothilde Le Jenue, who, after the murder of her father, finds herself in possession of a mysterious jar with the inscription "Judas Isacriot".

Judas is often remembered as the apostle who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. However, the discovery of the Gospel of Judas in the 1970s sheds a new light on Judas. The gospel offers a much more sympathetic character, a favoured apostle to whom Jesus says: “You will be cursed by the other generations – and you will come to rule over them.” Despite the centuries of denunciation, the biblical text itself is more ambiguous than we might expect, too. It isn’t clear if Judas is a thief who betrays Jesus or if he is a true disciple, who is a central agent in the fulfilment of God’s plan and does the dirty work that the other disciples won’t do. 

In Muslim polemic literature, however, Judas ceases to be a traitor; instead, he supposedly lied to the Jews in order to defend Jesus (who was not crucified). The 14th-century cosmographer al-Dimashqī maintains that Judas assumed Jesus’ likeness and was crucified in his place. Even then, there was much ambiguity about Judas and his position within the Disciple hierarchy.

Our story fluctuates between Jerusalem and Masada in 73AD to present day Louisiana and Jerusalem, as the mysterious artifact is sought after by not only the Vatican, but by one, less scrupulous, other.   You must read "The Last Sicarius" straight away as this continues where this tome leave off.

The Last Sicarius by Van R. Mayhall Jr.

I am really glad that I read this straight after "Judas the Apostle" as the second volume kicks off straight away from where the first finished. Non-stop action. Forget comparisons with other books of the genre (ie: Da Vinci Code, etc), these two stand alone for "edge of your seat" drama and intrigue as we set out on a quest to discover the true meaning of the Judas Gospel.

The Gospel of Judas is known to have existed before AD180, when it was denounced as heretical by Bishop Irenaeus of Lyon. But it was thought to have been lost when the gnostics were vanquished in the struggle of ideas in the early years of Christianity. The manuscript also serves as a reminder that the four gospels in the New Testament were not the only versions of Jesus's life in the early Christian era.  Judas is often said to have been a member of the Sicari, an extremist religious sect who strongly opposed the Roman occupation, however modern scholars reject this claim based upon the writings of the Josephus in The War of the Hebrews.

As I said, this follows hot on the heels of the first book, as a new enemy and a new adventure await.  And the final battle ... it takes places where it all began ....Masada!

Founder, Fighter, Saxon Queen by Margaret C Jones

Alfred the Great’s daughter defied all expectations of a well-bred Saxon princess. The first Saxon woman ever to rule a kingdom, Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, led her army in battle against Viking invaders. She further broke with convention by arranging for her daughter to succeed her on the throne of Mercia. 

To protect her people and enable her kingdom in the Midlands to prosper, Aethelflaed rebuilt Chester and Gloucester, and built seven entirely new English towns. In so doing she helped shape our world today.

This book brings Aethelflaed’s world to life, from her childhood in time of war to her remarkable work as ruler of Mercia.

The final chapter traces her legend, from medieval paintings to novels and contemporary art, illustrating the impact of a legacy that continues to be felt to this day.