Murder in Grub Street (Sir John Fielding) [Mass Market Paperback]

Bruce Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sir John Fielding | Publication Date: November 1, 1996

Sniffing a set-up when he oversees a seemingly open-and-shut case involving a murdered printer and a raving poet, Sir John Fielding is aided by thirteen-year-old Jeremy Proctor and uncovers a sinister truth. Reprint. PW. NYT.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The lusty life of London's Covent Garden?and its diverse practitioners?highlights the second appearance of blind Sir John Fielding, an 18th-century magistrate first met in Blind Justice. Jeremy Proctor, Sir John's 13-year-old ward, has been hired by Grub Street publisher/bookseller Ezekiel Crabb. But the night before the apprenticeship is to begin, Crabb, his family and two employees die in a hideous massacre. Houseguest and rustic poet John Clayton, found dazed with ax in hand, is taken into custody. But Fielding is not satisfied with the evidence. In pursuit of the truth, he enlists the help of the Bow Street Runners, Samuel Johnson (but not Boswell), a pickpocket, a gambler, another publisher and, of course, Jeremy. More murders and a torched synagogue lead to a band of religious zealots who have come from Monongahela in the American colonies to convert London's Jews. Still needing facts, Fielding sets a trap that snares the villains in a stunning double climax. Especially noteworthy are scenes of Sir John in action at the Bow Street Court, dispensing practical justice to Londoners high and low.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA?In this sequel to Blind Justice (Putnam, 1994), 13-year-old Jeremy Proctor again teams up with Sir John Fielding, the blind magistrate and co-founder of London's first police force, this time to investigate who massacred the printer, Ezekiel Grabb, and his family and two employees the day before Jeremy was to be apprenticed to him. Acting once more as Sir John's eyes, the boy becomes ever more deeply involved in the magistrate's life and eventually earns himself a permanent place in his household. Though fiction, this book relies heavily on historic figures as its key characters. Its strength is its depiction of 18th-century London, seen through the eyes of young Jeremy, as he ranges from Grub Street to the Bedlam madhouse, from Covent Garden to London's worst slums..?Pamela Rearden, Centreville Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; First Edition edition (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425155501
• ISBN-13: 978-0425155509
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once again a FANTASTIC novel!!!!!, August 28, 2001

By 

Brian Siegel (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Murder in Grub Street (Sir John Fielding) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the 2nd in the Sir John Fielding series. This book finds Sir John and Jeremy once again embroiled in another murder investigation. Once again the story is great as well as the cast of characters.The descriptions of the people and customs of that time make this one of the best historical mystery series around. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I would advise you reading the first novel in the series before(Blind Justice) you read this one. I continue to look fwd to the latest addition to this series.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy sequel, but not as good as "Blind Justice", September 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Murder in Grub Street (Sir John Fielding) (Mass Market Paperback)

I read and loved "Blind Justice", and really looked forward to the next book. I had gotten involved in the characters' lives, and wanted to know what was going to happen next. This sequel was good, but not nearly as good as its predecessor. For one thing, the mystery started off with a bang--but then rambled on, getting ever more complicated. The characters weren't as finely drawn: especially Sir John. The alteration to his domestic life in the last chapter was hardly unexpected, but came from nowhere. I look forward to the next book, but I doubt that it will live up to the first in the series.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite, engrossing tale., September 2, 2000

By 

L. S. Tucker (Port St. Lucie, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder in Grub Street (Sir John Fielding) (Mass Market Paperback)

The day before young Jeremy Proctor is to report to his new apprenticeship with printer, Mr. Crabb, a horrible murder occurs. Crabb, his wife and children, and two of his assistants are butchered in their beds. The suspect is a mad poet, John Clayton, who was found holding an axe and covered with blood in the house. While Sir John Fielding investigates the crime, he and Jeremy become aware of a new direction for their lives and their interest is aroused by a religious sect from America.

Jeremy is now 13 and thrilled to be taken into Sir John's household as are the readers. You are transported to Regency London to observe actual historical characters as they might have been. Vivid language, multi-dimensional characters, and carefully detailed descriptions all contribute to a rich tale of murder most foul.