February 1, 2021
Set in late-seventeenth-century London, Calkins' latest entry in her Lucy Campion series features the intrepid heroine once again chasing a murderer. Lucy is an apprentice to a printer, but, in addition to her printing skills, she's also inclined to try her hand at amateur sleuthing. When her path to market takes her to a crossroads near a notorious "hanging tree," she sees two men fleeing the scene and then finds another man hanging from the tree. She is unable to lift him down and so sets off to find Constable Duncan, on the way encountering Adam Hargrave, the magistrate's son. As she relates her story, Duncan and Hargrave are at first disbelieving, but, after finding the body, they agree to investigate, with Lucy's help, of course. Instead of a straightforward murder, the trio uncovers a baffling case that is awash with stolen identities, revenge, unrequited love, infidelity, secret codes, intrigue, danger, and violence. A crisply written, cleverly plotted, and nicely detailed historical mystery, with a lively heroine and a satisfying ending.
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October 1, 2021
Lucy Campion, a former servant turned printer's apprentice, is a gifted amateur sleuth in seventeenth-century London. In her sixth outing, she takes on a chilling new case when her former master, Magistrate Hargrave, is brutally attacked in his home. Worse, his attacker also steals Hargrave's personal papers, which could be damaging if they were made public. The papers contain the magistrate's candid thoughts on court cases where he believes the presiding magistrate may have made errors. To his dismay, some of his sometimes brutally honest thoughts soon appear--anonymously, but with enough information that astute citizens can determine the author's identity. Lucy is determined to retrieve the papers and save Hargrave further embarrassment; and, with the help of her two current suitors and a fellow printer's apprentice, she unravels the disturbing and tragic story. Set just after the Great Fire, which destroyed large swaths of London, the story is packed with intriguing historical details, which ably support a clever plot and a captivating heroine. Another winning entry in Calkins' popular series.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.