Review: Blood on the Strand

Thomas Chaloner’s second exploit in Restoration London takes us to the spring of 1663. Following on from his first adventure, A CONSPIRACY OF VIOLENCE, Chaloner remains in the employ of the King’s intelligence service, ordered to investigate the shooting of a beggar during a royal procession. However, the beggar is not all that he seems and Chaloner quickly finds himself embroiled in a complicated case, as well becoming involved in investigating the murder of wealthy merchant Matthew Webb on the Strand. What is the link? Will Chaloner solve the mystery?

As in her first Chaloner novel, Susanna Gregory gives a master class in period writing. She successfully creates a wonderful atmosphere and London appears both vibrant and menacing thanks to her powerful descriptions. Even the dank and dark prisons seem to come alive. As ever, her characters and dialogue are excellent. We get to see some of Chaloner’s fellow spies and her cast of characters is as diverse as it is interesting. Gregory’s use of the nascent Company of Barber-Surgeons in the plot worked very well. Her portrayal of their internal rivalries and the fascination of the upper class with death and dissection were well sketched out. The wry humour of her previous novels also comes through here, even when considering the dark subject matter. The cast on Chaloner’s arm is a source of much laughter, along with his attempts to remove it.

The novel requires great concentration given the range of characters and the intricacies of the plot. It is certainly not one for skim reading and would not deserve to be so, given the richness of the writing. BLOOD ON THE STRAND cannot fail to delight Gregory’s growing legions of fans. Long, but holding readers’ attention to the very end, it is an excellent addition to the Restoration London genre. I look forward to reading about more of Chaloner’s adventures.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Book Review: Blood on the Strand