The Chelsea Strangler (Thomas Chaloner Adventure) - Hardcover

Gregory, Susanna

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0751552836 ISBN 13: 9780751552836

Publisher: Sphere, 2016

Synopsis

In the sapping summer heat of 1665 there is little celebration in London of the naval victory at the Battle of Lowestoft. The King, his retinue and anyone with sufficient means has fled the plague-ridden city, its half-deserted streets echoing to the sound of bells tolling the mounting number of deaths. Those who remain clutch doubtful potions to ward off the relentless disease and dart nervously past shuttered buildings, watchful for the thieves who risk their lives to plunder what has been left behind.

At Chelsea, a rural backwater by the river, with fine mansions leased to minor members of the Court avoiding the capital, there are more immediate concerns: the government has commandeered the theological college to house Dutch prisoners of war and there are daily rumours that those sailors are on the brink of escaping. Moreover, a vicious strangler is stalking the neighbourhood.

Thomas Chaloner is sent to investigate the murder of the first victim, an inmate of a private sanatorium known as Gorges. There have been thefts there as well, but the few facts he gleans from inmates and staff are contradictory and elusive. He realises, though, that Gorges has stronger links to the prison than just proximity, and that the influx of strangers offers plenty of camouflage for a killer - a killer who has no compunction about turning on those determined to stop his murderous rampage.

About this title

About the Author

Susanna Gregory was a police officer in Leeds before taking up an academic career. She has served as an environmental consultant, worked seventeen field seasons in the polar regions, and has taught comparative anatomy and biological anthropology.

She is the creator of the Matthew Bartholomew series of mysteries set in medieval Cambridge and the Thomas Chaloner adventures in Restoration London, and now lives in Wales with her husband, who is also a writer.

Review

Gregory's Restoration London is vividly portrayed, and I was immersed in it. Yet, while skilfully done, it never overwhelms her very real and relatable characters, whether they are fictional or real historical figures. I thoroughly enjoyed it as a standalone novel, and found it a pacy and engrossing historical mystery. And, as with the best mysteries, I didn't guess the end. A very fine read.―Historical Novel Society

This is a treat for all lovers of the genre, and Gregory is at her very best, providing plenty of immaculately researched detail―Express and Star

About this edition

• Publisher: Sphere
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0751552836
• ISBN 13: 9780751552836
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 448