It's 1850. Charles Maddox reluctantly
takes on a new case. He's worried about his uncle, the famous thief
taker, who suddenly collapsed after reading a letter and is still
unable to speak. After a period of inaction, he takes the case mainly
because it appears to relate to the reason for his uncle's illness.
Perhaps if he understands the relationship, he will be able to help
his uncle.
The clients are the only surviving son
of Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Wollstonecraft, and his wife. They are rigid Victorians intent on burnishing the image of
the famous poet, and are destroying any papers that might reflect
poorly on that image.
They are allegedly being harassed by
the owner of some papers that would cast a very unflattering, if not
criminal, light on the image of the poet and his intimates. Charles
is commissioned to buy the papers. He accepts, but finds himself in a
situation that not only affects the Shelleys, but his own history and
that of his uncle.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The
author has obviously done extensive research on the Shelleys, finding
unexplained gaps in their history and documents. Filling the gaps she
has created a suspenseful tale of murder, revenge and love. Whether
she has the correct explanation for the gaps is obviously unknown,
but she's created a riveting tale of
suspense and intricate personal
relationships.
The writing is supposed to be
reminiscent of the time period. In fact, the author is an omniscient
presence watching the characters as though on a stage. It's not
difficult to read, but if you don't like author intrusion you may
find it jarring.
I highly recommend this book, if you
enjoy a good mystery. If you're offended by someone writing about
historical personages in a revealing way, it's probably not the book
for you.
I reviewed this book for Net Galley.
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