[JD5]⋙ Libro Free A Murder at Rosamund Gate Lucy Campion Mysteries Susanna Calkins 9781250007902 Books

A Murder at Rosamund Gate Lucy Campion Mysteries Susanna Calkins 9781250007902 Books

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A Murder at Rosamund Gate Lucy Campion Mysteries Susanna Calkins 9781250007902 Books

The story moves relatively slowly until about halfway through. Then it really gets interesting. The book has all sorts of horrors: serial murder, plague, fire. And there's a historical view of Quakers, unlike the Friends we know in the US today. I admit that I don't know much about 17th century England, as most of the historical fiction I read is from the Regency period to the early 20th century. So this was different for me. Also, Lucy, the main character, is a servant in the highly rigidly stratified London society.

One of the aspects of the book that I truly enjoyed was seeing Lucy go from a simple servant (who had taught herself to read) to a complex, critical thinker who was learning a bit about the law. If the whole book had been as compelling as the second half, I would have given it 5 stars. Very well done!


Tags : A Murder at Rosamund's Gate (Lucy Campion Mysteries) [Susanna Calkins] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div><b>In Susanna Calkins's atmospheric debut novel, a chambermaid must uncover a murderer in seventeenth-century plague-ridden London</b></div>For Lucy Campion,Susanna Calkins,A Murder at Rosamund's Gate (Lucy Campion Mysteries),Minotaur Books,1250007909,Great Britain;History;Restoration, 1660-1688;Fiction.,Murder;Investigation;Fiction.,Women;England;History;17th century;Fiction.,17th century,17th-century London,American Historical Fiction,American Mystery & Suspense Fiction,England,Fiction,Fiction - Mystery Detective,Fiction Mystery & Detective Historical,Fiction Mystery & Detective Women Sleuths,Historical,History,Investigation,Murder,Mystery & Detective - Historical,Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths,Mystery & Detective Amateur Sleuth,Mystery & Detective Women Sleuths,Mystery fiction,MysterySuspense,Women

A Murder at Rosamund Gate Lucy Campion Mysteries Susanna Calkins 9781250007902 Books Reviews

I love mysteries, historical mysteries, foody mysteries, etc. I decided to give this author/character a try after reading a number of reviews. I am almost finished with this book so I haven't read the 'who done it' yet. Like previous review(s) I'm having a very tough time putting this book down. I read at night (in bed) and find that I'm not turning the light off till well after midnight (thank goodness I'm retired). The characters are well developed and interesting. The story lines do bounce around somewhat, but, I'm sure, it will all come together in the end.
This just didn't grab me. The characters weren't entirely likeable or believable maybe. A chamber maid investigates after her friend the lady's maid is murdered in a series of deaths that most believe are unconnected. I suspected otherwise as well as the killer from very early on. She is extraordinarily smart and has indulgent employers who let her sit in on daughter's lessons which themselves seem a bit much for a girl at the time. Mystery was okay but the characters just didn't gel with me
This is a serial-murder mystery that's investigated by the protagonist of the story, the 18-year-old chamber maid, Lucy Campion. The setting is 1665 London, just before the outbreak of the Black Death.

Slight problems One red herring was left without resolution; the plague scenes were probably depicted as far more mild than their horrific reality; and the probable murderer was apparent to me early on because he wasn't very often mentioned or particularly characterized until the big reveal. The murder that's central to the mystery doesn't happen until almost halfway through the book.

Pluses The prison and trial scenes seemed well-researched and were vividly described, and not at all trite or cliché. In fact, the trial testimonies were a surprise. Two men who might have been killers, were left to perhaps be the killer in a future book in the series. The writing style is clear and very easy to read. The copyediting and proofreading were impeccable (always important points for me).

Another reviewer mentioned the benevolent master-servant relationship as unbelievable, but in that period, masters were obligated to be responsible and accountable before God for the morals and education of not only their family, but the servants, day laborers, and apprentices under them. That's not to say that every master was "good," but it's what was ideal under Calvinist thought. The author got it right. (How do I know? Extensive research for my own 17th-century novels.)

The author was very sparing and neutral about depicting religion of the time, but religion was at the top of everyone's mind in an era of war, plagues, extreme poverty, signs in the heavens (comets, eclipses, catastrophic storms), and other remarkable events. Whether or not they practiced their "thou-shalt-nots," everyone was conscious of eternal life or hellfire. Religion wasn't one of the themes in this book, only a color in the backdrop.

In 's 5-star rating system, I'd prefer to give it a 4.5, but will round up to 5 because the problems were very slight. It's an enjoyable read.

Suitable for younger teens through adults. Genre mystery, light romance, historical fiction (17th century), England.
This is a wonderful walk back in time to 17th century England! Calkins does an excellent job of painting a vivid landscape of London during the plague and the great fire while successfully endearing the main character, Lucy Campion, to the reader. The mystery is well-plotted and suspenseful right up to the very end! The period details are authentic and convincing and help the reader to get lost in this world. There was much I didn't realize about this tumultuous period in history, and I loved escaping into this book each night. Sad that it ended, but eager to begin the next in the series! Very highly rated!
I'll probably pick up the next book in the Lucy Campion series. Murder at Rosamund's Gate is about a series of killings (young women) by a perpetrator with a fairly distinguishable (at least to young Lucy, the protagonist) pattern. The book was intriguing, largely due to the believable portrayal of the era and its general mood. The plot was well-paced and the relationships were moderately interesting. Chambermaid Lucy is the subject of much affection from her employers (i.e., the family of magistrate Hargraves). Most books I read about British history proscribe a much harder line between the upstairs/downstairs characters. I confess the more rigid social boundaries are a little more believable than what I saw in this book -- especially at the end, when Lucy winks at someone "well above her station." It's still the 1600s.

And I thought it a little odd that the author used terms like "yuck" and "funk" -- these really yanked me out of the reading experience. In the afterword, she comments on her departure from language of the period, but I thought, "Why do it at all? Calkins didn't need to throw in these modern words - not sure why she did." Nonetheless, I found the book entertaining and readable.
The story moves relatively slowly until about halfway through. Then it really gets interesting. The book has all sorts of horrors serial murder, plague, fire. And there's a historical view of Quakers, unlike the Friends we know in the US today. I admit that I don't know much about 17th century England, as most of the historical fiction I read is from the Regency period to the early 20th century. So this was different for me. Also, Lucy, the main character, is a servant in the highly rigidly stratified London society.

One of the aspects of the book that I truly enjoyed was seeing Lucy go from a simple servant (who had taught herself to read) to a complex, critical thinker who was learning a bit about the law. If the whole book had been as compelling as the second half, I would have given it 5 stars. Very well done!