This novel was a completely unexpected treat, combining detailed historical research with an outstanding crime novel.
It seems to me that Andrew Taylor is an author with exceptional writing skills. He knows how to tell a good story and how to bring the reader in to enjoy it. In The Fire Court, which tells the story of the aftermath of The Great Fire of London, he manages to bring together an enormous amount of detailed research with the life stories of a set of characters with almost unbelievable authenticity. People come to life under his penmanship and they are not cardboard caricatures. We are drawn into a complicated fascinating look at seventeenth-century London and it is enthralling.
The Fire Court, a central aspect of the novel, was a court set up to negotiate legal settlements between interested parties to facilitate the timely rebuilding of London. If that sounds dull, it isn't. Within this framework, James Marwood, son of a traitor, and Cat Lovett, daughter of a hated regicide, try to discover the murderer of a woman found within the Fire Court. The body has been discovered by James Marwood's father. Totally brilliant - both as crime fiction and as a historical novel. The host of ancillary characters, professionals, artisans, servants etc. are portrayed with immediacy and depth and meld together in a lively and fast-moving way. The author really does take readers into the book so they feel there. Very highly recommended.
This novel is the second of a trilogy but reading the first is not necessary to completely enjoy the second.
The Fire Court is an excellent sequel to The Ashes of London. A historical novel, rich in authentic detail, with an intriguing murder mystery at its heart - well worth reading!
The Fire Court, a sequel to The Ashes of London is an excellent historical novel, in my opinion. It takes up the stories of James Marwood and Cat Lovett in the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1666, each trying to settle into their lives again after the great catastrophe. However. obstacles prevent them from continuing with their chosen paths. These obstacles are a series of deaths, all of which are linked in some way to Clifford’s Inn and the Fire Court.
The Fire Court was set up to determine the rights of property owners and leaseholders to rebuild after the fire. The aim was to deal with all in a fair manner, but for some influential people, the fairness of the judges was secondary to their needs. The novel unfolds to reveal corruption, murder and intrigue and it is this web of evil that ensnares Marwood and then Lovett.
As well as being an intriguing murder mystery, this is also a novel full of period detail. I could picture clearly the devastation of London after the fire; the extreme poverty of many; the disdain and contempt with which women were treated. As well as this attention to the setting, I also enjoyed the characters portrayed in this novel. I especially like Cat Lovett, her feistiness developing throughout the book.
All in all, this is a historical novel that is well worth reading: an authentic setting, intriguing storylines and interesting characters.
A historical who-dun-it with a great plot, well-drawn characters and a host of period detail, The Fire Court is an education as well as a great read.
This is the second of Andrew Taylors' novels in which James Marwood, clerk to a government official and also to the Board of Red Cloth, finds himself propelled into a world of crime and duplicity.
The year is 1667 and London is recovering from the Great Fire. The Fire Court has been set up to deal with claims for compensation and applications for new building projects. When there are fortunes to be made and old wrongs to settle, corruption and fraud hover over honest dealings.
James’s father is knocked down and killed by a cart the day after claiming to have discovered the corpse of a young woman. James is forced to confront not only the welter of emotions that follow a parent’s death but the possibility that his father was not confused but telling the truth.
With the help of Cat Lovett, a young woman facing demons of her own, James tries to find out what really happened. Such investigations are not in the interests of certain powerful people. James and Cat soon find themselves in great personal danger.
For those who enjoy a historical setting evoked by well-researched detail, well-drawn characters and a pacy plot, this is the ideal read.
An intriguing, complex and atmospheric murder mystery set in London's smouldering, fire-ravaged streets.
James Marwood is a clerk, working for important people, close to the King. His father, Nathaniel, an old man, labelled a traitor and broken by his time in prison. Living in new quarters in the still fire-ravaged London, James is a man on the up. That is, until his barely-lucid father tells him a convoluted tale about a dead woman in the legal chambers attached to the Fire Court. The Court was set-up to settle legal disputes arising from the Great Fire of London and it is imperative to the King that it remains unsullied by the corruption that riddles the city. But when Marwood’s father dies in suspicious circumstances he realises that all roads lead to the Fire Court. With an array of people with vested interests, including property holders, lawyers and advisors to the King, Marwood and his reluctant allies, the Hakesbys, find themselves stumbling into a complex and dangerous case. This is a richly-detailed and vivid story. The still smouldering city bubbles with danger and intrigue and the grisly crimes at the heart of this novel make this a brilliant murder mystery. Although this is a sequel to Taylor’s Ashes of London, it can be read as a standalone novel and there is the added bonus of an excerpt from the next book, The King’s Evil, at the end. I can’t wait to read it!
The Fire Court is a beautifully descriptive historical mystery set the year after the Great Fire of London. As a lover of historical novels, this book hit all the right notes for me.
The Fire Court is a beautifully descriptive historical mystery set the year after the Great Fire of London. The writing was immersive and the period so well researched that I felt as if I was there. James Marwood finds himself investigating after his father claims to have found a dead woman at the chambers of the lawyers dealing with the aftermath of the Great Fire. He teams up with Cat Lovett, an interestingly independent woman for her time. I loved reading about the machinations of those in positions of power, as well as the ordinary lives of the people. The little details really brought this story alive for me. As a lover of historical novels, this book hit all the right notes for me. The story was fascinating, with plenty of twists and turns and the author’s ability to make the past seem real was such a joy. I really enjoyed it.
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Simply spellbinding,superbly written with characters that you quickly follow through treacherous times Best book I've read in a while.
The brilliant storyline keeps your interest throughout. Andrew Taylor has captured the historical detail to perfection throughout the entire book.
The great fire, murder, the death of James Marwood's Father, leads him on a trail, one his father babbled about on finding a dead woman. Was the old man to be believed? It seems so...
Treachery around each corner, corrupt officials it all lies between the pages, superbly written The plot unfolds amidst a colourful telling of life in 1667 where danger lurks and you have to be careful who you trust.
Marwood and Lovett are back in another fascinating look at London in the time of the Great Fire - read it with a glass of water handy!
It's a few months after the events of the Ashes of London and James Marwood and his father have their own house with servants. Mr Marwood senior goes out one day and comes back raving about seeing his wife. James knows his mother is dead so who has his father seen? Meanwhile, Cat Lovett has become Jane Hakesby, a servant to Mr Hakesby the draughtsman and friend of Sir Christopher Wren. When a body is found in the Ashes near one of the Fire Courts, Cat and James again become embroiled in the history of London after the Great Fire.
This is not really a stand-alone novel - if you haven't read Ashes of London, you need to do that first. We pick up the story a few months on with the same characters and the back story of the Great Fire ever present. Marwood is still serving his two masters and, once again, he and Cat become reluctantly mixed up in Court business and politics - this time arising from land disputes after the fire which are to be resolved in Fire Courts.
As with "Ashes", the backdrop of the Great Fire seems an original one to me and I've read nothing like this series before. This time the theme of fire is even more present and, at some points in the story (although I was reading it on the train) I really felt like I could smell the smoke.
It is so evocative and clever but I can't give it more than three stars because it just does slightly tip over into being that bit too complicated. Fewer characters would make it easier to follow (although there is at least a list at the front of this one) and there is probably just one too many intrigues to make it satisfying. Nevertheless, it really does keep you guessing right to the last pages and there's then a tantalising excerpt from the next one in the series to keep you interested.
This is a fascinating series and The King's Evil is going straight onto my wishlist!
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A brilliantly compelling sequel to The Ashes of London. This historical murder mystery, set just after the devastating Great Fire of London, reintroduces James and Cat, who risk their lives as a series of murders threaten the city.
London is rebuilding and the Fire Court has been established to deal with property issues. This second book in the trilogy again has a complex plot, with lots of twists and gruesome murders.There are lots of new interesting characters and it gives an intriguing insight into the London of the time. While James's position has improved, he has to be careful to to keep his two masters happy. When a woman's body is discovered, James has to investigate it and soon gets caught up in a tangled web of murders and political intrigue. His father is run down the next day, but was it really an accident? Cat also gets drawn in and her character really develops in this book. This is a really enjoyable read and a wonderful follow up to the first book. I am definitely looking forward to reading the third book in the series.
An unusual crime novel set in an era about which I knew very little.
The Fire Court is a tribunal set up by James 1 to sort out the orderly rebuilding of London after the Great Fire. Who owned what when the burnt buildings were occupied by multiple leaseholders.
A murder to solve involving important influential men. James Marwood and Cat Lovett are drawn together by their differing but similar dangerous, backgrounds.
James Marwood’s father, who is old and wanders, follows a lovely lady into some rooms adjacent to the Fire Court, and there sees a body. This is the body of a high born lady which turns up later in a Fleet Street ruin. No one believes him because of his dementia.
James is determined that he shall find out what it is all about, was his father talking rubbish. Important people seem to be involved and it all revolves around the Fire Court and a parcel of land who two different people claim to own. Murder, intrigue and bribery.
The author takes us through the remains of London city. The ruins of the Fire, people squatting amidst the rubble, Houses subdivided, families living in one room if they are lucky. You can almost smell the rubbish and mess amongst which people are trying to exist.
The twists and turns along with so much historical detail make this a really great read, especially if you are a fan on C. J. Sansom.
Perfect for historical crime fiction fans.
As I had enjoyed the first book in this series, the Ashes of London, I was so excited to read this. As with Ashes of London, The Fire Court was a little slow to read in places, however, the overall storyline kept me hooked enough to carry on reading to the end. If you like historical fiction with a little bit of crime thrown in, then you will love this!
Fantastic reading. I preordered The King's Evil before I was halfway through The Fire Court, that's how good it is.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Fire Court! Following on directly from The Ashes of London, this is a rich, atmospheric story. At the heart of the book is a murder mystery, but the character development is so enjoyable that I almost forgot what we were really here for. For such a long book (pair of books, really), you would expect there to be some waffling, but the writing is tight all the way through. There isn't a wasted word anywhere and all of them go towards crafting a vivid picture of post-fire London, not just in the structure but in the social world too. You can really feel the amount of research that's gone into these books, but at no point does Taylor make you feel lectured to or overwhelmed with detail.