Publication Day Book Review ~ The Prophet by Martine Bailey

 

Severn House Publishers
26 February 2021

Tabitha Hart Mystery #2

My thanks to the author and publisher for my copy of this book

Cheshire. May Day, 1753. Tabitha De Vallory believes her life is perfect: she has an imposing home with all the comforts she has ever desired, and is expecting her first child with doting husband Nathaniel De Vallory. But Tabitha's happiness is shaken when a girl is slaughtered beneath the Mondrem Oak on the family's forest estate. Recognizing the victim from her former scandalous life, Tabitha vows to find the killer.

Nearby, enigmatic Baptist Gunn and his followers are convinced that a second messiah will be born, amid blood and strife, close to the oak on Midsummer's Day. Could the girl's murder be linked to Gunn's cryptic prophecy? Do his wild claims of a second saviour spell danger for Tabitha and her unborn child?

As Midsummer's Day draws closer, Tabitha soon learns the destiny that threatens her and those she holds most dear..

My Thoughts..

Married for just three months, Tabitha De Vallory and her husband, Nathaniel are expecting their first child and are slowly becoming accustomed to their new life as landed gentry living at Bold Hall in Cheshire. On Old May Day in 1753 Tabitha and Nat take an innocent trip into the forest around Bold Hall to view the Modrem Oak, the oldest tree in the forest, and come across the mutilated body of a young woman. This macabre death upsets the equilibrium of the woodland and inadvertently leads Tabitha and Nat into the clutches of Baptist Gunn, an enigmatic preacher who seems to have an uncanny gift for prophecy. Tabitha is sorely troubled by the death of this young woman and her robust investigation to discover the truth opens up many dark secrets.

The Cheshire countryside comes alive with myths and folklore and the unravelling of The Prophet plays into local superstition with hints at dark magic and predictions of the future. Tabitha and Nat are beautifully drawn characters,they have still much to learn, not just about about impending parenthood but also about gaining more of a standing in society, which doesn't always welcome them with enthusiasm. The mystery at the heart of the novel builds steadily which allows the tension to be stretched to breaking point and as we get to know more about the enigmatic preacher, and his plans for the future, so we realise just what danger abounds in the dense woods around Bold Hall.

I have great admiration for any author who can write history with such conviction that you feel as if you travel back in time with them and that is most surely the case with The Prophet. Beautifully written and impeccably researched, The Prophet continues the story of Tabitha and Nathaniel which began in The Almanack and whilst it is perfectly possible to read The Prophet without having read the first book, it does make sense to start at the beginning and follow this intriguing couple as they introduce us to their life at Bold Hall, and give us the pleasure of being involved in their adventurous life together.

About the Author

Martine Bailey is the author of four historical crime mysteries. She studied cookery with TV food historian Ivan Day and was a former UK Dessert Champion cooking at Le Meurice in Paris. This year she was longlisted for the Mogford Prize for Food and Drink Writing. She lives in a small village in Cheshire and is married with one son.

Twitter @MartineBailey #TheProphet

@severnpublishers

Amazon UK

Review ~ The Almanack by Martine Bailey

On Hist Fic Saturday

Let's go back to ...England 1752

Severn Publishers
1 May 2019

My thanks to the author for my ecopy of this book

The philosophy of time, destiny and the stars pervade this intricate historical mystery in which a young woman determines to avenge her mother's death. 

1752, Midsummer. Following a desperate summons from her mother, Tabitha Hart departs London for her home village of Netherlea - only to discover that her mother has drowned. Determined to discover the truth about the Widow Hart's death, Tabitha consults her almanack and uncovers a series of cryptic notes describing her mother's terror of someone she names only as 'D'. Teaming up with young writer Nat Starling, Tabitha begins a race against time to unmask 'D' before more deaths follow. But as the summer draws to a close and the snow sets in, cutting off Netherlea from the outside world, Tabitha and Nat are forced to face the darkest hours of their lives. With the year predicted to meet a 'violent, bloody end'' will Tabitha survive long enough to bring her mother's killer to justice?

My thoughts..

1752 was the year England changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian and in doing so the country lost eleven days, going overnight from Wednesday 2nd September, to Thursday 14th September. It was a time of great change, especially for those who studied prophesies and portents in the ever popular almanacs.

Tabitha Hart has been earning a riotous living in London, taking her pleasure with which ever gentleman had enough coinage to pay for her body, and to keep her in gin, but in the summer of 1752, she is summoned home to the village of Netherlea only to make a chilling discovery. Her mother has been found dead in disturbing circumstances, and with only her wits to guide her, Tabitha sets out to discover the truth about her mother's death. Naturally superstitious, the villagers are at first wary of Tabitha, with her hoity-toity London ways, but at heart she's a country girl, and her natural exuberance, whilst tempered by her mother's death, eventually shines through in her association with the enigmatic, Nathaniel Starling.

In her investigation, Tabitha encounters a series of mysterious clues which are somehow connected to the cryptic contents of a series of notes her mother has left behind. The deadly mystery at the heart of the novel is really cleverly controlled, with all the cunning and characteristics of a suspenseful whodunit. The story is eerily reminiscent of a bygone time and beautifully associated with the way the country lived in 1752. Each chapter is headed by a cunningly worded riddle, a clever conundrum of words, along with an astronomical observation, which, not only adds a genuine sense of doom, but which also give an insight into the way old superstitions played such an important role in Georgian England.

Beautifully written with all the trademark characteristics of this author's talented writing, The Almanack takes us on a journey into rural England and back to a time of superstition and great social change.There is no doubt that The Almanack is this author doing what she does best, weaving together mystery, superstition and romance in a story which stays with you long after the last page is turned.

About the Author

Martine Bailey is the author of two previous mysteries: An Appetite for Violets, selected by Booklist as one of the Top Ten crime fiction debuts in the US, and A Taste for Nightshade. She lives in Cheshire, England.

Twitter @MartineBailey #TheAlmanack

@severnpublishers

Amazon UK

Review ~ The Penny Heart by Martine Bailey

Hodder&Stoughton
2015

After being arrested for a petty crime, teenager Mary Jebb is sentenced to seven years transportation to the penal colony in Botany Bay. On the surface, she is repentant of her crime, but fearing her disappearance and determined never to be forgotten, she inscribes these words on two silver pennies, which will have repercussions for years to come and which seals the fate of three very different people.

Though chains hold me fast,

As the years pass away,

I swear on this heart

To find you one day

Sweeping across a haunting and brooding landscape, this complex and beautifully written historical crime novel uncovers a myriad of secrets and tells of lives irrevocably linked together by the powerful need for revenge. The story moves along quite quickly, and the introduction of the other cast of characters is done with a subtle hand. The story of Grace Moore and her ill-fated entanglement with Michael Croxon is cleverly controlled, and the introduction of Peg Blissett, as their housekeeper, into the ménage, is filled with both a sense of Gothic gloom, and melodramatic intrigue. And yet, for all the brooding nature of the narrative, there is a hidden subtlety, highlighted in the snippets of wonderful recipes which head each chapter, and which helps to highlight the culinary delights and absorbing mystery which are so much a feature of this author's impeccable writing skill.

The mystery, at the heart of the novel is complex and convoluted , dark and deliciously dirty in places and just so wonderfully contrived and maintained that I really was kept guessing throughout the whole of the story. To say more would be to spoil the effect, but the dénouement which it comes is entirely appropriate and left me shrieking with approval.

There is no doubt that this talented author does an excellent job of bringing eighteenth century history and culture alive in such  a totally believable way, that by the end of the story you really are on the edge of your seat begging for more.

 About the Author

Amazon UK

An Appetite for Violets

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