Secret Mischief (A Cragg and Fidelis Mystery, #7)

by Robin Blake

The discovery of a body in a pigsty, shot to death, leads Coroner Titus Cragg and Dr Luke Fidelis into a complex and baffling murder investigation.

April, 1746. When County Coroner Titus Cragg is called to examine a body found shot to death at a local farm, he finds himself drawn into a bizarre and complex case where nothing is as it first appears. As he questions those who knew the victim, it becomes clear that not everyone is telling him the whole truth.

Could the motive for the murder lie in a dangerous contract the dead man had signed more than twenty years before, a so-called tontine agreement? Just what does the victim's enigmatic lawyer, Ambrose Parr, know that he's not revealing? As he and Dr Luke Fidelis attempt to track down the six other signatories to the contract, Titus realizes that if they do not find answers - and fast - more violent deaths will surely follow.

• ISBN10: 0727890700
• ISBN13: 9780727890702
• Publish Date: 26 February 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
• Imprint: Severn House
• Edition: Main
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Secret Mischief is the 7th Cragg & Fidelis mystery by Robin Blake. Released 4th May 2021 by Severn House, it's 256 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

These are very well written, immersive, believable historical mysteries set in the mid 18th century featuring a county coroner (Cragg) and his investigative partner, physician Fidelis. The plots are complex and twisty and full of intricate misdirection and parallel subplot threads which wind together more tightly as the book progresses. The author skillfully weaves fiction around a framework of real historical events and characters. At times it's delightfully unclear where fiction shades over into reality, and I really liked that about this book.

Although it's the 7th book in the series, it works well as a self-contained standalone. There are, admittedly, some small background character developments presented in this book which will spoil some of the background history from the earlier books, but there's nothing major, and readers who read the series out of order won't find their enjoyment significantly diminished.

The language and dialogue are fairly true to period. The writing is clean and there are no graphically violent on-page scenes, however, it should be said that there is one scene in open court with some graphic descriptions of a sexual nature (which some readers might find objectionable). The deus ex machina climax did cause some internal eye-rolling, but it segued seamlessly into the resolution satisfyingly and I wasn't dissatisfied overall.

This series continues to develop very well with an unusual depth and compassion in the protagonists alongside a perceptive, sometimes humorous and wry commentary on humanity in general.

Four and a half stars. Highly recommended for fans of historical mysteries.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.