Synopses & Reviews
In 1740s England, the roots of evil run deep. When a vicious slaying unleashes a wave of panic, village coroner Titus Cragg finds himself embroiled in the hunt for a murderer in this darkly rich and atmospheric historical mystery, the first in Robin Blake's Cragg & Fidelis series. The year is 1740. George II is on the throne, but Englands remoter provinces remain largely a law unto themselves. In Lancashire a grim discovery has been made: a squires wife, Dolores Brockletower, lies in the woods above her home at Garlick Hall, her throat brutally slashed. Called to the scene, Coroner Titus Cragg finds the Brockletower household awash with rumor and suspicion. He enlists the help of his astute young friend, doctor Luke Fidelis, to throw light on the case. But this is a world in which forensic science is in its infancy, and policing hardly exists. Embarking on their first gripping investigation, Cragg and Fidelis are faced with the superstition of witnesses, obstruction by local officials, and denunciations from the squire himself.
A Dark Anatomy marks the arrival of a remarkable new voice in mystery and a pair of detectives both cunning and complex.
Review
“An impressive whodunit.” —
Publishers Weekly (starred)
“Fascinating . . . Cragg and Fidelis make a terrific detecting duo . . . Blakes knowledge of an eighteenth-century backwater just shaking off medieval superstitions is deep and engaging. A solid winner.” —Booklist (starred)
“Blake uses this setting to show the times, the people and events in a book you wont be able to put down. Flawless . . . a fascinating mystery with psychological underpinnings. The next book will be eagerly anticipated.” —RT Book Reviews
“Blake starts his story with a bang and keeps the reader engaged to the end.” —MysteryTribune.com
Synopsis
In 1740s England, the roots of evil run deep. When a vicious slaying unleashes a wave of panic, village coroner Titus Cragg finds himself embroiled in the hunt for a murderer in this darkly rich and atmospheric historical mystery, the first in the Cragg & Fidelis series. The year is 1740. George II is on the throne, but Englands remoter provinces remain largely a law unto themselves. In Lancashire a grim discovery has been made: a squires wife, Dolores Brockletower, lies in the woods above her home at Garlick Hall, her throat brutally slashed. Called to the scene, Coroner Titus Cragg finds the Brockletower household awash with rumor and suspicion. He enlists the help of his astute young friend, doctor Luke Fidelis, to throw light on the case. But this is a world in which forensic science is in its infancy, and policing hardly exists. Embarking on their first gripping investigation, Cragg and Fidelis are faced with the superstition of witnesses, obstruction by local officials, and denunciations from the squire himself.
A Dark Anatomy marks the arrival of a remarkable new voice in mystery and a pair of detectives both cunning and complex.
Synopsis
In 1740s England, the roots of evil run deep... The year is 1740. George II is on the throne, but Englands remoter provinces remain largely a law unto themselves. In Lancashire a grim discovery has been made: a squires wife, Dolores Brockletower, lies in the woods above her home at Garlick Hall, her throat brutally slashed. Called to the scene, Coroner Titus Cragg finds the Brockletower household awash with rumor and suspicion. He enlists the help of his astute young friend, doctor Luke Fidelis, to throw light on the case. But this is a world in which forensic science is in its infancy, and policing hardly exists. Embarking on their first gripping investigation, Cragg and Fidelis are faced with the superstition of witnesses, obstruction by local officials, and denunciations from the squire himself. A Dark Anatomy marks the arrival of a remarkable new voice in mystery and a pair of detectives both cunning and complex.
About the Author
ROBIN BLAKE is the author of acclaimed works on the artists Van Dyck and Stubbs. He has written, produced, and presented extensively for radio, is widely published as a critic, and has been a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Brunel University. He lives in London.