Robert J. Lloyd
Publication Date: 20/6/24
Publisher: Melville House Press
SYNOPSIS
In late 17th Century London rich young women are being kidnapped, then murdered. Harry Hunt, formerly of the Royal Society but now a rich gentleman, is falsely accused. To clear his name, he must rely on his abandoned scientific expertise and battle the full force of the British aristocracy.
1681. London cooks in summer heat. Bonfires are lit in protest against the King’s brother, James, heir to the throne but openly Catholic. Rumours abound of a ‘Black Box’, said to conceal proof the King’s illegitimate son is really the rightful heir.
When a wealthy merchant’s daughter is kidnapped and murdered―even though a ransom was paid―the King orders Harry Hunt of the Royal Society to help investigate.
A second woman goes missing: Elizabeth Thynne, England’s richest heiress. Her husband has a ransom letter from the same kidnappers.
Pressured by powerful men to find the killers and rescue Elizabeth, Harry uncovers a disturbing link to Bethlehem Hospital, better known as Bedlam. But he is falsely accused of the crimes.
To prove his innocence, he must find the real culprits. Harry’s search takes him from Rotherhithe to Whitehall Palace, and to the house of Sir Peter Lely, the famous portrait-painter, in Covent Garden. And back to Bedlam. He has the Monarchy’s future in his hands.
MY REVIEW
This is the third in the addictive Hunt and Hooke series and I am here for it! Since reading The Bloodless Boy I have eagerly awaited the next book and have never been disappointed. They can all be read as stand alones but I’d highly recommend them all.
This one is set in London in the summer of 1681.
Rich in history with real people, places and events being woven through the fiction.
When the body of a suicide victim is sent from Bethlehem Hospital – or Bedlam as it is better known – to be dissected in the interests of medical progress, someone recognises the girl and it is not the suicide victim it should be. She is a murder victim.
Harry Hunt is commanded by the King to investigate the murder. Not only is there a murder to investigate, it turns out another woman has disappeared and her husband wants her found.
With two cases now to investigate, and with the initial assistance of the no messing about Justice, Sir John, Harry begins his investigations unaware he himself will be brought into question.
He leaves his new, rich and privileged lifestyle and his potential fiancée behind and with no choice goes into hiding in the poor back streets of London with no money or possessions.
He uncovers conspiracies, lies, secrets and meets some very nasty people.
Robert excels at setting the scene and placing the reader right at the centre of the action. Sights, sounds and (bad) smells of London in 1681 are all described in detail.
He summarises the plot so far now and again through Harry’s thoughts, although I raced through it so quickly I didn’t need it. Very helpful to people who take more than a few days to read a book.
The short sharp chapters make for a fast paced read which completely immersed me.
An absolutely fantastic historical crime thriller and I can’t wait for the next one!
Thank you to Nikki at Melville House Press for having me along on the blog tour.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Lloyd, the son of parents who worked in the British Foreign Office, grew up in South London, Innsbruck, and Kinshasa. He studied for a Fine Art degree, starting as a landscape painter, but it was while studying for his MA degree in the History of Ideas that he first read Robert Hooke’s diary, detailing the life and experiments of this extraordinary man. After a twenty-year career as a secondary
school teacher, he has now returned to painting and writing, and is working on the fourth book in the Hunt & Hooke series. He lives in Crickhowell, Wales.
Also in the Hunt & Hooke series:
The Bloodless Boy – 9781685890049
The Poison Machine – 9781685890407
Two Heads Are Better Than One 