The Masque of a Murderer by Susanna Calkins Review!

Publication Date: April 14, 2015
Minotaur Books/St. Martins Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 323
Series: Book Three, Lucy Campion Mysteries
Genre: Historical Mystery



 

In Susanna Calkins’ next richly drawn mystery set in 17th century England, Lucy Campion, formerly a ladies’ maid in the local magistrate’s household, has now found gainful employment as a printer’s apprentice. On a freezing winter afternoon in 1667, she accompanies the magistrate’s daughter, Sarah, to the home of a severely injured Quaker man to record his dying words, a common practice of the time. The man, having been trampled by a horse and cart the night before, only has a few hours left to live. Lucy scribbles down the Quaker man’s last utterances, but she’s unprepared for what he reveals to her—that someone deliberately pushed him into the path of the horse, because of a secret he had recently uncovered.

Fearful that Sarah might be traveling in the company of a murderer, Lucy feels compelled to seek the truth, with the help of the magistrate's son, Adam, and the local constable. But delving into the dead man’s background might prove more dangerous than any of them had imagined.

In The Masque of a Murderer, Susanna Calkins has once again combined finely wrought characters, a richly detailed historical atmosphere, and a tightly-plotted mystery into a compelling read.

Lucy Campion Mystery Series Titles

Book One: A Murder at Rosamund's Gate Macavity Award Finalist Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award (2014) Barnes & Noble Bookseller's Selection ("Mystery Pick" and "Featured New Arrival") Chicago Book Review - Best Books of 2013

Book Two: From the Charred Remains (Paperback release on March 17, 2015) Short-listed for the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award (2015)

Book Three: The Masque of a Murderer (coming April 2015!)

Praise for the Lucy Campion Mystery Series

"...the high-quality writing augurs well for future outings." -Publisher's Weekly

"Calkins makes Lucy’s efforts to find the real killer entirely plausible, leading to a nail-biter climax with London in flames. This history-mystery delivers a strong heroine making her way through the social labyrinth of Restoration London." -Booklist

"Calkins' debut mystery places her unusual detective in a world rich in carefully researched historical detail." -Kirkus

"A historical mystery with originality and great attention to detail. Readers are transported to 17th century England, a time when social classes were just beginning to change. The characters are multi-dimensional--including the smart, adventurous Lucy Campion--and the mystery will keep readers turning the pages, and they'll eagerly await the next book in the series." RT Book Reviews (4 Stars)

"...an intricate tale of fraud and blackmail, leavened by a touch of romance. Calkins, who holds a doctorate in British history, puts her knowledge to sparkling use in this intriguing mystery, which combines a gripping plot with rich historical detail and one of the most admirable protagonists in the genre." -The Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Calkins is able to seamlessly weave this romance into the story without making it the main plot line, and keeping the mystery the main focus of the story....The puzzles, anagrams, and many secrets combine to make intertwining plot twists that keep the pages turning. FROM THE CHARRED REMAINS is an exciting, secret filled, historical mystery that will keep readers guessing until the very end." --Fresh Fiction (Reviewer's Pick)

“A good yarn and a fascinating look at life in England in a time when things began to change...social classes, positions, servants' rights...all because of plague and fire.” -Book Babe Blog

“For me, this book was more than a mystery. It was an eye-opening look at what London was like in the mid-1660s, including the plague and fire that ravaged London, class struggle, the plight of women, and the laws of the time. The author's engaging writing style made it easy to slip back into the past and experience these things with Lucy.” -Book of Secrets

“A Murder at Rosamund's Gate is Susanna Calkins' absorbing debut novel. Just a warning that time WILL easily slip away as you become engrossed in this historical fiction mystery.” -1776 Books: A Philadelphian's Literary Journey

My Thoughts

I had not read the two previous books about Lucy Campion but that was ok, I didn't get too lost as far as storyline. Lucy Campion is the protagonist, with her ability to solve crimes. This time she is working with the local constable and the magistrates son, Adam to find out who ran down a Quaker man, Jacob Whitby, was it an accident as everyone thinks or is there something more sinister afoot. Lucy hears the man's dying words telling her that it was no accident. Lucy used to be a ladies maid to the magistrate's wife and is still friends with the son Adam. Adam's sister Sarah, whom Lucy is friends with, left home to live with the Quaker's against her father and brother's wishes. This story takes place in 1664, shortly after the Great Plague and the Great Fire, the people are unhappy with the Church of England and the Quakers are formed.

The Conventicle Act of 1664 was an Act of the Parliament of England that forbade conventicles (religious assemblies of more than five people outside the auspices of the Church of England) thus making the Quakers very leary of the police. They feared being arrested for having their services. They are very distrustful of anyone not of the Quaker persuasion anyway and they are not happy that Lucy is poking into what they think is none of her business.

As Lucy delves further into the mystery of who wanted Jacob Whitby killed. She feels that the household, including Jacob's wife Esther and sister Julia are in danger from the murderer. She is right because soon after Julia goes missing and is found murdered by a body seeker. Body seekers were popular at this time as they were able to find the dead. Lucy is an aprentiss to a printer and it is common practice in the 17th century to print up pamplets as to a dying person's last words. This is why Lucy is at the bedside of the dying man, to write down whatever he says as he is dying. 

I enjoyed this particular Historical mystery very much, learned abit about printing at the time and the Quakers. But mostly loved the authors writing. Like I stated before, I had not read the first two books and that really did not create a struggle for me to understand what was going on or Lucy's past. A gripping mystery that fans historical fiction are sure to love.

I received this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review.

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About the Author

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Susanna Calkins lives in Highland Park, Illinois with her husband and two sons, where she is an educator at Northwestern University. With a PhD in history, her historical mysteries feature Lucy Campion, a 17th century chambermaid-turned-printer’s apprentice. Her first novel, A Murder at Rosamund's Gate, was a finalist for the Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award (Macavity). The second in this series, From the Charred Remains, is currently a finalist for the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award. Her third, The Masque of a Murderer, will be released in April 2015.

For more information and to subscribe to Susanna Calkins' newsletter please visit her website. You can also follow her blog, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The Masque of a Murderer Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, March 16
Review at Bibliophilia, Please

Tuesday, March 17
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Guest Post at Bibliophilia, Please

Wednesday, March 18
Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Friday, March 20
Spotlight at Historical Readings & Reviews

Monday, March 23
Review & Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, March 25
Review & Interview at The Emerald City Book Review

Tuesday, March 31
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Wednesday, April 1
Character Interview at Boom Baby Reviews

Thursday, April 2
Review at Just One More Chapter

Monday, April 6
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Tuesday, April 7
Spotlight at The Genre Queen

Thursday, April 9
Review at The Lit Bitch
Guest Post at A Literary Vacation

Friday, April 10
Review at Book Nerd

Monday, April 13
Review at CelticLady's Reviews

Tuesday, April 14
Review at Book Babe

Thursday, April 16
Review at Jorie Loves a Story
Spotlight at Layered Pages

Friday, April 17
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past