Murder by Misrule

The Francis Bacon Mystery Series, Book 1

By: Anna Castle

Narrated by: Joel Froomkin

Francis Bacon is charged with investigating the murder of a fellow barrister at Gray's Inn. He recruits his unwanted protégé Thomas Clarady to do the tiresome legwork. The son of a privateer, Clarady will do anything to climb the Elizabethan social ladder.

Bacon's powerful uncle, Lord Burghley, suspects Catholic conspirators of the crime, but other motives quickly emerge. Rival barristers contend for the murdered man's legal honors and wealthy clients. Highly-placed courtiers are implicated as the investigation reaches from Whitehall to the London streets.

Bacon does the thinking; Clarady does the fencing. Everyone has something up his pinked and padded sleeve. Even the brilliant Francis Bacon is at a loss - and in danger - until he sees through the disguises of the season of Misrule.

©2104 Anna Castle (P)2017 Anna Castle

Annoying characters

I am not sure if it was the performance or how the characters were written, but I had a tough time with this book. Just didn't care if the murderer got all of them.

Great Book. Great Voice artist!

I enjoyed this book very much. It’s always tricky with historical mysteries. Easy to fall into traps and tropes. The author did neither. Even minor characters were well drawn and three dimensional. Many of the twists and plot points caught me off guard – which is awesome. Details of the period were handled very deftly. Also, I’m glad I experienced this as an audiobook. The voice artist is amazing! I don’t rave easily, but he handled genders, accents and regional dialects like a master actor, which he must be. Kudos to all.

Entertaining!

Great summer read. I love reading about English history. Cannot wait to read Book Two.

delightful chatacters. history come alive. I feel as if I've been on vacation in oxford.

Thoroughly Entertaining

I truly enjoyed this book to the fullest. What a wonderful Historical Fiction that keep you on your toes with mystery, had you laughing out loud with witty writing ,and had you fully engrossed in the lives of the characters author Anna Castle developed. I looked forward to listening to this book every chance I got. I will without a doubt be looking for more of Anna's works.

Narrator Joel Froomkin was superb. He had a smooth and careful narration with a knack for keeping the listener engaged. I appreciated his ability to stay true to the heightened language but not go over the top. I would love to listen to more of his work.

Overall, a wonderful book. I would recommend it to all.

This audiobook was given to me in exchange for an honest review.