Publisher: Corsair (Little Brown UK)
Release date: 6 July 2017
Rating: *** and a half
Back cover blurb: York, 1799. In August, an artist is found murdered in his home - stabbed with a pair of scissors. Matthew Harvey's death is much discussed in the city. The scissors are among the tools of his trade - for Harvey is a renowned cutter and painter of shades, or silhouettes, the latest fashion in portraiture. It soon becomes clear that the murderer must be one of the artist's last sitters, and the people depicted in the final six shades made by him become the key suspects. But who are they? And where are they to be found? Later, in November, a clever but impoverished young gentleman called Fletcher Rigge languishes in the debtor's prison, until a letter arrives containing a bizarre proposition from the son of the murdered man. Rigge is to be released for one month, but in that time, he must find the killer. If he fails, he will be incarcerated again, possibly for life. And so, with everything at stake, and equipped only with copies of the distinctive silhouettes, Fletcher Rigge begins his search across the snow-covered city, and enters a world of shadows...
Soot is an intriguing historical crime fiction novel.
Fletcher Rigge is an impoverished sole, languishing in the debtors prison when he is called upon by Matthew Harvey's son.
Matthew Harvey is dead and his son thinks that Fletcher can help him.
Matthew Harvey was a renowned cutter and painter of shades, or silhouettes, the latest must have in the world of portraiture. When he is found murdered in his home by a pair of scissors, the immediate suspicion falls to whoever last sat for a portrait.
The only trouble is, that theory produces at least six suspects. Fletcher is no detective, but he knows that the silhouettes themselves must hold some clues. He only has one month in which to find the killer before he is locked up again.
Possibly for good this time....
As Fletcher begins his investigative journey he learns that those outside of the prison walls can be just as cunning and deceptive as those inside, and he must learn to decipher the good from the bad in order to reveal who murdered Matthew.
With the clock ticking against him, Fletcher must find the killer before they strike again...
Fletcher Rigge is an impoverished sole, languishing in the debtors prison when he is called upon by Matthew Harvey's son.
Matthew Harvey is dead and his son thinks that Fletcher can help him.
Matthew Harvey was a renowned cutter and painter of shades, or silhouettes, the latest must have in the world of portraiture. When he is found murdered in his home by a pair of scissors, the immediate suspicion falls to whoever last sat for a portrait.
The only trouble is, that theory produces at least six suspects. Fletcher is no detective, but he knows that the silhouettes themselves must hold some clues. He only has one month in which to find the killer before he is locked up again.
Possibly for good this time....
As Fletcher begins his investigative journey he learns that those outside of the prison walls can be just as cunning and deceptive as those inside, and he must learn to decipher the good from the bad in order to reveal who murdered Matthew.
With the clock ticking against him, Fletcher must find the killer before they strike again...
Soot is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.
Thank You to the publishers who invited me to view this title via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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