The Prophet

Bailey’s fine sequel to 2019’s The Almanack brings 1753 England to life. Tabitha De Vallory has come up in the world, having married the richest man in Cheshire, and the couple are expecting their first child. Then Tabitha and her husband, Nat, come across the butchered corpse of a pregnant woman under a legendary oak tree on the family estate. A murder inquiry ensues, and Tabitha is determined to apprehend the killer. Part of a ring found on the body provides a clue that leads Tabitha to identify the victim as Maria St. John, a former foundling at the local hospital. There are no shortage of suspects, including Baptist Gunn, a preacher who has surfaced in the area with a cultish group of followers and spouts claims that a second messiah will soon be born. The death also unsettles Nat, who has a connection to Maria he wishes to hide. Bailey offers an unexpected but satisfying solution to the murder. Fans of Anna Lee Huber and Imogen Robertson will be pleased. [em]Agent: Charlotte Seymour, Andrew Nurnberg Assoc. (U.K.) (May) [/em]