Great story line

Loved this book. Great characters developed as the story evolved. I have downloaded the follow up book already

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1 person found this helpful

Well worth a listen

Historically well researched, with interesting characters and intruiging plot line. The narrator is excellent.

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Murder and Intrigue in old London Town

I really enjoyed listening to this well-written story. The narrator has a very pleasing voice. .

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A recognisable London

Set in a recognisable London, recovering from the after blow of political upheaval. An interesting time one foot in the world of the Tudors one foot in the modern world. Wonderfully plotted story without artificial contrivance. Mr Taylor recreates a believable world occupied by mostly believable (not totally convinced by Cat) characters. I intend to read the rest in the series

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Easy listening book

I was looking for an easy listening book and this didn't disappoint. There was nothing overly surprising but I still enjoyed it.

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Great story

Loved this book, narration excellent. Couldn't stop listening and finished it in all to quickly.

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Enjoyable.

This reminded me a little of Shardlake and though I prefer the latter this is very good. I have marked performance as 4 stars as the character of Williamson is supposed to come from Cumbria and his accent is more Jordy. That irritated me. I would have preferred no accent to one which was incorrect. Even so, overall I enjoyed the narration as the producer/director should perhaps have had an eye to this?

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Mystery and murder in 'the dunnest smoke of hell'

I picked this title not because of Andrew Taylor's awards for historical crime writing, but because it's read by Leighton Pugh. Having spent the first three months of last year mesmerised by Pugh's fantastic 116-hour unabridged narration of Samuel Pepys' Diary on Naxos (downloadable on Audible), I thought The Ashes of London set in Pepys' time read by Leighton Pugh had got to be a winner. And it is!

The backdrop is the Fire of London which has reduced the city around St Paul's to ashes amongst which James Marwood finds a dead body: not surprising, except that this one has had his thumbs tied together before being murdered. It is his job to uncover the crime. The ashy mud of the ruins still smouldering in places made me think of Lady Macbeth's prayer for the 'dunnest smoke of hell' to hide her regicide: in the same way the ash in this taut crime mystery is a cloak for murder and intrigue, a cover for eaves droppers and informants in these dangerous times of the Restoration. These are violent times and there are more murders and more deceit and cover-up.

No-one can be trusted - in politics, at court, in the ashy ruins picked over by desperate poor people- and least of all by blood relatives. Marwood is in danger because his father is a hunted regicide and young Cat Lovett, the parallel main character whose life becomes entwined dangerously with Marwood's, has fled following a scene of violence from the man she loathes whom her guardian uncle is forcing her to marry.

There are some magnificent filmic scenes throughout: Marwood's haunting memories of King Charles l's bleeding head held aloft at his execution, which he witnessed as a boy; the terrifying pursuit through stone passages to the roof-tops of St Paul's overlooking the devastation below which ends in more violence. A man is murdered whilst riding with his hounds, a man mistrusted by Cat. Why do the dogs wag their tails and not savage the murderer lurking in the bushes? The whole novel is intensely alive, teeming with visual and sensory detail, the historical background woven in seamlessly to heighten the tense atmosphere of threat, plot and intrigue.

And with his range of voices, mood and pace, Leighton Pugh drives forward the whole story in all its complexities. Definitely a winner!

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65 people found this helpful

Excellent book and a very good listen

I really enjoyed this book. It helped to have some knowledge of history and of London and to have watched a documentary about the Great Fire. The story was so dependent on its background that it seemed almost essential to have at least some sketchy knowledge in order to enjoy it to the full. The first/third person perspective worked well in this case, and I thought the choice of narrator was good as his delivery of the Marwood sections in particular was appropriately low-key.

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1 person found this helpful

Engaging story against an illustrated background

Historical, well not exactly a whodunnit, and not exactly a thriller, but walking with foot in both genres. Scenes are well drawn, characters are engaging and believable. Narration is top tier. Managed to engage me in an era i had little considered, and quick to find the next in the series.

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