Death Among the Ruins - (A Lucy Campion Mystery) by Susanna Calkins (Hardcover)

About the Book

London, 1668. When printer's apprentice Lucy Campion comes to the aid of a desperate young ragpicker, arrested for graverobbing, little does she suspect that the meeting will have unexpected consequences. For when Mercy finds a dead woman in the ruins of Christchurch, dressed in unexpected finery, it's to Lucy who she turns for help ...

Book Synopsis

Midnight assignations, dresses fit to meet the queen . . . and murder most horrid! Printer's apprentice Lucy Campion investigates a puzzling death in this thrilling historical mystery set in seventeenth-century London.

London, 1668. Printer's apprentice Lucy Campion is suspicious when she meets a young ragpicker who claims to have fine clothes to sell from a lady of quality. Are the garments stolen . . . or a sign of something worse?

Her suspicions are soon realized when the clothes are identified as belonging to a recently deceased elderly aristocrat. Young Mercy Sykes has robbed a grave! Mercy is arrested, and it's only thanks to Lucy's intervention that the ragpicker, who's struggling to support her family, isn't locked up.

Lucy doesn't expect to see Mercy again, but their meeting soon has unexpected consequences. For when Mercy finds a dead woman in the ruins of Christchurch, dressed in unexpected finery, it's to Lucy who she turns for help . . .

Lucy Campion is a feisty working-class heroine, plying her trade as a printer's apprentice in Renaissance London. If you're new to the series (it's safe to jump right in), we can't wait for you to meet her in this twisty, puzzle-packed historical mystery, brimming with authenticity!

Review Quotes

Witty and colorful-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Another winning entry in the crisply detailed Lucy Campion series-- "Booklist"

A crisply written, cleverly plotted, and nicely detailed historical mystery, with a lively heroine and a satisfying ending-- "Booklist on The Sign of the Gallows"

A nice option for devotees of Anne Rutherford and Samuel Thomas-- "Library Journal on A Death Along the River Fleet"

An enjoyably complex mystery with a clever heroine neatly interweaves detailed historical background with fascinating characters-- "Kirkus Reviews on A Death Along the River Fleet"

An involving tale. Solid historical mystery, with intriguing hints about the future-- "Booklist on A Death Along the River Fleet"

Calkins makes fine use of advances in mathematics and cryptography of this period, while also drawing in the chaos of the Great Fire and plague in London as agents of change in society. For anyone interested in 17th-century England, this mystery is a treat-- "Publishers Weekly on The Sign of the Gallows"

Creepy and ingenious-- "Kirkus Reviews on The Cry of the Hangman"

Lavish period detail, romantic tension, and a complex puzzle make the heroine's fifth adventure one of her best-- "Kirkus Reviews on The Sign of the Gallows"

Packed with intriguing historical details, which ably support a clever plot and a captivating heroine-- "Booklist on The Cry of the Hangman"

This series keeps getting better-- "Publishers Weekly on The Cry of the Hangman"

About the Author

Susanna Calkins is the author of the award-winning Lucy Campion mystery series, set in seventeenth-century London, and the Speakeasy mysteries, set in Prohibition-era Chicago. She has a PhD in history and works at Northwestern University. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she currently lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two sons.