Secret Mischief

March 1, 2021
Coroner Titus Cragg and his friend Dr. Luke Fidelis can't agree about a series of puzzling deaths in April 1746. Farmer Giggleswick calls Cragg to the village of Ormskirk when his pig Geoffrey is murdered. Although the pig has certainly been shot, Cragg explains there's nothing he can do about it. But he can do something when Giggleswick is also shot to death soon afterward, even if he's too late to save the complainant's life. Fidelis determines that the farmer was shot twice, once in the knee from a distance, then fatally at close range. Looking for a motive, they visit the farmer's man of business, lawyer Ambrose Parr, whose claim that his client was in debt despite his prosperous farm puzzles Cragg and Fidelis until Cragg discovers that the farmer was one of seven people in a last-heir-standing tontine, several of whom are already dead. All the tontine's members were friends in their youth whose ways have since parted. Cragg suggests to Frances Dolland that she and the other still-living members of the tontine may be in danger. Frances' estranged husband, who's living under a false name, is arrested and released by the judge, who's also his uncle and father-in-law. When tontine member Isabella Pettifer dies in a suspicious accident, Fidelis' suspicions focus on a former prostitute who worked for Isabella, but Cragg's determined to look elsewhere. A convoluted mystery combines with a searing indictment of a corrupt legal system.

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April 1, 2021

In 1746, farmer Richard Giggleswick sends for coroner Titus Cragg to come to Chimneystacks Farm for an inquest. When Titus arrives, he learns that the farmer wants him to examine his boar, which has been shot dead. Titus refuses, but two days later he is called back: Giggleswick has been shot and killed in the same spot. Titus tells the local constable that it's murder, and the motive is love, money, or pride. When he hears from a lawyer, Ambrose Parr, Titus learns the farmer was part of a tontine agreement from over 20 years earlier. Seven young people had contributed money to a prize; the last person alive would win all the money. Several are already dead when the book opens, but one by one, the remaining participants begin to die. Titus and Dr. Luke Fidelis investigate, but they're blocked at every turn by Parr and a judge related to one of the tontine's surviving parties. Titus despairs of ever finding the killer, but the cynical Doctor Fidelis uncovers the surprising truth. VERDICT Blake's seventh "Fidelis & Cragg" mystery (following Death and the Chevalier) is slow-paced, with a startling conclusion. Readers who enjoy historical and legal perspectives will appreciate the careful attention to detail in a story showing how the accused had to prove their innocence.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

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March 29, 2021
Set in 1746 Lancashire, Blake’s gripping seventh mystery featuring coroner Titus Cragg and physician Luke Fidelis (after 2020’s Death and the Chevalier) finds Cragg answering farmer Richard Giggleswick’s plea for an inquest into “the death of a member of the family.” But the deceased turns out to be a pig, and Cragg leaves the farm feeling both irritated and amused. Three days later, someone fatally shoots Giggleswick near his piggery. When Cragg investigates, he discovers a document that links the farmer to a group of people who made a wager with dangerous consequences more than 20 years before. Aided by the impulsive, passionate Fidelis, Cragg shows intelligence, fairness, and an ability to strategize as he tries to determine whether subsequent deaths are natural or otherwise. The well-paced unfolding of the group’s hidden secrets more than compensates for the relatively weak resolution, which involves the fates of an arrogant lawyer and a former prostitute. Historical fans will be well satisfied. Agent: Cara Jones, Rogers, Coleridge & White (U.K.).