A SHORTCUT TO MURDER by William Savage

4.5 out of 5 stars

18th Century Murder Mystery

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team

The third murder mystery set in 18th century rural Norfolk, in which the now wealthy and ever inquisitive doctor, Adam Bascom, sets out to discover the truth behind evil doings.

As with the other books in this series, A Shortcut to Murder is filled with delightfully portrayed characters of the time: the chattering ladies seeking marriage for their offspring, girls either fashion conscious and empty-headed, or frustrated by how the society into which they are born places limits on their lives.  There are the village folk, the innkeepers and farmers, all aware of their station in life and suspicious of folk from elsewhere ~ not unlike the Norfolk of some 250 years later.

I do like reading about the history of a county I know well, within these books; only a few years ago I ate at The Three Pigs at Edgefield, mentioned in the book, though I think it is now just called The Pigs, and I daresay the decor has changed!  More interesting still, an innkeeper's wife in Cley supplies Adam with information about the area in Tudor times.  Adam may have been eager to change the subject, but I wanted to know more!

Usually with Mr Savage's books I feel that the plot is secondary to the characterisation and dialogue, but with this one I gave a silent round of applause to the clever plot, too ~ I am not much of a one for unravelling mysteries, but this one had me most intrigued and I thought it was artfully put together.  That's not to say I didn't enjoy the characters as much as usual, particularly the wealthy and idle Scudamore twins.  The only downside I ever find with books by this author is the occasional over-egging of the plot detail, with every intricate detail discussed once too often, and in the middle there was a patch when I felt the dialogue was too information loaded and I wanted to say, 'oh, get on with it', but then it very swiftly did, and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book.

I think that this would be enjoyed by all lovers of the historical period, by anyone who respects a well thought out mystery, and, of course, by those like myself who love Norfolk.   

A review of Dark Threads of Vengeance and links to my reviews of other William Savage books can be found HERE

DARK THREADS OF VENGEANCE by William Savage

4.5 out of 5 stars

18th Century Murder Mystery set in Norfolk

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Review Team
 

The second book, a stand alone, in the Ashmole Foxe series.  Foxe is an charismatic and witty businessman living in 18th century Norwich, a sociable and inquisitive chap with his finger in many pies, who is often called upon by those in power in the city to help solve crimes.  This time, it is the murder of Joseph Morrow, a devoutly religious and widely disliked banker, and owner of a yarn business. 

The story begins with his murder, an excellent start.  This is the fourth book I have read by William Savage, and, as before, I enjoyed the descriptions of the Norfolk of 250 years ago; the domestic detail is well-placed, and of interest to anyone who wishes to know more about how people lived in this time.  The author's strength is his witty dialogue and characterisation, and in this book both lived up to my expectations.  There is a marvellous part when Foxe, recently depressed by circumstances in his private life, dresses extravagantly one morning to lift his spirits.  On entering his bookshop, he imagines his business partner's surprised expression to be one of awe at his fine appearance, though the reader learns that the reason for her raised eyebrows is that she wonders if he has taken leave of his senses, to be dressed in such ridiculous finery at this time in the morning.  Later, another associate described him as a 'strutting popinjay'.  I loved that!

I found the beginning of the book a little exposition-heavy, as Foxe's circumstances are explained to the reader; although this book is a stand alone, better description is given about him in his first book, The Fabric of Murder, but it is not necessary to read it first.  On occasion I found the intricacies of the plot a little repetitive and long-winded, but, as always with this author's books, I am just thinking 'hmm, this is going on a bit' when it perks up.  When this happens, it's great; the good in his books is very, very good indeed. 

Recommended for all who like clever, light mystery fiction of this period, and who like to learn something of the history, too.

Reviews for William Savage's three other books can be found HERE, with Amazon links

THE FABRIC OF MURDER by William Savage

5 out of 5 stars

18th century murder mystery

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

Having just finished William Savage's The Code for Killing, I could read nothing else but another book by him, so started this one immediately!  I loved it as much, if not more; whereas this author's other two 18th century Norfolk murder mysteries centre round the earnest young doctor Adam Bascom, this one's hero is the intriguing, charming man about town, Ashmole Fox, a different kettle of fish entirely.

The story is situated in Norwich, and portrays so well the different layers of society, from the upper echelons populated by Mr Foxe, to the underclasses, and illustrates that nothing changes when it comes to corruption and social pretensions.   The mystery itself concerns the city's textile industry and that of rare books, which I found fascinating, aside from the plot itself, which is intricate and well thought out, with a clever outcome that I hadn't guessed.

One of the reasons I think this might be my favourite of this author's books so far (although there is not much between them), is that there is more description and creation of atmosphere; I really got the feeling of 18th century Norwich, from the coffee houses, to the dwellings of the well-to-do.  Because it's a city I know quite well, this was of much interest to me.

The characterisation in this novel is terrific, as always, the dialogue subtle and witty ~ I adored Foxe and his associates.  There is one character, an urchin messenger boy called Charlie Dillon, who I felt might benefit from more development in the future - I must agree with Foxe that he shows great promise :)

There is only one thing left to say: Mr Savage, hurry up and write me another book!


The Code for Killing by William Savage reviewed HERE

An Unlamented Death by William Savage reviewed HERE

 

THE CODE FOR KILLING by William Savage

5 out of 5 stars

18th century murder mystery

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's Review Team

I loved William Savage's debut novel, An Unlamented Death, so was eager to read the next in the series.  The Code for Killing re-acquaints us with 18th century Norfolk doctor Adam Bascom, who has, once more, become involved in a murder mystery, this time to do with a possible spy passing information to the French.  I enjoyed this book even more than the first; it was one of those I was disappointed to finish. 
 

Kings Lynn, Norfolk, 18th century.

 As with the previous book, the murder mystery itself plays a second part, for me, though it's well thought out, intriguing and not predictable.  What keeps me turning the pages is the prose itself, a joy to read.  The main body of the novel is conversation, and the characters are so beautifully illustrated by their dialogue alone that they need little else to bring them to life.  I was pleased to renew my acquaintance with Adam's apothecary friend Peter Lassimer, a cheerful ladies' man, with the eccentric Captain Mimms, and his mother's sparky companion, Sophia LaSalle.  New characters are introduced, too: the lovely Daniel Foucard, an aristocrat on his deathbed who befriends Adam, and delightful incidentals such as 'lady of the night' Molly Hawkins, and sailors Peg and Dobbin.  Forming the backdrop of the story is the unrest amongst the common people of Norfolk due to the greedy and illegal practices of a certain miller, and the dissatisfaction that results from the war with France.  Times were as uncertain and dangerous then as now...
 

18th century Norfolk

When reading this book I became completely absorbed in the time and the characters; however, I did find myself wishing for more descriptive detail.  I am familiar with some of the landmarks, such as the Maid's Head Hotel, Gentleman's Walk and Cow Tower in Norwich, and also the Black Boys in Aylsham, so I could imagine the settings, but for anyone who doesn't know Norfolk it might not be so easy to do so.  For instance, on Adam's journeys to London I was looking forward to reading about what the landscape was actually like between Norwich and London.  What was the inside of a Drury Lane theatre like?  A London Inn?  The inside of the seedy Lampson's cafe?  How about the road from Norwich out to the coast?  Historical fiction addicts like me love to read about times gone by because we want to immerse ourselves in the past—so we want to know what these people of over 200 years ago would have seen!  The same with the insides of the houses, the day to day activities.  There was more description as the book went on, but I yearned for yet more!  I am not a one for pages and pages of description of soft furnishings and clothes, but a little more creation of atmosphere would have made me enjoy this book even more. 

Despite this very minor complaint (which I am sure would not be an issue for many), I have no hesitation in giving the book 5 stars; I think more description would take William Savage from being an extremely good writer of historical fiction into a truly great one.

An Unlamented Death by William Savage reviewed HERE

 

The Fabric of Murder by William Savage reviewed HERE