Dark Waters

A contested election in 1741 Preston, England, propels Blake’s particularly clever second historical featuring the investigative team of coroner Titus Cragg and Dr. Luke Fidelis (after 2012’s A Dark Anatomy). The drowning death of Antony Egan, an inn landlord related to Cragg by marriage, appears to be accidental, until an eel fisherman’s testimony raises questions about the wind direction on the river that day. If the fisherman is correct, then Egan’s hat, found on a bush overhanging the water, could not have been blown there. Cragg speculates that the hotly fought battle between Tories and Whigs could be behind the murder, after finding a list dropped by a shady political operative with Egan’s name crossed out. Another suspicious death, that of farmer John Allcroft, who was, like Egan, an intended Tory voter, reinforces Cragg’s theory. Even experienced mystery readers will be surprised by the logical solution—and gratified at how much effort the author put into carefully constructing the plot. (Aug.)