Blackstone and the Firebug (Inspector Blackstone) - Hardcover

Rustage, Alan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0727862456 ISBN 13: 9780727862457

Publisher: Severn House, 2005

Synopsis

Rivalling Anne Perry, the fourth in the Victorian series by the author of the much-loved Sally Spencer DCI Woodend books If the Fire Bug's true purpose is to make the government hand over one hundred thousand pounds, why does he seem so reluctant to apply the necessary pressure? Why does he content himself with burning down a single warehouse, when he could set an entire riverside wharf ablaze? And why firebomb a single sloop, when it would have been just as easy to destroy the whole fleet? In order to answer these questions, Inspector Sam Blackstone aided by Dr Ellie Carr, a passionate disciple of the new science of criminal pathology must follow a trail of death and destruction which will lead to the very centre of government itself. And, not for the first time, Blackstone soon realizes that in solving this case, he may well be destroying his own career.

About this title

About the Author

Fans of Alan Rustage's Woodend books will find in this brand new series the same ingenious plotting and entertaining turn of phrase. But this time the sharp eye for period detail turns to Victorian London - and a hero who is undeniably a little more of a daredevil.

Reviews

An arsonist is loose in turn-of-the-century London, but he's not an ordinary firebug. His fires seem designed to convey a message rather than to inflict maximum damage. But what is the message, why is it being sent, and to whom? This is the puzzle that Inspector Sam Blackstone and his loyal assistant, Detective Patterson, must solve. Unfortunately, they can't depend on the advanced forensic tools that modern coppers have, but they do have the distinct advantage of Dr. Ellie Carr, who's unusually interested in the "new" science of forensics. Combining Carr's scientific methods with plodding, boring investigative work and the pursuit of every tiny clue, Blackstone and Patterson hope they'll eventually get the big break that will crack the case wide open. Wearing her pseudonymous Alan Rustage hat, author Sally Spencer has crafted a fine procedural that evokes a realistic sense of turn-of-the-century London. The characters are rich and complex, the plot is unusual and inventive, but it's the delightfully droll, wonderfully witty doses of humor that make the novel such a pleasure. Emily Melton
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Edition details

• Publisher: Severn House
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0727862456
• ISBN 13: 9780727862457
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 218