Mystery - British, historical fiction
Escape Experience:
Go back to a time of no smart phones, cell phones, pagers or other pesky mobile devices; no text messaging, e-mail or Internet, wireless or otherwise; no telephone or telegraph; no GPS, radio, satellites or cable television -- the bliss of (almost) absolute disconnectivity. No automobiles, gas or electric stoves, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers or Swiffer mops and dusters -- the simplicity or drudgery (depending on your personal proclivities) of a pre-technological, pre-industrial world. It's 1770, London, England -- a time of nascent laws and an infant police force.
Read this if you're into...
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Plot:
London, England, 1770: Scotland Yard is in its infancy and a mere 20 constables and a local magistrate shoulder the burden of preserving peace in the land. Prostitutes are turning up dead in the dark alleys of London, stabbed with a stiletto or vivisected with surgical precision. Blind magistrate Sir John Fielding and his 15-year-old assistant Jeremy Proctor lead the chase for the killer (or killers).
Pace: Reading this is like walking in a pair of...
, as you wander through the stacks in Oxford University Library's history room. You want to be comfortable because you'll be browsing a long while: you don't want to overlook that obscure but fascinating historical volume, tucked among dusty, leather-bound tomes.- Sir John Fielding - The "Blind Beak of Bow Street" and co-founder of the New Scotland Yard. A blind magistrate who established and formalized much of modern-day policing procedures, including the first criminal database. Through his other (heightened) senses, the Blind Beak "sees" what the sighted often miss: the deceits and insecurities hidden under the most practiced masks.
- Jeremy Proctor - Narrator and fictional character. Orphaned 15-year-old Jeremy was rescued from unjust imprisonment by Sir John Fielding and given a permanent home and the opportunity to study the law. In return, Jeremy renders whatever services are necessary in running Fielding's household and assists Fielding in his investigations.
- Gabriel Donnelly - An Irishman formerly serving as a surgeon in the British navy. Donnelly pioneers the role of medical examiner, aiding in the investigations of Sir John Fielding.
- The Bow Street Runners - Established by Sir John Fielding and his half-brother, novelist Henry Fielding, a constabulary force that lays the foundation for the New Scotland Yard.
- Blind Justice
- Murder in Grub Street
- Watery Grave
- Person or Persons Unknown
- Jack, Knave and Fool
- Death of a Colonial
- The Color of Death
- Smuggler's Moon
- An Experiment in Treason
(featuring Benjamin Franklin)
- The Price of Murder
- Rules of Engagement
- Robert Lee Hall - Nicolas Handy assists Franklin in Benjamin Franklin Takes the Case
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- Anne Perry - Begin the William Monk series with The Face of a Stranger
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- About the author
- Sir John Fielding biography
- About the Bow Street Runners
- History of New Scotland Yard (Metropolitan Police)
- London Horror Tours - Book a walking tour through London's macabre past
kicks off a series featuring single mom and teacher Melanie Travis and an ever-present pack of canine companions.
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to keep your tootsies toasty on those early morning scrambles through moors and mountains.
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