Ostler
The Cambridge Hardiman Mysteries, Book 1
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Ostler
Narrated by:
Phil Deadman
Buy Now for £14.99
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Narrated by:
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Phil Deadman
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By:
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Susan Grossey
About this listen
Cambridge of the 1820s is not all lectures and prayers, as university constable Gregory Hardiman discovers in this intriguing Regency crime novel.
After the horrors of war against the forces of Napoleon and the hardships of guarding convicts in Australia, ex-soldier Gregory Hardiman is enjoying the quiet life of an ostler at a Cambridge coaching inn, with only the occasional nightmare to disturb his sleep, and memory of lost loves to disturb his waking hours. But when the inn’s cook is found drowned in the river in the spring of 1825 and his distraught widow pleads for help, Gregory finds himself caught up in the unexpectedly murky world of college life in the town.
As fine wines and precious artworks disappear from St Clement’s College, he navigates uneasily between the public world of the coaching inn and the hidden life behind the high walls of the college. And when a new law requires the university to create a cadre of constables, will Gregory take on the challenge?
©2023 Susan Grossey (P)2024 Susan GrosseyListeners also enjoyed...
Captivating from start to finish.
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Promising start
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Listener received this title free
The narrator's characterisation is charming throughout.
A gentle story of murder...
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Listener received this title free
The novel is set in 1825, which is a neglected period in historical fiction, sitting between the Regency and Victorian eras. The main character is Gregory Hardiman, an ostler who tends to the horses at a Cambridge coaching inn. We see a little of his back-story, as a soldier fighting in the Napoleonic Wars, who sustains a disfiguring wound, never precisely described, but which causes a strong reaction in all who encounter him.
The story begins with an unexplained death, which engages Hardiman's sympathy for the widow, and a determination to uncover the culprits. Along the way, Hardiman stumbles on corruption in one of the Cambridge colleges, and - though Hardiman quickly uncovers the identities of those responsible for the initial death - the story stays with the embezzlement.
I'd classify it as a cosy mystery, and I'd draw parallels with Osman's 'Thursday Murder Club', in that the sleuth is in the enviable position of always knowing somebody who can help them take the next step in detection, or who can act as 'muscle' when dealing with the local thugs. This breathes an air of inevitability over the story, so that the listener never really doubts that the mysteries will be resolved, and the various miscreants will pay a price for their misdeeds. It's a cosy journey towards the inevitable conclusion, which the author illuminates with digressions and homilies on early 19th century life in Cambridge; these I found a little too intrusive (and hurt the pace of the story). There's an adage for authors, never to let your research show, but in Ostler the research is overt. Hardiman's penchant for learning new words, his tendency to repeat back whatever he's just been asked, and a slightly patronising authorial voice might irritate some listeners.
I also quickly realised that Hardiman is Lucky with a capital 'L'. Though it takes a respectable amount of time to reach a conclusion, along the way Hardiman raises himself up to significantly higher station - membership of a respectable Book Club, appointment as a university constable - with remarkable ease. He's perceptibly in the right place at the right time to overhear vital snippets. And people are just nice to Hardiman. Except the villains, of course, though even the darkest villains inexplicably shy away from finishing him off when he's at their mercy. At the end of the tale, Hardiman is well set up with the position, contacts and skills to enable sequels (of which there are several).
If you like your mysteries cosy - by which I mean business class comfortable - then you'll certainly enjoy this not-too-challenging stroll through 1820s fenland.
A final comment on the narration. The narrator's voice is an easy listen, with clear enunciation and sensitivity to what is being read, well-paced and well-pitched, with distinctive vocalisations for the main characters. If I have a concern, it's that the author's cast of predominantly mature-to-ancient males would stretch the capabilities of any voice actor to come up with a distinct voice for every character. Fortunately, the text always provides sufficient context that the listener is never confused about who is speaking. A creditable performance.
Overall 3.5 stars
Cambridge Cosy Crime
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