Fugitive from the Grave (Bow Street Rivals): 4 - Softcover

Edward Marston

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0749023511 ISBN 13: 9780749023515

Publisher: Allison and Busby, 2019

1817. Clemency van Emden receives an anonymous terse message informing her that her estranged father is dead and buried. Confounded by this news and desperate to visit her father's final resting place, she returns from Holland determined to seek answers. A chance encounter on a busy London street leads her to twin detectives Peter and Paul Skillen, who agree to help her unravel the mystery of her father's last days. However, Paul's attention is diverted away from London to Bath, as he seeks to thwart a daring band of highwaymen, one of whom appears to have more than just jewels on his mind. Meanwhile, the Bow Street Runners are struggling to redeem themselves after losing, yet again, the slippery and infamous Harry Scattergood. With mounting pressure from the local magistrate to produce results, they are sent to investigate a spate of bodysnatching from local cemeteries. When the body of Clemency's father is discovered to be missing from its casket, the twins embark on a chase of graverobbers, funerary agents and Good Samaritans to unearth the truth.

Review:

"Set in 1817, Marston's rollicking fourth Bow Street Rivals mystery (after 2017's Date with the Executioner) pits bounty hunter twin brothers Peter and Paul Skillen against the Bow Street Runners, London's first official police force. Three straightforward story lines keep the action moving. One follows the mainly failed attempts of the official police to beat the brothers in their quest to apprehend wily and rather likable thief Harry Scattergood. Another involves Peter's efforts on the behalf of Clemency van Emden, a well-to-do woman who has come to London in search of her estranged father. In the third, Paul hunts for the dastardly highwaymen who robbed the coach carrying his attractive companion, Hannah Granville, the "finest actress of her generation." Kidnapping, grave robbing, stalking, theatrical peccadilloes, and miraculous inventions keep the reader entertained, as do visits to inns, pubs, restaurants, and brothels, not to mention some daring gallops along the road between London and Bath. Marston skillfully creates a lively sense of derring-do." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author:

Edward Marston has written over 100 books, including some non-fiction. He is best known for his hugely successful Railway Detective series, the latest of which is The Circus Train Conspiracy. His other current series are the Home Front Detective, set in the Great War, and the Bow Street Rivals featuring identical twin detectives during the Regency.

• Publisher: Allison and Busby
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0749023511
• ISBN 13: 9780749023515
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320