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Death And the Cornish Fiddler: A John Rawlings Mystery

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Deryn Lake is a pseudonym of a well know historical novelist. Among the books she has written are the popular John Rawlings Mysteries, Death in the Peerless Pool, Death at the Apothecaries' hall, Death at the Devil's Tavern and others. As all of the titles are preceded by the word death, (unusual to say the least), this is a pretty good indication regarding the contents of the books and very good historical murder mysteries they are. `Deryn Lake' live near Hastings, in East Sussex

The character of John Rawlings has grown into an old and trusted friend and the author's clear and concise writing style makes the pages fly by. The books are good, well researched historical murder mysteries. They are easy reading and a welcome change from the crash, bang wallop of many of the books being published today. Good escapism for the reader, away from the bumps and grinds of everyday life.

It is the Spring of the year 1765 and John Rawlings, apothecary and amateur solver of mysteries is slowly starting to recover from the loss of his wife. A trip to Hellstone to witness the local dancing, with his young daughter Rose and his lady friend Elizabeth de Lorenzi seems like a good idea. But while there they encounter and intriguing group of fellow visitors, among them are a blind musician, a young child who disappears and to add to the plot a beautiful woman, found dead and a coven.

On top of all of this subterfuge while John is in the process of attempting to solve the mystery, the threat widens to include his daughter Rose . . .

Sadly this is probably the weakest of the Apothecary mysteries: there are, as always in this series, vivid and authentic descriptions of place and customs and some well-drawn, quirky characters. But unfortunately these play second fiddle to the romance between John Rawlings and the Countess. Too little of Joe Jago, Sir Gabriel and London, and too many Heyer-ish flirtatious exchanges take the edge of the story. Let's hope DL will be back on form next time!

Apothecary John Rawlings, his young daughter Rose and his lady friend Elizabeth de Lorenzi have traveled to Helstone to witness the Furry Dance which dates back to Pagen times. They encounter a wide mix of fellow visitors, an intriguing Gypsy Woman, a blind musician, an irritating child who disappears, a beautiful woman found dead and a coven practicing the dark arts. While John is investigating, the threat widens to include his own daughter.

This is a new author to me and I'm glad to find her. Her depiction of Georgian England is filled with rich details and interesting characters. The pace of the story is a bit slower than I normally care for but not so much that I didn't read the book straight through. Another small annoyance was the author, a woman, had her character, a man, frequently reference the attractiveness of other men. The story was involving and the suspense subtle. I did enjoy the book very much and have ordered the first two books in the series so I may start at the beginning. I believe fans of historical fiction would find this a treat.

Death And The Cornish Fiddler by Deryn Lake is the story of the widower Apothecary John Rawlings and his investigation into the disappearance of a young child in some very peculiar circumstances. The Helstone Floral Dance and a peculiar blind musician add to the mystery as Rawlings uncovers a dark coven and a menacing peril directed toward his own daughter. A popular addition to any community library's "Mystery & Suspense" collection, Death And The Cornish Fiddler is very highly recommended for mystery buffs for its superbly crafted and gripping story that holds the reader's rapt attention from first page to last.