Review of "Blood On The Stone" by Jake Lynch - Oxford during Charles II comes to life during a murder investigation

March 1681. Oxford is hosting the English Parliament and King Charles the Second with his whole court. The country is in an uproar over the supposed Papist Plot and the king seems too lenient towards his Catholic brother according to some. Do keep in mind that a few generations ago Bloody Mary burned the protestants.

In this powder keg that is about to explode a Member of Parliament is found stabbed to death and Luke Standys, Chief Officer of the Oxford Bailiffs and brother of one of the king's officers has to solve the case and diffuse the situation.

This is not an easy novel. It is full with British English period words. So if you are an American who cannot survive anything away from your own American English do not complain just skip. For all the people up for a challenge: I liked having to look things up with the online dictionary or Wikipedia. Yes English is not my mother language but nevertheless I am near native. The novel also paints an extensive background of the culture, the landmarks and the political situation in those days in Oxford. Not surprisingly because the novel is written by an academic from Oxford.

The novel made me feel like I timetravelled because it paints the situation so vividly. The writer also described Luke in detail. You really get to know him.

But all of this make it a novel that reads slowly. So if you were looking for just an easy who-done-it that you can finish in a few hours look elsewhere. If you are really interested in history you will like the novel.

A 5 stars out of 5 and the novel is very cheap on Amazon



AMAZON
March 1681. Oxford is hosting the English Parliament under the ‘merry monarch’, King Charles II. As politicians and their hangers-on converge on the divided city, an MP is found murdered, triggering tensions that threaten mayhem on the streets.
Luke Sandys, Chief Officer of the Oxford Bailiffs, must solve the crime and thwart the plot. On his side is the respect for evidence and logic he absorbed in his student days, as a follower of the new science. On the other, a group of political conspirators are stirring up sectarian hatreds in their scheme to overthrow the Crown.
Struggling to protect all he holds dear, Luke leans heavily on his cavalry officer brother, his friends, and his faithful deputy, Robshaw. But he has a secret, which may be clouding his judgement. At the moment of truth, will he choose love or duty?