History and Mystery Reads

Rating: 6/10

• Accuracy: Good on Georgian London and on the early days of organised policing under Sir John Fielding.
• Plot: In 1757, a thief-taker working for Fielding investigates an old woman’s apparently supernatural death.
• Clues: Present and fair, but secondary to chases and romance.
• Reveal: Logical but not especially memorable.

In 1757 Jeffrey Wynne, a young man employed as a thief-taker by Sir John Fielding, the blind magistrate of Bow Street, is sent to investigate the death of an elderly woman. The death seems to have been caused by fright, with talk of the supernatural. Wynne’s former love, Peg Ralston, is involved.

Carr’s research into Georgian London is extensive. The novel describes Bow Street, taverns, gaming houses and fashionable homes. Sir John Fielding, brother of the novelist Henry Fielding and a pioneer of policing, is a vivid presence.

The mystery combines Carr’s interest in apparently supernatural crimes with his love of swashbuckling. There are fights, chases and romantic misunderstandings. The investigation is sometimes pushed to the background.

The weaknesses are pace and focus. The romance between Wynne and Peg is repetitive, and the villain is guessable. The prose can be overwrought.

The 6 reflects an enjoyable but minor Carr historical. It is of most interest to readers curious about the early history of policing in London and fans of Carr’s historical work.