Mr. C. writes -
The Crown Agent is a debut historical novel by Edinburgh QC Stephen O’Rourke, who among other accomplishments is a friend of mine, so I declare an interest here; I also confess that I opened it with a degree of trepidation, rather like watching one of the children perform - you want it to be at least competent so you can say “well done!” without perjuring yourself. In the event I needn’t have worried, because he tells the tale so well that I devoured the book in a day.
It’s set in Scotland in 1829, and the hero is a young doctor Mungo Lyon, who is recruited by powerful Establishment figures to investigate murders and disappearances with political overtones. Mungo’s adventures take him though some very convincingly drawn locations - from the Grand Union Canal to Jamaica - and he is an engaging and sympathetic character. I thought the descriptions of place were particularly good - you can almost close your eyes and the smells and sounds of Greenock or Kingston are there - as were the action scenes. I look forward to hearing more from Dr Lyon and his creator.
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