Andrew Taylor has had a lot of practice in the art of mystery-thriller writing. At one point in his long career he gave us the Bergerac series, which was also televised – I fondly remember watching it aeons ago with my parents. There have been numerous more series and standalone novels, and in 2009, Taylor was awarded the Diamond Dagger, the Crime Writers Association’s most prestigious award for a lifetime’s contribution to crime writing in the English language.
But in my view, he was just warming up. His latest series is one of my favourite historical mystery series – the James Marwood and Cat Lovett novels set in the years following the Great Fire of London – hence the series title: Ashes of London. The two main characters are frequently at odds with each other, but somehow their paths always cross, usually when there’s murder involved.
As you might recall, Marwood is a rising young man in the corridors of government and in The Shadows of London we catch up with him as an assistant to Lord Arlington, the King’s most trusted advisor. Cat has meanwhile been busy with her architecture business – there’s so much work to do in a city half destroyed by the Great Fire. Her latest project involves rebuilding an almshouse, but work grinds to a halt when a body is found at the site, the man’s face battered beyond recognition.
The local magistrate, Mr Rush, was previously involved in the project, but had a falling out with Cat’s client, Robert Hadgraft, and puts a hold on any work until the murder is resolved. Cat is desperate to resume work as she needs to keep her workers committed to the building work and somehow pay off her suppliers. She turns reluctantly to Marwood to see if he can persuade Arlington to intercede on her behalf. Before you know it, the two are investigating the murder, and yes, again, the unpleasantly conniving Duke of Buckingham appears on the scene.
Marwood has had run-ins with Buckingham before, in particular with the Duke’s vicious henchman, Durrell, whose distinctive appearance is noted by a witness connected to the recent murder. The story is all set for more regal intrigue and takes you to Newmarket, where the King and his court turn up for the spectacle of horse racing. But before we get there we meet Louise, a maid of honour to the Queen, left behind at Whitehall because of an ailment.
Louise is the other thread to the story – a young impoverished noblewoman, once a maid of honour to the King’s late sister. Charles II has given her a home along with one or two other French ladies-in-waiting following his sister’s death. But Louise is worried that her youthful beauty will be irresistible to the King. The Ashes of London series sheds a light on a number of the King’s characteristics, some of them endearing, but here we see him as something of a sexual predator. And Louise should be worried. On top of everything else she has as secret, a problem she’s turned to the Duke of Buckingham, of all people, to handle.
Louise thought with the cold, merciless clarity of a trapped animal that the ambassador would have made a fine preacher had he not chosen instead to be a pander.
Colbert leant even closer. He skewered her with those uncomfortable eyes. His voice hardened. ‘Kings are not like other men. They are chosen of God, and to serve them is a great blessing. To serve two would be doubly blessed. Do you agree?’
‘I seek to serve God and my king, sir,’ she said in a voice that was barely audible above the noises outside. ‘Always.’
He sat back and gave her a thin smile. ‘Of course. I had expected no less of you.’
Everything builds nicely into a thrilling well-paced story, as Marwood juggles the demands of his work with the murder investigation while his enemies close in. There’s a new love interest, and when all seems lost, help comes from a surprising direction. There’s a ton of period colour and insight into the workings of court so you know Taylor has done his homework. But also there’s the perilous situation for women of the time. Cat struggles to be taken seriously as an architect, but at least she strives to be independent. Other women, no matter what class they belong to, have little choice when it comes to their future, doing anything they can to keep a roof over their heads.
The Shadows of London is number six in the series, and I confess to feeling a lump in my throat as I turned the last page because I simply didn’t want it to end. Although it has a very good ending, and you have a feeling that Marwood and Buckingham will have more scores to settle, so there’s promise for more books. I certainly hope so – I’m sure there’s lots more to say about the era of Charles II, and loads more interesting history to mine. The Shadows of London gets five stars from me.