A diamond found in an unusual place brings another case for Jacob Silver and Sarah Simm.
Having been implicated in several burglaries, the notorious Bishop brothers fled the Oxfordshire countryside to disappear into the streets of Victorian London. They might have remained more or less forgotten in their home town, but twenty years on, two suspicious deaths and the discovery of a hidden jewel worth a small fortune bring them to the attention of the police again. Clock repairer Jacob Silver and his wife Sarah join forces with the police in a case that takes them from the Cotswolds to London and back again to learn why the Bishops fled and why they have returned home to die.
'Diamond in the Dust' is the fourteenth novel in the Silver and Simm Victorian Mysteries series.
Excerpt
Jacob and Inspector Carey came to a halt in front of the bookshop. Jacob turned to open the shop door.
“Inspector! Hold on a moment, if you please.”
The request came from the far side of the street, where a tall, stern-looking man was coming down the steps of the building opposite. Jacob suddenly lost interest in buying a new novel to read, because Dr Sheridan obviously had something urgent to convey and he wanted to know what it was.
Sheridan dodged a delivery cart, crossed the road and arrived at Carey’s side. He barely gave Jacob a glance, probably realizing that anything he said would be passed on.
“There’s been another one,” he said.
“Another what?” Carey asked.
Sheridan looked around, noting that several people had suddenly discovered an urgent need to look in the window of the bookshop, never mind that they probably didn’t open a book from one year to the next. Even Robert Easton, the bookshop’s elderly owner, was peering curiously through the window.
“Perhaps it would be better if we spoke in the surgery,” the doctor said. “I was planning to come to the police station, but then I glimpsed you on the street. I see you are bound on some errand; can it wait a few minutes?”
“I expect so,” Carey said.
Jacob wondered if he should offer to carry on to the post office and send the telegrams on the inspector’s behalf. He decided not to.
“Come along, Jacob,” Carey said. “You may as well, since I have a feeling Dr Sheridan’s information is connected with the subject we were discussing earlier. Is that acceptable, Doctor?”
Sheridan waved a hand absently, which Jacob took to mean he could listen to the inspector and doctor’s conversation in the surgery. Leaving the gawking pedestrians behind, the three of them crossed the street and mounted the steps. The door was opened by the doctor’s wife, a laconic woman whose experience of battlefield nursing made her nearly his equal in medical knowledge.
The door closed behind them and Carey said, “You said there has been another one, Doctor? Could you explain?”
“Yes. There has been another death, early this morning. Another man named Bishop.”
Professional Reviews
Wonderful Story
I have read all the Silver and Simm mysteries, and loved them , but I believe this one is the best. History and mystery are twisted together in a tale that never sags or loses action. Although fairly easy to figure out who was actually the murderer, engaging characters keep the story going. I would like more of these mysteries, please. and if you are just discovering them go back to the first one and see how it all began.
Another good story in a good series
I haven't yet read all the Silver and Simms books, finding them in the middle of the series. Eventually, I'll go back and read from the beginning. It's one of those series that can be picked up anywhere and enjoyed.
Diamonds in the Dust is a "cold case" mystery that starts with the discovery of hidden merchandise, and an old investigation gets new life when a clock maker gets involved. Eventually, this mystery gets too big for England's trickiest town!
Great Series
This series just gets better and better, as the characters develop.
