The Bedlam Cadaver
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- £7.49
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- £7.49
Publisher Description
In late 17th Century London rich young women are being kidnapped, then murdered. Harry Hunt, formerly of the Royal Society but now a rich gentleman, is falsely accused. To clear his name, he must rely on his abandoned scientific expertise and battle the full force of the British aristocracy.
1681. London cooks in summer heat. Bonfires are lit in protest against the King’s brother, James, heir to the throne but openly Catholic. Rumours abound of a ‘Black Box’, said to conceal proof the King’s illegitimate son is really the rightful heir.
When a wealthy merchant’s daughter is kidnapped and murdered—even though a ransom was paid—the King orders Harry Hunt of the Royal Society to help investigate.
A second woman goes missing: Elizabeth Thynne, England’s richest heiress. Her husband has a ransom letter from the same kidnappers.
Pressured by powerful men to find the killers and rescue Elizabeth, Harry uncovers a disturbing link to Bethlehem Hospital, better known as Bedlam.
But he is falsely accused of the crimes.
To prove his innocence, he must find the real culprits. Harry’s search takes him from Rotherhithe to Whitehall Palace, and to the house of Sir Peter Lely, the famous portrait-painter, in Covent Garden.
And back to Bedlam.
He has the Monarchy’s future in his hands.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The violence and greed of Restoration-era England animate Lloyd's riveting third Hunt & Hooke historical mystery (after The Poison Machine). When a prestigious crowd including King Charles II assembles to observe the dissection of a young woman's body at the Royal Society of London, Harry Hunt, the society's former observator, halts the proceedings. Though the cadaver has been presented as a recent suicide from Bethlehem Hospital (a psychiatric facility better-known as "Bedlam"), Hunt claims it's actually the corpse of his neighbor, Diana Cantley. He joins forces with justice of the peace Sir John Reresby to determine why the two bodies were switched. As they collect information about each woman, a third disappears: 14-year-old Lady Elizabeth Percy, the richest heiress in England. When someone dumps one of the corpses in Hunt's home, he comes under suspicion, and goes into hiding until he can clear his name. Meanwhile, tensions simmer as one of Charles II's illegitimate sons vies to become heir to the British throne. Lloyd expertly weaves political and social history—including harrowing passages about the conditions at Bedlam—into a jaw-dropping mystery that grips from the first page and doesn't let go. This continues the author's winning streak.
