Searcher of the Dead

February 5, 2018
Set in 1593, this solid series launch from Herriman (No Pity for the Dead and one other Mystery of Old San Francisco) introduces herbalist Bess Ellyott, who flees London for Wiltshire, where she has family, after her husband’s suspicious death. But the countryside is not the peaceful refuge she seeks: her merchant brother-in-law, Fulke Crofton, is found hanging from a tree. Even though the coroner rules it a suicide, Bess examines the corpse in secret and decides otherwise—and then launches her own investigation, aided by Constable Kit Harwoode. Trying to solve the mystery plunges Bess into the fascinating political and religious turmoil of the Elizabethan era, when Catholic plots seethed against the Protestant queen. The plot builds, at times slowly, to a satisfying conclusion. Readers who relish details of daily life in a Tudor town and dialogue littered with “zounds” and “good morrow” will enjoy this story most; romance fans will savor the budding attraction between Bess and Kit. Herriman is off to a promising start with this Tudor historical. Agent: Natasha Kern, Natasha Kern Literary Agency.