Death and the Black Pyramid (John Rawlings, Apothecary) [Paperback]

Deryn Lake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2010 | Series: John Rawlings, Apothecary

A ‘John Rawlings’ Georgian mystery - Apothecary John Rawlings is summoned to Devon by his beautiful, unpredictable mistress. Leaving his daughter in the good care of her grandfather, Rawlings sets off for Exeter. His fellow stagecoach passengers are a motley crew, and include a talkative German lady, a dance-master, and a bare-knuckle fighter called the ‘Black Pyramid’. Before the journey’s end a man is found brutally murdered, and Rawlings is drawn into a complex, dangerous intrigue.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Lake's lurid 13th Georgian historical (after 2008's Death in Hellfire), apothecary John Rawlings, summoned by his pregnant mistress, joins a London carriage bound for the West Country. Other passengers include Jack Beef (aka the Black Pyramid), a bare-knuckle fighter, and his agent. Rawlings, who does detective work for Sir John Fielding of Bow Street, soon gets embroiled in a murder case after a fellow traveler is bludgeoned to death during an overnight stop at an inn. While the Black Pyramid disappears for many pages, Rawlings, with the help of local constable Tobias Miller and fellow Bow Streeter Joe Jago, manages to track down and interrogate all the other passengers on the ill-fated coach. Coincidences abound, as Rawlings observes midway through his deadlocked investigation. In the end, Lake offers a bizarre, if not wholly original resolution to a mystery that will strike many readers as an 18th-century twist on Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Apothecary John Rawlings crisscrosses Georgian England by stagecoach to uncover the identity of both a murderer and a victim in this latest installment in the long-running series (Death in Hellfire, 2008, etc.). Mr. Rawlings has already given up hope of marrying his ladylove, the free-spirited Marchesa Elizabeth di Lorenzi, when he receives a letter summoning him to her home in Exeter. Dashing for a stagecoach bound there, he finds himself traveling among a motley company including an ill-tempered German spinster, a dancing master, a comely milliner and a formidable yet courtly boxer, the Black Pyramid. Before Mr. Rawlings can reunite with Lady Elizabeth, one of the party is brutally murdered at the last inn of the journey--bludgeoned to death with a savagery that tells the apothecary this is no ordinary highway robbery. Temporarily leaving the case in the hands of the competent local constable, Mr. Rawlings goes to Lady Elizabeth, only to find that in the midst of death we are in life: The Marchesa is enceinte and still will not marry him. She will, however, accept his ministrations and use her considerable influence to help him investigate the suspects. The passengers meet again at a boxing match and a ball, and still Rawlings cannot unravel the mystery until he journeys to Lewes, where he encounters a darker past than he imagined. Rich in period detail and colorful characters, with a neat puzzle, moments of sweetness and a satisfying conclusion, this adventure will please series fans and newcomers alike. --Kirkus Reviews, 15th July 2009

Traveling by coach to visit his mistress, apothecary John Rawlings (Death at St. James' Palace) is thrown into a very complicated murder investigation when one of his fellow passengers is killed. Series fans will remember that Rawlings generally investigates for Sir John Fielding, London magistrate and head of the Bow Street runners. This time out, Rawlings is on his own. VERDICT Readers who miss Bruce Alexander and T.F. Banks will like Lake's Georgian procedurals. --Library Journal, 1st July 2009

Traveling by coach to visit his mistress, apothecary John Rawlings (Death at St. James' Palace) is thrown into a very complicated murder investigation when one of his fellow passengers is killed. Series fans will remember that Rawlings generally investigates for Sir John Fielding, London magistrate and head of the Bow Street runners. This time out, Rawlings is on his own. VERDICT Readers who miss Bruce Alexander and T.F. Banks will like Lake's Georgian procedurals. --Publishers Weekly, 13th July 2009 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers; Reprint edition (May 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847511430
• ISBN-13: 978-1847511430
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,746,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb addition to Deryn Lake's John Rawlings series, July 14, 2009

By 

Muriel Knobloch (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death and the Black Pyramid (John Rawlings, Apothecary) (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed the latest John Rawlings mystery. John, his daughter Rose and his father are getting older, so this is a different John Rawlings from the earliest books. He still cannot give up his quest for adventure, and he has passed this characteristic down to little Rose. A stagecoach bound for Exeter and John's fellow passengers provide the backdrop for a murder. The tale keeps you rivited until the surprising end. I think this is Deryn Lake at her best.