Post by Junkyarddog on Nov 3, 2016 13:04:01 GMT
Seek him out ......
'The Black Friar' is the sequel to 'The Seeker' and I hope more will follow in this highly entertaining historical series set during the reign of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector.
Captain Damian Seeker, a bluff Yorkshireman with a mysterious background works for Cromwell's right hand man, spy master John Thurloe. The 'Seeker', trusted for his discretion, is sought out for the most dangerous investigations into the enemies of the Commonwealth. Seeker has proven himself to be loyal to Cromwell, incorruptible and stalwart in the cause of the Republic - a man who will stop at nothing to complete his mission and protect the State he has just fought in a war to bring about. He is a feared and respected lone wolf.
In 'The Black Friar' the body of a government agent, bizarrely dressed in the garb of the Blackfriars, is discovered in the derelict monastery on the Thames. Seeker recognises him and Thurloe tasks the 'Seeker' to find the killer and uncover whether treason is afoot. Seeker comes face to face with some old adversaries and his mission plunges him into the midst of non-conformists and royalists who wish do him harm and hinder his investigation at every turn. These are dangerous times; royalist plots and dissident republican and Puritan factions creating an uneasy submission to Cromwell's reign, (there were several attempts during the years of the interregnum; to crown Charles II, to usurp power or to assassinate the Lord Protector). The Seeker in pursuit of his mission has a nose for the importance of the apparently insignificant hence the disappearance of a simple serving girl draws his attention. The very survival of the Comonwealth depends upon Seeker's delicacy and determination as the population is not to be alarmed or inflamed.
This novel reveals a lot about the story in the first book and character relationships are defined by the previous adventure. So although this novel can be read as a stand alone it would be rewarding to read 'The Seeker' first.
I love the Character Damian 'the Seeker' (surname unknown). He is no ordinary investigator, beneath the bluff Yorkshire soldier exterior is an intelligent man with very real traits and values that as the story unfolds make him both likeable and chillingly cold, the Seeker is dedicated and capable of a brutal single-mindedness for the cause. His is a role in the vein of Matthew Shardlake in C.J.Sansom's Tudor series or even Inspector Pekkala working for Stalin in Sam Eastland's 'Red' novels. The Black Friar should appeal to Sansom fans and maybe lovers of S.J.Parris' Giordano Bruno novels.
Even though this is a hefty 450 page tome I flew through it, hungry to turn the page and keen to find the latest revelation on the path as the plot unfolded. MacLean has an easy style that flows smoothly at a pace. The plot deftly navigates the complex political situation of the time and satisfactorily unwinds in a series of exciting chapters, some almost constitute mini endings in their own right as so much comes to light and yet enough is left for the denouement to keep the tension going to the very end.
Real people and events are respected and actual time lines adhered to, the story interwoven cleverly into actual history. Cromwell, Thurloe, Downing et al all seem plausible as do the character created by the author. The complicated nature of times of flux and the life of the city in this period are captured credibly. Nothing is as black and white as Cavalier v's Roundhead, here we have the Fifth Monarchists, a non-conformist dissident group that took its name from the Bible and several other factions. I learned something reading this book.
For me Seeker is superior to the much lauded L.C.Tyler ''A Cruel Necessity' featuring John Grey which pails by comparison because of a lack of human complexity and shades. S.G.MacLean, (a Scottish historian) is the author of a previous historical series featuring Alexander Seaton set in Scotland (Banff and Aberdeen) some 25/30years earlier than the events of The Black Friar in London. I haven't read these but I will be seeking them out.
I see why The 'Seeker' won the 2015 CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger, I think 'The Black Friar' is just as good. Although there are a host of books set in this period of British history the Seeker series would be my favourite. The Black Friar is an intelligent historical mystery but the overall impression is one of enjoyment - I had fun reading this book.
'The Black Friar' is the sequel to 'The Seeker' and I hope more will follow in this highly entertaining historical series set during the reign of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector.
Captain Damian Seeker, a bluff Yorkshireman with a mysterious background works for Cromwell's right hand man, spy master John Thurloe. The 'Seeker', trusted for his discretion, is sought out for the most dangerous investigations into the enemies of the Commonwealth. Seeker has proven himself to be loyal to Cromwell, incorruptible and stalwart in the cause of the Republic - a man who will stop at nothing to complete his mission and protect the State he has just fought in a war to bring about. He is a feared and respected lone wolf.
In 'The Black Friar' the body of a government agent, bizarrely dressed in the garb of the Blackfriars, is discovered in the derelict monastery on the Thames. Seeker recognises him and Thurloe tasks the 'Seeker' to find the killer and uncover whether treason is afoot. Seeker comes face to face with some old adversaries and his mission plunges him into the midst of non-conformists and royalists who wish do him harm and hinder his investigation at every turn. These are dangerous times; royalist plots and dissident republican and Puritan factions creating an uneasy submission to Cromwell's reign, (there were several attempts during the years of the interregnum; to crown Charles II, to usurp power or to assassinate the Lord Protector). The Seeker in pursuit of his mission has a nose for the importance of the apparently insignificant hence the disappearance of a simple serving girl draws his attention. The very survival of the Comonwealth depends upon Seeker's delicacy and determination as the population is not to be alarmed or inflamed.
This novel reveals a lot about the story in the first book and character relationships are defined by the previous adventure. So although this novel can be read as a stand alone it would be rewarding to read 'The Seeker' first.
I love the Character Damian 'the Seeker' (surname unknown). He is no ordinary investigator, beneath the bluff Yorkshire soldier exterior is an intelligent man with very real traits and values that as the story unfolds make him both likeable and chillingly cold, the Seeker is dedicated and capable of a brutal single-mindedness for the cause. His is a role in the vein of Matthew Shardlake in C.J.Sansom's Tudor series or even Inspector Pekkala working for Stalin in Sam Eastland's 'Red' novels. The Black Friar should appeal to Sansom fans and maybe lovers of S.J.Parris' Giordano Bruno novels.
Even though this is a hefty 450 page tome I flew through it, hungry to turn the page and keen to find the latest revelation on the path as the plot unfolded. MacLean has an easy style that flows smoothly at a pace. The plot deftly navigates the complex political situation of the time and satisfactorily unwinds in a series of exciting chapters, some almost constitute mini endings in their own right as so much comes to light and yet enough is left for the denouement to keep the tension going to the very end.
Real people and events are respected and actual time lines adhered to, the story interwoven cleverly into actual history. Cromwell, Thurloe, Downing et al all seem plausible as do the character created by the author. The complicated nature of times of flux and the life of the city in this period are captured credibly. Nothing is as black and white as Cavalier v's Roundhead, here we have the Fifth Monarchists, a non-conformist dissident group that took its name from the Bible and several other factions. I learned something reading this book.
For me Seeker is superior to the much lauded L.C.Tyler ''A Cruel Necessity' featuring John Grey which pails by comparison because of a lack of human complexity and shades. S.G.MacLean, (a Scottish historian) is the author of a previous historical series featuring Alexander Seaton set in Scotland (Banff and Aberdeen) some 25/30years earlier than the events of The Black Friar in London. I haven't read these but I will be seeking them out.
I see why The 'Seeker' won the 2015 CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger, I think 'The Black Friar' is just as good. Although there are a host of books set in this period of British history the Seeker series would be my favourite. The Black Friar is an intelligent historical mystery but the overall impression is one of enjoyment - I had fun reading this book.
