Dark Waters (Cragg and Fidelis series) - Hardcover

Robin Blake

3.62

195 ratings by Goodreads

9780230761612: Dark Waters (Cragg and Fidelis series)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0230761615 ISBN 13: 9780230761612

Publisher: Macmillan, 2012

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Preston, 1741. The drowning of drunken publican Antony Egan is no surprise - even if it comes as an unpleasant shock to coroner Titus Cragg, whose wife was the old man's niece. But he does his duty to the letter, and the inquest's verdict is accidental death. Meanwhile the town is agog with rumour and faction, as the General Election is only a week away and the two local seats are to be contested by four rival candidates. But Cragg's close friend, Dr Luke Fidelis, finds evidence to cast doubt on the events leading to Egan's demise. Soon suspicions are further roused when a well-to-do farmer collapses and it appears he was in town on political business. Is there a conspiracy afoot? The Mayor and Council have their own way of imposing order, but Cragg is determined not to be swayed by their pressure. With the help of Fidelis's scientific ingenuity the true criminals are brought to light . . .

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About the Author:

Robin Blake is a novelist, art critic and acclaimed biographer of Anthony Van Dyck and George Stubbs. He has written, produced and presented extensively for radio, is widely published as a critic, and was a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Brunel University. Though born and brought up in Preston, he has lived for many years in London.

From Booklist:

It’s 1741, and George II is on the throne, Walpole has a shaky hold on being prime minister, and the tiny town of Preston, England, is in the midst of an exciting election for Parliament. There are public speeches, pub brawls, and mob action. In the midst of it all, the owner of a popular pub (because it’s located next to a ferry crossing) is found drowned in the river. Shortly thereafter, a wealthy farmer visiting town collapses and dies. Both cases are tended to by the town coroner, Titus Cragg, whose wife was the niece of the drowned publican. Cragg is technically confined to his official role, but, prodded by his great friend, the young, brilliant, pre–Sherlock Holmesian Dr. Luke Fidelis, Cragg tries his hand at sleuthing. While this is a riveting mystery, and Cragg and Fidelis are fun to follow, the great strength of the series (beginning with A Dark Anatomy, 2012) is Blake’s adept hand at animating history. And his use of one of Aesop’s fables as a motif is wonderfully apt. --Connie Fletcher

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