I love this series! That’s exactly what I said out loud the moment I closed The Brampton Ghost Murders, Book 7 of Ellis Blackwood’s phenomenal Samuel Pepys Mysteries.
While I knew the first book, The Brampton Witch Murders, was a brilliant debut, Blackwood has never ceased to amaze me in each of the subsequent stories he’s spun, the depth of his characters, the richness of the 17th century worlds he creates, and the perfectly paced intricacies of his plots, inspired by Pepys’ actual diaries – each installment better than the last with mysteries that keep you guessing.
In The Brampton Ghost Murders, Pepys’ inquisitors Abigail and Jacob return to the village of Brampton to find bags of gold Pepys had sent to his family home for burial in the back garden. According to the diaries, Pepys did in fact send his gold to Brampton for hiding when a Dutch invasion was feared might sail up the Thames.
Abigail and Jacob weren’t particularly keen on returning to a town where grudges were easily held against them, where there had been palpable evil in the guise of the Witchfinder General and residents who believed the women he had accused of being witches, including Pepys’ sister, Paulina, were just that.
Then there’s the ghost. With a fire damaging a local inn and no room at the Pepys’ home, the inquisitors were made to sleep in a cottage deep in the dark woods, where the ghost of the Wychwood Drummer was said to roam. A perfect read for the most ghoulish time of the year – at night during a power outage made it especially atmospheric.
I highly recommend The Brampton Ghost Murders to lovers of historical fiction, British mysteries and suspense and recommend giving the entire series as gifts to your favorite mystery lover. I received this advanced reader copy from Vintage Mystery Press, courtesy of the author.
Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.
While I knew the first book, The Brampton Witch Murders, was a brilliant debut, Blackwood has never ceased to amaze me in each of the subsequent stories he’s spun, the depth of his characters, the richness of the 17th century worlds he creates, and the perfectly paced intricacies of his plots, inspired by Pepys’ actual diaries – each installment better than the last with mysteries that keep you guessing.
In The Brampton Ghost Murders, Pepys’ inquisitors Abigail and Jacob return to the village of Brampton to find bags of gold Pepys had sent to his family home for burial in the back garden. According to the diaries, Pepys did in fact send his gold to Brampton for hiding when a Dutch invasion was feared might sail up the Thames.
Abigail and Jacob weren’t particularly keen on returning to a town where grudges were easily held against them, where there had been palpable evil in the guise of the Witchfinder General and residents who believed the women he had accused of being witches, including Pepys’ sister, Paulina, were just that.
Then there’s the ghost. With a fire damaging a local inn and no room at the Pepys’ home, the inquisitors were made to sleep in a cottage deep in the dark woods, where the ghost of the Wychwood Drummer was said to roam. A perfect read for the most ghoulish time of the year – at night during a power outage made it especially atmospheric.
I highly recommend The Brampton Ghost Murders to lovers of historical fiction, British mysteries and suspense and recommend giving the entire series as gifts to your favorite mystery lover. I received this advanced reader copy from Vintage Mystery Press, courtesy of the author.
Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.
