The Cry of the Hangman (A Lucy Campion Mystery)

by Susanna Calkins

Murder always sells. But when a series of dark and puzzling crimes takes place in seventeenth-century London, will printer's apprentice Lucy Campion be publishing the news - or starring in it?

London, 1667. Printer's apprentice Lucy Campion is unsettled when, on a frozen December morning after church, an elderly woman dressed in mourning clothes whispers an ominous warning in her ear.

Lucy sternly tells herself it's nonsense, but then her much-loved former master, Magistrate Hargrave, is viciously attacked with a brass hourglass during a break-in. But what exactly was the intruder searching for? And why did they first stop to steal a piece of Cook's lamb and lentil pie?

The puzzling case is just the start of a series of dark, bizarre crimes. Lucy's determined to uncover the truth and see that justice is done. But someone is equally determined to stop her - whatever it takes.

This page-turning historical mystery set in Renaissance London is a great choice for readers who like their heroines lively, their mysteries twisty and their historical settings brimming with authenticity.

• ISBN10: 0727850334
• ISBN13: 9780727850331
• Publish Date: 26 August 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
• Imprint: Severn House
• Edition: Main
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 240
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Cry of the Hangman is the 6th Lucy Campion historical mystery by Susanna Calkins. Released 2nd Nov 2021 by Severn House, it's 240 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. Paperback due out in late Sept 2022. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a very well written and engaging historical mystery with an intelligent female protagonist who is a printer's apprentice. Set in the second half of the 17th century, the sense of place and verisimilitude give as much character and background as any of the human characters. The story and settings are clearly very well researched and meticulously rendered.

The plot is convoluted and well engineered and I never found my interest waning or lost my suspension of disbelief during the read. The story, climax, denouement, and resolution are well paced and satisfying.

Although the mystery is self contained, a great deal of the plot revolves around Lucy's previous life as a servant in the household of a magistrate - so I would recommend that readers who are new to the series begin with at least some of the earlier books.

Four stars. This is a very well written story and highly recommended for fans of historical mystery. There are 6 books extant in the series, making it a good candidate for a long weekend binge read.

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