Fugitive from the Grave

by Edward Marston

Overview

1817. Clemency van Emden receives an anonymous terse message informing her that her estranged father is dead and buried. Confounded by this news and desperate to visit her father's final resting place, she returns from Holland determined to seek answers. A chance encounter on a busy London street leads her to twin detectives Peter and Paul Skillen, who agree to help her unravel the mystery of her father's last days. However, Paul's attention is diverted away from London to Bath, as he seeks to thwart a daring band of highwaymen, one of whom appears to have more than just jewels on his mind.
Meanwhile, the Bow Street Runners are struggling to redeem themselves after losing, yet again, the slippery and infamous Harry Scattergood. With mounting pressure from the local magistrate to produce results, they are sent to investigate a spate of bodysnatching from local cemeteries.
When the body of Clemency's father is discovered to be missing from its casket, the twins embark on a chase of graverobbers, funerary agents and Good Samaritans to unearth the truth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780749022815
Publisher:	Allison & Busby, Limited
Publication date:	06/21/2018
Series:	Bow Street Rivals , #4
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	309
File size:	404 KB

About the Author

Edward Marston has written well over a hundred books, including some non-fiction. He is best known for his hugely successful Railway Detective series and he also writes the Bow Street Rivals series featuring twin detectives set during the Regency; the Home Front Detective novels set during the First World War; and the Ocean Liner mysteries.

Editorial Reviews

06/11/2018
Set in 1817, Marston’s rollicking fourth Bow Street Rivals mystery (after 2017’s Date with the Executioner) pits bounty hunter twin brothers Peter and Paul Skillen against the Bow Street Runners, London’s first official police force. Three straightforward story lines keep the action moving. One follows the mainly failed attempts of the official police to beat the brothers in their quest to apprehend wily and rather likable thief Harry Scattergood. Another involves Peter’s efforts on the behalf of Clemency van Emden, a well-to-do woman who has come to London in search of her estranged father. In the third, Paul hunts for the dastardly highwaymen who robbed the coach carrying his attractive companion, Hannah Granville, the “finest actress of her generation.” Kidnapping, grave robbing, stalking, theatrical peccadilloes, and miraculous inventions keep the reader entertained, as do visits to inns, pubs, restaurants, and brothels, not to mention some daring gallops along the road between London and Bath. Marston skillfully creates a lively sense of derring-do. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

2018-07-02
A pair of identical twin brothers in Regency London work on three different mysteries, together and separately.Peter and Paul Skillen, who've put their special bond to good professional use, have apprehended clever thief Harry Scattergood and handed him over to the magistrate. But Harry escapes once more from the hapless Bow Street Runners, who, jealous of the Skillens, are determined to recapture him. Meanwhile, Peter and his wife, Charlotte, are caught up in a search for the missing George Parry, the father of Clemency van Emden, who's received an anonymous letter telling her that her estranged father is dead and buried. Parry, a brilliant engineer, was devastated when Clemency married a Dutchman, and it's rumored that he died in abject poverty. Also, Paul Skillen, whose lover is respected actress Hannah Granville, races off to Bath after highwaymen rob her stage and steal her most precious possessions despite the presence of a guard hired to protect her. Peter and his helpers find that what's supposed to be Parry's body has been stolen from his grave, but after seeing a sketch made by the undertaker's daughter, Clemency proclaims that the man was not her father, and Peter suspects that he may still be alive. In Bath, Hannah's furious to learn that an actress she hates will join her onstage since Hannah's contract does not allow her to get the other actress fired. At the same time, she fears that she's being stalked by a gentlemanly highwayman who sends her a gift stolen from another passenger. Back in London, the Bow Street Runners are tasked with finding Scattergood and discovering who's robbing multiple graves. Each case presents problems to solve and dangers to face.The Bow Street Rivals are the least well-known of the prolific Marston's many franchises (The Circus Train Conspiracy,2017,etc.). Despite the charismatic characters, there are a few too many strings to this particular bow.

Kirkus Reviews