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Scarlet Town

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Scarlet Town

By: Leonora Nattrass
Narrated by: David Thorpe
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About this listen

Disgraced former Foreign Office clerk Laurence Jago and his larger-than-life employer the journalist William Philpott have escaped America - and Philpott's near imprisonment for libel - by the skin of their teeth. They return to Laurence's home town of Helston in Cornwall in the hope of rest and recuperation, but instead find themselves in the middle of a tumultuous election.

Only two men may vote in this rotten borough, and when one of them dies in suspicious circumstances, Laurence is ordered to investigate on behalf of the town's political patron, his old master the Duke of Leeds. Then the second elector is poisoned and suspicion turns on the town doctor, the gentle Pythagoras Jago, Laurence's own cousin. Suddenly Laurence finds himself ensnared in generations of bad blood and petty rivalries, with his cousin's fate in his hands...

©2023 Leonora Nattrass (P)2023 Isis Audio Amateur Sleuths Historical Mystery Political Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Espionage Fiction Detective
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An improvement to the second book and akin to the first book, in some recurring characters. The story weaves through at a faster pace and we see further character development as well as the introduction of side characters including Lawrence's family, in the picturesque setting of Helston, Cornwall. Once again the setting is political as the previous books and the trials of Lawrence follow a similar pattern. As is the influence of Philpott, always giving his support to Lawrence. Once again the narration is brilliant again too. Finally, after all the complicated events and a dizzying end, things are looking up for Lawrence, or are they??
A throughly impressive series of books on political scandal and history in the 18th Century, some of it fact and some fiction, brilliantly woven into a gripping saga. I will be following the author closely.

The rural set up outside London.

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I’ve enjoyed this series from the first and now it’s really settling in to a flow. The main characters are nicely rounded out, the historical background is well done and the plot engaging. This one is set in a Rotten Borough (forever known as a Rubber Button thanks to Blackadder) but took me right back to O Level history-in a good way!

A series really maturing

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