The Rose in the Wheel is the first book in the series set in regency London. It is 1811 and still a time when there is delineation between the different classes. It is also a time when the merits of a centralised police force are being hotly debated.
When a coach kills wealthy philanthropist Constance Tyrone it becomes known at the inquest that her death was more than just a case of hit and run. Nevertheless, who would have wanted to kill the daughter of a Baronet? Could it be any of those who disliked her charity work and her views? The obvious suspect is a rather dissolute painter called Jeremy Wolf who has been commissioned by the late woman’s father to paint her portrait. Wolfe hoping to improve his station in life is not above a little blackmail, but did he commit the heinous crime that lands him in Newgate Prison? His estranged wife does not believe so and in order to prove his innocence she finds herself unofficially investigating the matter. The official investigation on the other hand is conducted by an inquisitive Bow Street Runner John Chase and a reluctant attorney Edward Buckler who agrees to work for free.
The Rose in the Wheel is set in the same location as P D James’ The Maud and the Pear Tree and it also uses a real incident as its background. The characters are interesting and the author has written about an era that lends itself to description very well. The reader is drawn into a foggy London, the seamy dens, pubs and tenements that were prevalent during that period. Historical crime fiction always lends itself to fascinating reading and the regency age is no exception. If you want to be drawn into a suspenseful and engrossing tale then certainly read this book. The Rose in the Wheel is the perfect type of book for a cold winter night in the front of a fire.
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Ayo Onatade