Death and the Chevalier

March 1, 2019
Coroner Titus Cragg feels such deep love for his infant son, Hector, that he moves his family temporarily from the Lancashire town of Preston to the village of Accrington to avoid the spread of the paralyzing fever that is crippling and killing children in the summer of 1744. But Accrington is no refuge for Cragg and his friend, Dr. Luke Fidelis, who find one suspicious death after another to investigate. Just before the Craggs arrive, Anne and John Gargrave are tormented by their fellow villagers, accompanied by rough music, or noise, she for being a shrew and he for being henpecked, after which she is found dead. Cragg probes the attitudes and enmities of the rural folk, even calming them on the verge of taking the law into their own hands to hang a presumed murderer, as deaths unaccountably mount in the area. The fifth in this series continues to bring Georgian England to life, with eighteenth-century practices that show sparks of contemporary forensic science. Cragg and Fidelis make a fine team, even as they occasionally exasperate each other. A fine historical mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

April 1, 2020
For readers who enjoy historical cozies, this sixth entry in Blake's Cragg and Fidelis series fits the bill just fine. The year is 1745. Residents of the small English village of Preston, in Lancashire, England, await the arrival of Charles Edward Stuart, known as the Young Pretender, who plans to claim the English throne. During this unsettled time, Titus Cragg, the town's coroner, is called to investigate a headless body found in an icy pond. When Cragg is accused of the crime, his partner, Dr. Luke Fidelis, seeks to clear him by finding the real killer. As the pair's hunt progresses, other developments threaten Cragg's marriage and his young son. This is an action-packed read with fully realized characters and vivid historical detail. Thanks to the thorough and well-integrated backstory, there's no need to have read any of the previous installments before enjoying this one, although many will be eager to do just that after after devouring Blake's fine story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)