The brand new Oswald de Lacy thriller, for fans of C.J. Sansom, Minette Walters and S.J. Parris.
A Publishers Weekly Book of the Year!
‘Living legends Andrew Taylor and Susanna Gregory; bestselling phenomena SJ Parris and CJ Sansom… a league of extraordinary resurrectionists. If you love their books, I invite you to visit fourteenth-century England, with SD Sykes … Savour the company of young Oswald de Lacy, among the most appealing historical sleuths currently on the hunt.’ A.J. Finn
‘A fascinating glimpse of an almost forgotten period of history.’ Andrew Taylor
‘Sykes give it (plague) a life and character of its own – swift, remorseless and deadly’ New York Times
***
1361. Plague has returned to England – thirteen years after the devastation of The Black Death.
As destruction advances towards his estate in Kent, Oswald de Lacy leads his family to the safety of a remote castle in the marshes – where his friend Godfrey is preparing a fortress to survive the coming disaster.
The rules are clear: once the de Lacys and other guests are inside the castle the portcullis will be lowered and no-one permitted to enter or leave until the Pestilence has passed.
And then a murderer strikes.
Oswald is confronted with a stark choice – leave and face the ravages of the plague, or stay and place his family at the mercy of a brutal killer. With word of his skills as an investigator preceding him, it falls to Oswald to unmask the murderer in their midst. Host, guest, or servant – everyone is a suspect in this poisoned refuge of secrets, deceit and malice.
A Publishers Weekly Book of the Year!
‘Living legends Andrew Taylor and Susanna Gregory; bestselling phenomena SJ Parris and CJ Sansom… a league of extraordinary resurrectionists. If you love their books, I invite you to visit fourteenth-century England, with SD Sykes … Savour the company of young Oswald de Lacy, among the most appealing historical sleuths currently on the hunt.’ A.J. Finn
‘A fascinating glimpse of an almost forgotten period of history.’ Andrew Taylor
‘Sykes give it (plague) a life and character of its own – swift, remorseless and deadly’ New York Times
***
1361. Plague has returned to England – thirteen years after the devastation of The Black Death.
As destruction advances towards his estate in Kent, Oswald de Lacy leads his family to the safety of a remote castle in the marshes – where his friend Godfrey is preparing a fortress to survive the coming disaster.
The rules are clear: once the de Lacys and other guests are inside the castle the portcullis will be lowered and no-one permitted to enter or leave until the Pestilence has passed.
And then a murderer strikes.
Oswald is confronted with a stark choice – leave and face the ravages of the plague, or stay and place his family at the mercy of a brutal killer. With word of his skills as an investigator preceding him, it falls to Oswald to unmask the murderer in their midst. Host, guest, or servant – everyone is a suspect in this poisoned refuge of secrets, deceit and malice.
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Reviews
Praise for S D Sykes
Sykes is a master at combining historical setting with mystery
The medieval CJ Sansom
The whodunnit aspect is neatly done, the family secrets and waspish relationships are intriguing, and humour and originality are abundant.
An intriguing and vivid addition to an increasingly interesting series, and a fascinating glimpse of an almost forgotten period of history.
Chilling and evocative. This book will have you gripped from the first page to the last
An ingenious, twisty plot with memorable characters in an intriguing siege narrative
Living legends Andrew Taylor and Susanna Gregory; bestselling phenomena SJ Parris and CJ Sansom... a league of extraordinary resurrectionists. If you love their books, I invite you to visit fourteenth-century England, with SD Sykes ... Savour the company of young Oswald de Lacy, among the most appealing historical sleuths currently on the hunt.
If you love C.J. Sansom, you have to read S.D. Sykes. Her Oswald de Lacy series just gets better and better. The Bone Fire is a wonderfully claustrophobic and compelling mystery, filled with clever twists, fascinating characters and flashes of Sykes's sly wit. Utterly immersive, utterly gripping historical crime at its very, very best.
Neatly done, crisply-paced historical... written with a fine sense of place and time
Sykes' fourth is anchored in a grimly evocative first-person narrative reminiscent of Poe, and there's a whodunit to boot.
Sykes effectively uses her diligent research in the service of a memorable plot. This outing reinforces her place in the historical mystery genre's top ranks.
Sykes effectively uses her diligent research in the service of a memorable plot. This outing reinforces her place in the historical mystery genre's top ranks.
An absolutely engrossing historical mystery
SD Sykes proves that she is not only on top of her historical fiction game but is also a mistress of the detective genre
The setting is fantastic [...] builds to a satisfyingly twisty climax
Enjoyable 'locked castle' mystery
Atmospheric, and well told
As the number of victims rises, Oswald knows he faces a threat every bit as great as the plague that now besieges the castle walls
Sykes gives it (plague) a life and character of its own - swift, remorseless and deadly
Sykes give it (plague) a life and character of its own - swift, remorseless and deadly
