A Maxim Jakubowski selected title.
Until now Andrew Martin has been better known for his pleasant if traditional Jim Stringer series of novels, about a railway detective in North East Edwardian England, and his non fiction, but this new book stretches his boundaries and moves him up a notch or so in the crime stakes pantheon. In York in 1799, an artist well-known for his characteristic paintings of shades and silhouettes is found brutally murdered, stabbed by a pair of scissors. When it becomes evident that the killer could only have been one of the last persons to be portrayed by the artist, his son calls on Fletcher Rigge, who is in prison for debt, to be released for a month to solve the crime. A race against time begins in earnest as failing in the task might entail a life sentence. In possession of the mysterious silhouettes, Fletcher enters a veritable world of shadows. Traditional historical crime with an atmospheric feel, and some truly innovative touches and elements. ~ Maxim Jakubowski
| Primary Genre | Crime and Mystery |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
York, 1799. In August, an artist is found murdered in his home - stabbed with a pair of scissors. Matthew Harvey's death is much discussed in the city. The scissors are among the tools of his trade - for Harvey is a renowned cutter and painter of shades, or silhouettes, the latest fashion in portraiture. It soon becomes clear that the murderer must be one of the artist's last sitters, and the people depicted in the final six shades made by him become the key suspects. But who are they? And where are they to be found? Later, in November, a clever but impoverished young gentleman called Fletcher Rigge languishes in the debtor's prison, until a letter arrives containing a bizarre proposition from the son of the murdered man. Rigge is to be released for one month, but in that time, he must find the killer. If he fails, he will be incarcerated again, possibly for life. And so, with everything at stake, and equipped only with copies of the distinctive silhouettes, Fletcher Rigge begins his search across the snow-covered city, and enters a world of shadows...
Soot features in the following genres: Crime and Mystery, Historical Fiction, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
Soot is available in Paperback, Hardback
Soot was written by Andrew Martin and published by Corsair an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group
Soot has 342 pages
