Overview

When a blackened body is discovered buried beneath a hot-house, Coroner Titus Cragg uncovers a tale of scandalous secrets stretching back almost twenty years. ""Coroner Cragg. You think you can find out what happened at this house? You are mistaken. You can never find out."" November, 1747. County Coroner Titus Cragg has been called to the scene of a gruesome slaughter at a rural farmhouse: a mother and her four children brutally murdered in their own home. Were they killed by the man who should have protected them: their husband and father? And what role is played by the peculiar religious cult the family belongs to? Perhaps the mute boy who lives in the dog kennel knows the truth. Meanwhile, Titus's friend Dr Luke Fidelis is a guest of wealthy landowner and local magistrate John Blackburne at nearby Orford Hall. When a blackened but well-preserved body is discovered deep beneath Blackburne's hot-house, Cragg and Fidelis are asked to investigate. But how can they make headway when, as they soon learn, this corpse might have been in the ground for centuries? Gradually, Titus pieces together a tale of secrets, scandal and thwarted passion - and uncovers a shocking connection between the body under the hothouse and the slaughter in the farmhouse.

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9781448308811

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Reviews

Odd 18th-century mores provide a fitting backdrop for a complex puzzle * <b>Kirkus Reviews</b> * Gripping ... Historical fans will be well satisfied * <b>Publishers Weekly</b> on <b>Secret Mischief</b> * A startling conclusion. Readers who enjoy historical and legal perspectives will appreciate the careful attention to detail * <b>Library Journal</b> on <b>Secret Mischief</b> * An action-packed read with fully realized characters and vivid historical detail * <b>Booklist</b> on <b>Death and the Chevalier</b> * Blake effortlessly combines a complex puzzle with some fascinating, little-known historical facts * <b>Kirkus Reviews</b> on <b>Death and the Chevalier</b> * Outstanding ... Clever plotting and enjoyable characterizations make this entry a winner * <b>Publishers Weekly Starred Review</b> of <b>Rough Music</b> *

Author Information

Robin Blake is the author of seven previous Cragg & Fidelis Mysteries, as well as acclaimed works on the artists Van Dyke and Stubbs. He has written, produced and presented extensively for radio, and is widely published as a critic. He lives in London.

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