The Colour of Bone by Toni Mount

Set in medieval London, the Colour of Bone is the 11^th Sebastian Foxley murder mystery by the prolific Toni Mount. Seb, as he is known, is an illuminator by trade but also wears other hats when the occasion calls for it. As an artist, he makes the acquaintance of Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Welles. As a sleuth, he enters the orbit of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the king’s brother. He is also an unpaid and often reluctant assistant to the city Bailiff, Thaddeus Turner, which is how he gets to investigate enough murders to fill 11 books.

Seb moves from the grimy, dangerous streets of London to the grand and equally dangerous mansion of the Duke of Gloucester in order to solve three murders. At the same time, an arsonist is burning down buildings, including one owned by Seb. The sleuthing only takes up a portion of the story. The author fills in the rest with an array of friends, employees and family members – a rich panoply to provide Ms Mount with subplots for many more books. One interesting subplot here deals with what happens when a husband, presumed dead, returns to claim his wife, who has married again. Anyone writing a book or is simply interested in the everyday life of 15^th century London should keep a notebook handy while reading this book. It is full of interesting details about London, its people, streets, laws and so much more.

Another delightful aspect of this book is its cover. The author’s cover creator has created a figure of what Seb Foxley might look like, which was on the front of the book I was given to review. Elsewhere, the book has a different image, which I love.

An excellent read.

*****

My latest non-fiction book “How to Survive in Medieval England” is the go-to guide for the would be time traveller and there is another one like this on the way – whilst my first non-fiction book “Everyday Life in Medieval London” has become a No1 Best seller under five Amazon categories.

To get updates on all my books visit http://www.ToniMount.com

I study, write and teach British history. My non-fiction books look at the ordinary lives of medieval people, leading me to write my successful series of murder mysteries. They are set in the stinking streets of medieval London and feature the talented yet humble artist, Sebastian Foxley. My Victorian melodrama is “The Death Collector”.

My fascinating non-fiction book “A Year in the Life of Medieval England” looks at real events that occurred on everyday of a medieval year and my first biography is about the life and times of Isaac Newton.

To download my free ebook, The Foxley Letters, go here: https://goo.gl/7Wcytm.

After many years of teaching history to adults several of my courses are also available online at http://www.medievalcourses.com

Please visit my website http://www.tonimount.com or follow me at http://www.twitter.com/tonihistorian or http://www.facebook.com/toni.mount.10

Calista by Laura Rahme

            French detective Maurice Leroux is invited to look into four deaths that occurred in the space of a year at Alexandra Hall, a mansion owned by Aaron Nightingale and his Greek wife, Calista – two of the victims. The other two are Vera, Aaron’s sister, and a maid. Foul play is suspected. M. Leroux finds the atmosphere at the hall both sinister and mysterious. The housekeeper, a frightening individual, locks him in his bedroom at night ‘for his own protection’, but a locked door doesn’t allay his creeping suspicion that someone, somehow, has entered. The four maids and gardener, all owning various degrees of strangeness, act as if they have something to hide.

            In such a book we might expect to read about spectral figures and things that go bump in the night. Here everyday objects take on a sinister aspect: spoons, a fountain that must never be turned off. M. Leroux’s own demons are resurrected – and none could be worse than a vicious mother – as he delves deeper into the mystery, comes to understand the relationships between the four victims and uncovers a terrible secret in the cellar of the house.

            The author builds the drama very effectively to a satisfactory conclusion that will surprise. I am new to this genre, but I enjoyed it and it didn’t keep me awake at night.

****

Laura Rahme is a French-Australian writer based in Brittany, France. She holds university degrees in the fields of Aerospace Avionics and in Psychology. While living in Australia, she worked twenty years in information technology, and penned three historical novels. The Ming Storytellers (2012) was well received by the Historical Novel Society and is an epic tale featuring real-life admiral, Zheng He, and set in Beijing during the Ming Dynasty. Laura wrote the occult mystery, The Mascherari: A Novel of Venice (2014) after a short stay in Venice. Her third novel, Julien’s Terror (2017), a blend of gothic mystery and psychothriller, is set during and in the aftermath of the French revolution. Calista is her fourth novel. Laura is married to award-winning screenwriter, Shane Krause.