The Ladder Dancer
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
The eighteenth-century musician and amateur sleuth witnesses a murder in the streets of Newcastle in this "clever mystery full of interesting characters" (Kirkus Reviews).
Newcastle upon Tyne, 1736. Newly married to a lady of means, musician Charles Patterson is learning to juggle his devotion to his craft with his responsibilities as a gentleman. Meanwhile, Richard Nightingale, a ladder dancer from London, is causing a stir with his flashy performances and flirtatious demeanor. But soon Charles has another complication in his life, as he once again must investigate a murder.
When a child is run down and killed by an unknown horseman, Charles is the only witness close enough to see that the collision was no accident. With the help of his young protégé Kate, Charles vows to hunt down the rider. But when Nightingale is attacked next, Charles realizes the situation is far more complicated than he first realized.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A chance encounter in the streets of Newcastle-upon-Tyne sets musician Charles Patterson in pursuit of the horseman who cost an infant its life in Southey's evocative fifth 18th-century historical (after 2010's Chords and Discords). The newlywed Charles juggles his amateur sleuthing with his responsibilities as a musician including concert ticket sales and teaching while striving to reconcile his newfound status as a gentleman with his devotion to his trade. Disruptive new arrivals from London, notably Richard Nightingale, the eponymous "ladder dancer," and unpleasant, disreputable law student Cuthbert Ridley, cause a stir among Newcastle's musical patrons. Matters are further complicated when a 12-year-old street girl attaches herself to Charles, determined to become his apprentice. Paranormal elements such as departed spirits and a secret parallel world accessible only by Charles and a few others provide for some unusual detecting methods. Charles's engaging emotional struggles help compensate for the sometimes deliberate pace.
