Cabinetmaker Nathaniel Hopson is apprenticed to Thomas Chippendale in London in the 1750s. His friend and fellow apprentice, John Partridge, has gone missing and Chippendale sends Hopson to Horseheath Hall near Cambridge to oversee work on Lord Montfort's library - a job Partridge has designed and worked on. During a dinner party Lord Montfort excuses himself from the table and a shot is heard from the new library.
Nathaniel Hopson is first on the scene and discovers the body of his Lordship,
covered in leeches and with an exquisitely carved box clutched in his hand.
The plot is as intricately carved and as full of secrets as the little box.
This is a very elegant and entertaining book. It's extremely well-researched
and the historical aspects are woven in wonderfully - giving insights into furniture
making, foundling hospitals, and the malodorous and decadent London of the mid
18th century. This sometimes slows the pace, but the details were so fascinating
that I didn't find it a major problem. I was not totally convinced about Hopson's
involvement in the investigation, and he was sometimes a tad annoying, but overall
I really enjoyed this book, and I liked the mix of fictional and historical
characters.
------
Donna Moore Janet’s second book The Serpent in the Garden was published
in March 2003.