Ashes of London

The story starts with two individuals who meet by chance for a few moments and then go their separate ways. We follow one who is tasked with solving a series of murders and the other as she escapes an arranged marriage.

Their stories are interlinked and come together toward the end of the story. The crimes are solved and because this is the 17^th century, it is done with logic and reasoning with no forensics or CSI involvement.  There is also a very unexpected twist at the climax that will catch out the most jaded of mystery reader.

The book is very easy to read despite the old English; though I had to use the dictionary a few times as there were words which were unfamiliar [and others whose meaning has changed somewhat over the centuries] but there were so few that this did not detract from the enjoyment of the story. The writing flows easily, never getting bogged down in those lengthy paragraphs which some authors seem to use to fill pages; so every word in this book adds something. The authors descriptive ability so good, that often it was almost like watching the scenes play out in the mind like a reel of film.  It also made me wish to get to a library, and learn more about this fascinating period of history.

Overall, this novel was a terrific read and highly recommended for those who like evocative history sprinkled within their crime fiction.