Man's Storm

by Keith Heller

In the autumn of 1703, a great gale ripped through London. Many were killed, among them Joan Fletcher, the shrewish wife of Alan Fletcher, an ironmonger. But the savage blow that split her head points to more suspicious circumstances. Surreptitiously, George Man, a young parish watchman, trails the ironmonger through the dangerous back streets while the storm rages on. And as Fletcher¹s secret life emerges, a web of intrigue is uncovered, stretching from the brothels of Westminster to a brickworks owned by Daniel Defoe—who Man realizes holds the key to the murder, if only he can be found.

Genres: Fiction

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Fairuz Fatin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this among the other dusty vintage hardcovers that have never been at all read by my family despite they being the ones to take in the lot. I'm glad I gave it a shot though because every turn of the page was exciting. It's a mystery ride in stormy 18th-century London concerning the death of an ironmonger's wife and the interconnection of events leading up to her murder.

Okay, I was brought up by the manga Detective Conan so I love a good murder mystery, and this was it. The only problem was that the language is... honestly harder to understand than I anticipated. Most of the classics I've read were in the timeframe between the 19th to 20th centuries, so this was a new experience. I couldn't be aware of what was actually happening so I had no lead to think ahead of the plot. I mean, my understanding is sufficient, but the rest was just– it's hilarious. In my mind, the scenes looked just like a series of variations of the hazy and vague book cover. Definitely a fun read, though.

[Gisela Adriano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Em português encontrei traduzido por apenas "Temporal" e é uma verdadeira joia. Um policial como é raro encontrar.

[Fred Rauch · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a dark and stormy night (no, it is NOT a Peanuts cartoon). November 26, 1703. The winds howled and howled. Chimneys were tipped over killing people, giant elms were uprooted and the ironmongers wife was brutally murdered with one of the shops spades. George Man, parish watchman, sets out to solve the crime. He is advised by he watch commander/constable to stay inside and take care of the situation when the wind dies down. He does not. He solves the crime the next day - he stays up and out all night. Westminister is full of cutthroats and footpads - most of whom know Man. He avoids them and finds the killer to be someone close to the murdered woman. The time and place were not pleasant for man and even less for women. I am not going to spoil the end by revealing the killer and motive. You will have to read the book for yourself.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parish watchman George Man finds himself in the middle of a London storm, helping where he can, protecting the streets.

Heller uses Daniel Defoe's The Storm: Or a collection of the most remarkable casualties and disasters which happen'd in the late dreadful tempest, both by sea and land, published in 1704. Every frightening detail is exploded in Heller's narrative.