Preston, England in 1741 is holding their first election in
twenty years and the entire town is preparing for the
festivities and the troubles that come with it, but no one
was expecting there to be a murder. Antony Egan is a drunk
so when he drowns no one initially suspects that it is
anything other than an accident. Then a well-to-do farmer
from out of town is poisoned. Titus Cragg, coroner, and his
good friend Dr. Luke Fidelis find a connection between the
two dead men and must wonder if Egan's drowning was indeed
an accident after all. The election is heating up and Cragg
and Fidelis must put rumors of a conspiracy to rest before
the town erupts in violence, but what if there is a
conspiracy to rig the election?
DARK WATERS by Robin Blake steps into the past in the second
novel featuring Titus Cragg and Dr. Luke Fidelis. Filled
with rich historical detail and a surprising twist to this
mystery, DARK WATERS will please fans of the genre. There is
a formality to the prose that feels natural to Titus Cragg's
character. While it is told in a conversational style in
first person narrative, there is a distance between Cragg
and the reader. He hardly ever strays into internal
reflection. Instead, he recounts the activities around him
in detail and uses those small details to express his
opinion. It's a technique I enjoy as it keeps the focus on
the mystery and the actions of the characters rather than
their internal struggle.
It's the actions and clues found by
Cragg and Fidelis that take center stage in DARK WATERS.
Cragg is intelligent, curious, and with a profound desire to
seek justice, but he's straight-laced and methodical. Dr.
Luke Fidelis offsets Cragg's slower approach wonderfully,
providing the brilliant character with striking insight into
physical clues through scientific deduction. They truly work
as a team with Fidelis seeing the clue and Cragg
understanding the importance of that clue in relation to
other pieces of the puzzle. The myriad cast of secondary
characters provide distractions, clues, conflict, and
support, making Preston feel like a very familiar town
rather than one set in the distant past.
DARK WATERS by Robin Blake is a thoroughly enjoyable mystery
that will not disappoint with its rich historical setting, a
surprising twist-end, and the unique voice of Titus Cragg.
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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