A rustle of silk

*Starred Review* After the success of her Aelf Fen and Hawkenlye books, Clare turns her talents to a new historical mystery series, this one set in rural Devon, England, in the early seventeenth century. Former ship's doctor turned country physician Gabriel Taverner is called to investigate a brutal death, which at first looks like suicide. There are few clues to the dead man's identity, and it's only coincidence that leads Gabriel to the first loose thread that will eventually unravel the twisted truth. As he and local coroner Theophilus Davey work together to try to solve the case, they find what at first seem to be tenuous links to the area's silk trade. As those links become ever stronger, Gabriel and Theo eventually begin to suspect the tragic, which will have frightening implications for Gabriel and his family. But what is most shocking is that even those closest to him have been hiding dark and dangerous secrets. As always, Clare has carefully researched the period she is writing about and offers authentic, engaging historical detail, but her real gift is as a superb storyteller whose clever, twisty plots; believable characters; and skillful writing will engross the reader from first page to last.--Melton, Emily Copyright 2016 Booklist

Set in 1603, Clare's gripping series launch introduces Gabriel Taverner, a former ship's surgeon who's having difficulties building a medical practice in his home county of Devon. The local coroner, Theophilus Davey, asks Gabriel to examine a decomposing body discovered at an abandoned hovel by the Tavy River. There's no doubt about the cause of death. The corpse was run through the gut with a blade, and since the hands are gripping the weapon's shaft, Gabriel believes that the death is a suicide. He's later shaken to learn that the dead man was Jeromy Palfrey, an agent for wealthy silk merchant Nicolaus Quinlie and the husband of Gabriel's beloved sister, Celia. When further investigation proves that Jeromy was murdered, Gabriel must prove Celia innocent of the deed. Clare (The Night Wanderer and six other Aelf Fen medieval mysteries) vividly evokes 17th-century Devon. Characters who are complex individuals complement the well-paced and pleasantly twisty plot. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A country physician untangles a web of deadly crime in Jacobean England.Dr. Gabriel Taverner traveled the known world as a ship's surgeon until an accident forced him to give up the sea. Now he's bought a house in Devon, where he grew up, and set up his practice as a physician. His sister, Celia, comes for a visit while her husband, Jeromy Palfrey, is away on business to collect a shipment of Venetian silk for Nicolaus Quinlie, his employer. Quinlie, renowned for the quality of his goods, will provide silk for the coronation of James I, reminding Gabriel how his beautiful, vivacious sister looked in the blue-green silk of her wedding day. But the Celia who arrives is pale, anxious, and unusually short-tempered, and she doesn't stay long. Gabriel puts his worry about herand his dislike of her superficially charming husbandaside when the coroner, Theophilus Davey, calls him to a derelict riverside quay and a decomposing corpse stabbed through the heart. Gabriel's own heart sinks when he realizes it's Jeromy. At first he thinks his brother-in-law killed himself, but a closer look makes him realize the man was murdered. The local midwife saw a lurking man in a strange beaked mask near where Jeromy was killed. Gabriel later realizes it must have been a plague mask, meant to protect physicians from deadly miasmas. As he and Davey uncover more unsavory details about Jeromy, as well as documents linking Quinlie to two plague islands in Venice where the sick were left to die, more nefarious developments threaten Gabriel's attempts to protect his beloved sister. Unfortunately, the lively buildup of suspense falters because Clare (The Night Wanderer, 2016, etc.) feels the need to include long flashbacks and explications informed more by 21st-century psychology than 17th-century history. Although this series debut would have benefited from more showing and less telling, a thoughtful hero and a likable supporting cast make a promising beginning. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

 I have very happy memories of Dartmouth. The Falco put in there whenever we were in the region - it was rumoured among the crew that Captain Zeke knew a very accommodating and generous woman nearby - and our many shore runs led to strong ties between the crew and the townsfolk. As if that were not enough, something that happened in August 1592, not long after I'd joined the Falco in the early months of that year, gave the town a lifelong place in my affections.  The Falco was one of a small group of the Queen's ships selected to sail to the Azores to intercept the Spanish galleons groaning their way home from the New World, laden so heavily that they were low in the water and, of necessity, slow-moving. The first treasure ship we encountered, however, was not Spanish but Portuguese, and her name was the Madre de Deus. After a fierce battle that went on most of the day we took her, and when we boarded we could barely believe our luck, for all of her decks were heaped with bounty. Not only gold and silver were in abundance, but also bags of coins and chests of pearls and precious stones, fine cloth and beautifully worked tapestries, ebony and enough spices to supply a score of apothecaries for a year. It was rumoured that there was also a particular parchment originating in the Portuguese colony of Macau, on the Cathay coast, and the rumour said it provided highly secret and very valuable information on the Portuguese trade with Japan and Cathay. So precious was it that apparently it had been hidden in its own cedar-wood case, wrapped carefully inside a length of fine cloth as if it were a priceless necklace. I can't vouch for the truth of that rumour, if there is any, for I never saw the document or its case.  We sailed back to Dartmouth in great heart for although nobody had yet made an accurate tally of our haul, we all knew it was extraordinary; someone said what we were bringing home was worth half as much as England's entire treasury, but I'm sure that was an exaggeration. Anyway, we were full of glee at the thought of the news of our feat reaching the Queen's ears, for she was said to be fiercely proud of her navy and therefore likely to reward us well.  She didn't actually get the chance. News of what we were carrying somehow preceded us back to Dartmouth; the more superstitious among the crew maintained that the ghosts of the many Portuguese sailors we'd killed had turned into dolphins and raced ahead with the tidings, while the more practical blamed the pilot who had met us at the river mouth and hurried on ahead. Either way, we had a welcoming committee: merchants, tradesmen, whores, thieves, lads, lasses and honest townsfolk had all turned out, not, as at first we thought, to cheer us home but to push their way aboard and help themselves.  At first we tried to stop them, but very quickly it became apparent that there were just too many of them. I can hear Captain Zeke's shout even now: 'Fuck this, lads,' he yelled, 'are we going to stand by and see this rabble fill their pockets when we who did all the hard work stand and watch and end up with bugger-all?'  We weren't.  The officers and the ship's surgeon had to try to set a good example, but the sole effect of that was that we employed a little more discretion than everyone else. I dropped perhaps a dozen solid gold coins inside my boots and slipped a pearl as big as my thumbnail inside my medical bag and when I saw a huge emerald rolling down the deck, dropped from a shopkeeper's bulging fist, I picked it up and put it in my mouth.  By the time order was restored - and I've always suspected nobody was in any great hurry - they reckon that getting on for three-quarters of the treasure had gone.  It was an event that will live long in Dartmouth's memory. What was purloined that day saw the rise to relative security and comfort of many a household, for to those who have little, the acquisition of even a small amount of wealth makes a big difference. While I don't like to imagine the Queen's reaction when told the news - if, that is, anyone was brave enough to tell her - still I can't help feeling pleased at the outcome. Excerpted from A Rustle of Silk: A New Forensic Mystery Series Set in Stuart England by Alys Clare All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.