annieb123's Review of Hungry Death (A Cragg and Fidelis Mystery, #8)

by Robin Blake

When a blackened body is discovered buried beneath a hot-house, Coroner Titus Cragg uncovers a tale of scandalous secrets stretching back almost twenty years.

"Blake again demonstrates why he belongs in the first rank of historical mystery novelists" - Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Coroner Cragg. You think you can find out what happened at this house? You are mistaken. You can never find out."

November, 1747. County Coroner Titus Cragg has been called to the scene of a gruesome slaughter at a rural farmhouse: a mother and her four children brutally murdered in their own home. Were they killed by the man who should have protected them: their husband and father? And what role is played by the peculiar religious cult the family belongs to? Perhaps the mute boy who lives in the dog kennel knows the truth.

Meanwhile, Titus's friend Dr Luke Fidelis is a guest of wealthy landowner and local magistrate John Blackburne at nearby Orford Hall. When a blackened but well-preserved body is discovered deep beneath Blackburne's hot-house, Cragg and Fidelis are asked to investigate. But how can they make headway when, as they soon learn, this corpse might have been in the ground for centuries?

Gradually, Titus pieces together a tale of secrets, scandal and thwarted passion - and uncovers a shocking connection between the body under the hothouse and the slaughter in the farmhouse.

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Hungry Death is the 8th book in the Cragg and Fidelis historical mystery series by Robin Blake. Released 3rd May 2022 by Severn House, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. Paperback due out 27th Dec 2022 from the same publisher. 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 consistently high quality well written mystery series with engaging characters and intricately crafted mysteries. This is one of the best so far. The plot moves along at a good clip and during the read I found myself losing track of time (and reading way past my bedtime). In this adventure, Coroner Cragg is called to the scene of a dreadful familicide at a remote farm. Titus' friend and colleague, Dr. Fidelis is also drawn into murderous intrigue when an unidentified body is found at Orford Hall, the estate of a local magistrate.

The fictional mystery is written around a framework of actual historical events so skillfully that it wasn't easy to know when fact shaded over into fiction. The author is very skilled at writing believable history, and the dialogue, although not stilted or difficult to read, really is redolent of the period.

Four stars. A very good read. With 8 books extant in the series at the current point, it's an excellent choice for a long binge / buddy read. Extremely well done historical fiction is rare and this series is a delight.

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

Reading updates

22 December, 2022: Started reading

22 December, 2022: Finished reading

22 December, 2022: Reviewed