Description (from cover):'In Susanna Calkins' next richly drawn mystery set in 17th century England, Lucy Campion, formerly a chambermaid in the local magistrate's household, has now found gainful employment as a printer's apprentice. On a freezing winter afternoon in 1667, she accompanies the magistrate's daughter, Sarah, to the home of a severely injured Quaker man to record his dying words, a common practice of the time. The man, having been trampled by a house and cart the night before, only has a few hours left to live. Lucy scribbles down the Quaker man's last utterances, but she's unprepared for what he reveals to her--that someone deliberately pushed him into the path of the horse, because of a secret he had recently uncovered.
Fearful that Sarah might be traveling in the company of a murderer, Lucy feels compelled to seek the truth, with the help of the magistrate's son, Adam, and the local constable. But delving into the dead man's background might prove more dangerous than any of them had imagined.
In The Masque of a Murderer, Susanna Calkins has once again combined finely wrought characters, a richly detailed historical atmosphere, and a tightly-plotted mystery into a compelling read.'
My thoughts:
Lucy Campion has found herself in the middle of yet another murder investigation. Try as she might she just can't help but getting involved. She is asked by the magistrate's daughter, Sarah, to accompany her to a Quaker's house to write down his last word as he is dying. While Lucy is there the dying man informs her that he thinks that he was pushed into a horse and cart and it was not just a freak accident. Of course, this sets the ball rolling in Lucy's mind and she cannot let it go. She knows that someone wanted this man dead, but she cannot understand who or why. Using her keen sense of detection and her many friends along the way, she sets out to discover who is a murderer acting amongst friends.
This book is the third in the Lucy Campion series and I have really come to enjoy this series a lot. I love the main character and her sense for seeking justice and the rich historical detail that flows out of the author's pen on each and every page. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite historical mystery series and I cannot wait to see how things further play out for Lucy in the future. When I was reading this book, it was next to near impossible for me to put it down. I always wanted to be reading it and I hated when I wasn't able to do so. It is really a testament to the series that I enjoy it so much. I usually tend to find something about a book that I do not like and I really can't say that I found anything in this book.
If you love historical mysteries with strong female lead characters, then this is definitely a series worth checking out. I cannot get enough of the historical fact and how the author stays true to the time period. I always find that I am learning something new in these books, which is rare because I read a TON of historical fiction and historical mysteries. If an author can teach me something about a time period I have read extensively, well then I said a job well done. I love this series and cannot wait for more. Too bad I have to wait until next year for the next installment to be released.
Overall Rating: 4.5
Title: The Masque of a Murderer
Author: Susanna Calkins
Series: Lucy Campion Mystery #3
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: April 14, 2015
Pages: 336
Genre: Historical Mystery
Get It: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
