Fugitive from the Grave

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Description

1817. Upon receiving a letter from an old family friend, Catherine Van Emden returns from Holland to find her father dead. She refuses to believe the middle-aged man died of natural causes, and the suspicious circumstances of his life during the past few months compel her to ask Peter and Paul Skillen for help. Why would a successful engineer suddenly begin begging for alms on the streets Had he refused to ask for help, or was he prevented from doing so When his body is revealed missing from the casket, the twins embark on a chase of funerary agents, barmaids and body snatchers, trying to solve the mystery of George Parry's alleged death before their Bow Street rivals.

Reviews

"Set in 1817, Marston's rollicking fourth Bow Street Rivals mystery (after 2017's Date with the Executioner) pits bounty hunter twin brothers Peter and Paul Skillen against the Bow Street Runners, London's first official police force. Three straightforward story lines keep the action moving. One follows the mainly failed attempts of the official police to beat the brothers in their quest to apprehend wily and rather likable thief Harry Scattergood. Another involves Peter's efforts on the behalf of Clemency van Emden, a well-to-do woman who has come to London in search of her estranged father. In the third, Paul hunts for the dastardly highwaymen who robbed the coach carrying his attractive companion, Hannah Granville, the "finest actress of her generation." Kidnapping, grave robbing, stalking, theatrical peccadilloes, and miraculous inventions keep the reader entertained, as do visits to inns, pubs, restaurants, and brothels, not to mention some daring gallops along the road between London and Bath. Marston skillfully creates a lively sense of derring-do."--Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Edward Marston has written over 100 books, including some non-fiction. He is best known for his hugely successful Railway Detective series, the latest of which is The Circus Train Conspiracy. His other current series are the Home Front Detective, set in the Great War, and the Bow Street Rivals featuring identical twin detectives during the Regency.