A Murder of Crows

Sir Robert Carey #5

by P.F. Chisholm, Patricia Finney

It's September 1592, and Sergeant Dodd is still in London with dashing courtier Sir Robert Carey. Carey urgently needs to get back to Carlisle where he is the Deputy Warden; the raiding season is about to begin. However, his powerful father, Henry, Lord Hunsdon, wants him to solve the mystery of a badly decomposed corpse that has washed up from the Thames on Her Majesty's privy steps.

Meanwhile, although he hates London, Sergeant Dodd has decided not to go north until he has taken revenge for his mistreatment by the Queen's Vice Chamberlain, Thomas Heneage. Carey's father wants him to sue, but none of the lawyers in London will take the brief against such a dangerous courtier. Soon a mysterious young lawyer with a pock-marked face eagerly offers to help Dodd. And then, just as Carey is resigning himself to the delay, the one person he really does not want to see again arrives in London to stir up everything.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Crime, Audiobook

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Also known as Patricia Finney.

Reviews

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5★
“As he went to sleep, he thought happily that he now had all the explanation he needed for Carey’s wild streak. By God, the Careys were an entertaining bunch.”

Indeed they are. While this is the fifth book in the Sir Robert Carey historical fiction series, the point of view belongs to Sergeant Henry Dodd, Land Sergeant of Gilsland. He’s come from the northern border country to London with Sir Robert, so this is partly a fish-out-of-water story.

Sir Robert’s father is Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon,generally believed to be the bastard son of Henry VIII and Mary Boleyn, making him a powerful first cousin to Queen Elizabeth.

Sir Robert is Hunsdon’s youngest (eighth!) son, a clever, handsome charmer, who has expensive tastes, so is always broke. He’s also a gallant courtier and a ladykiller, but his heart belongs to a married woman, sigh . . . (and we don't like her husband).

It is when Dodd meets Sir Robert’s parents that he thinks of Carey’s “wild streak”, and I have to say, I was happy to meet them, too. Much of the action takes place on or around (or in) the Thames. The crowding and filth of the city is well described.

“. . . something like what happens to a treetrunk had happened to the old abbey. Small creatures taking up residence, large ones raising broods there, huts and houses like fungus erupting in elaborate ramparts that ate the old walls to build themselves. There was a long area of weedy waste ground stretching down to the river and inevitably filling with the huts, vegetable gardens, chickens, pigs, goats and dirty children of the endless thousands of peasants flooding into London to make their fortune.”

The book opens with a body that’s been fished out of the river, minus its feet, but nobody seems to know, or will admit, who it is. People came to sticky ends in Elizabethan times. We aren’t subjected to much direct torture, fortunately, but we see an execution, heads on pikes, and some of the ‘toys’ of the dastardly Richard Topcliffe, whom Wikipedia describes as “an investigator and practitioner of torture”. As Kit (Christopher) Marlowe says of him

“‘Topcliffe is…well he’s ingenious and he’s very good at his job which he likes very much. . .

He’s a freelance inquisitor. . . I don’t want him after me. Because he’s completely insane and kills for fun and Heneage protects him, gives him completely free rein.’

‘I heard Topcliffe buys the bawdy-house boys that get poxed and nobody ever sees them again,’ put in Poley.

‘How does he get away with it?’

‘The Queen protects him because she’s been told he’s useful. He’s mad, of course. Bedlam mad.’”

Both Marlowe and Will Shakespeare have roles in this adventure, which reminded me to look up a lot of the other characters, like Topcliffe and Heneage, to see who’s real and who’s fictitious. They’re both real, as are a surprising number of others, which is what’s so enjoyable about good historical fiction.

It’s like reading gossip magazines that are several hundred years old. Whole power structures rose and fell on the jealousies of the nobility and the notoriously moody whims of rulers. What we’re experiencing in today’s politics is nothing new.

Dodd is increasingly frustrated that he can’t just slit someone’s throat and steal his horses because he’s been wronged (as he would have done at home), but at last he hears the glorious words

“‘Off you go, Sergeant. Please conduct the raid as you see fit.’"

But - he is asked not to kill anyone. Oh, the frustration!

“Somebody else came running at him and without thinking he kicked the men’s legs from under him and knocked him out. Jesu, he’d never fought so gently in his life.”

I did note a couple of anachronisms, but not enough to spoil the fun with some of my favourite people. I look forward to the next adventure, hoping poor Sergeant Dodd can get home to his Janet and his own clothes.

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fifth book in the Robert Carey series starts where book four left off. It takes place in London and you cannot fault the way this author describes life in the capital during Elizabethan times. She also brings a few famous characters into play such as Will Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe.
Carey's offsider, Sergeant Dodd, is the star of this book and he is a delight. The way he solves courtly London problems with Scots countryside logic is wonderful to behold.
This is such a readable series and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good historical mystery.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I accidently skipped this book in one of my favourite series and jumped from book 4 to 6, so it's an absolute delight to go back and spend some time with one of my favourite characters, Sergeant Dodd. Unlike earlier books, where he is a very able sidekick to his master, Sir Robert Carey, here he gets to be more front of stage and rely on his own wits and brand of Scottish logic to deal with difficult situations.

Carey and Dodd have been held up in Elizabethan London and are eager to get back to Carlisle. However, they get caught up in a plot which aims to swindle wealthy aristocrats and results in several deaths and also the arrival of Carey's redoubtable mother in town. Carey's mother is such a surprisingly delightful character, and it was fun to see Carey cowering in fear before her, although they obviously have a lot in common. Carey and Dodd also befriend the king of the London underworld, a colourful character himself, and Will Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe are also back, writing plays and poetry and dabbling in a little spying on the side. Such a great series - apart from great characters, lots of action, a bit of humour and a good mystery to solve, attention is also given to getting the historical detail and atmosphere right.

[Dara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably no one does Elizabethan period detail better than Patricia Finney (aka pen name P.F. Chisholm). You can almost feel the crowds jostling their way across London Bridge and smell the jakes (outhouses). Better yet, she has a great Sherlock-Watson duo in her characters Sir Robert Carey and Land Sergeant Henry Dodd who have solved crimes, rescued hostages and made mayhem through four previous books.

I hugely enjoyed their latest romp set in Elizabethan London, which features cameos by two down-at-the-heels playwrights, Chris Marlowe and Will Shakespeare. There are lots of narrow escapes and plot twists, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good period mystery.

However be sure to read the other books in the series first. It builds on the characters and situations in the previous books, and anyone starting the series with this book is sure to be confused.

[Peggyzbooksnmusic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very entertaining adventure with Sir Robert Carey and associates! As in the prior book, this is mostly told through the view point of Sergeant Dodd. Definitely recommend reading the series in order as this is a continuance of the prior book. As much as I love Dodd am looking forward to reading #6 next as Sir Robert Carey will be front and center again.

[Carl Brookins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detective novel with a distinct flair. London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was a loud, rowdy, stinking town of open sewers, disease, and the most rampant and egregious kind of crime and corruption. It’s a wonder the kingdom survived.

The corruption extended all the way up through the ranks into the Queen’s Court. The maneuvering for power, for the favor of the Queen, along with the necessary fending off of those courtiers who would supplant any Royal in the way of advancement was constant. For another look inside this society, read any of Shakespeare’s plays, especially the history plays and the tragedies.

The story occurs in 1592 and poet Will Shakespeare is a character here. It is six years before the building of the famous Globe Theater. The Queen’s Chamberlain is Lord Hunsdon. His son, Carey, also related to the Queen, of course, is a courtier with better than average intelligence. That’s a good thing because Carey is Deputy Warden, stationed in Carlisle, administering what passes for law enforcement in the north. Now, he’s in London with his man, Land Sergeant Dodd, as dour a rural Scot as you’re ever likely to meet in the pages of Elizabethan literature. The byplay and internal dialogues between these two principal characters is priceless and vastly illuminating.

It would take entirely too many words to even summarize the plot of this delightful, fast-paced, complicated novel. It’s about power; who has it and who wants it. Never mind. The story is in the maneuvering, in the interactions between the characters and the lively descriptions of Elizabethan London.

“A Murder of Crows” is part of a series so readers new to this author have several other books to look forward to. Important history engagingly presented, nuanced characters, and a fine story. I am delighted to find this author and her excellent books and recommend them without hesitation.

[Redsteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Plague of Angels (Sir Robert Carey #4), Murder of Crows is set in Elizabethan London, rather than on the Scottish border. As always, the history is excellent - although the author might be going overboard in speculating on the swashbuckling habits of Anne Carey (the protagonist's mom) - and there is plenty of action and intrigue. Shakespeare, Marlowe, Robert Cecil and other figures of the era feature in the story. 4 stars.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patricia Finney, writing as P.F. Chisholm, has created one of my favorite historical mystery series, but I thought the Sir Robert Carey books ended with the fourth, A Plague of Angels. I was thrilled when I learned that new books are now appearing under the Poisoned Pen Press imprint. A Murder of Crows takes up right where the fourth book ended, and I loved being back in the world of Carey and his wonderful Sergeant Dodd. Finney is masterful at adding historical detail without bogging down the narrative, whether it's Shakespeare's envy at another's top-of-the-line paper and pens, or with Dodd's comparison of London street life with his beloved North. Neither has her laugh-out-loud sense of humor disappeared, since Dodd serves as both delineator of sixteenth-century life and comic foil.

As suits any Elizabethan mystery, there are subplots aplenty, but I had no trouble keeping them sorted as I read this fast-paced tale. Sir Robert Carey takes a backseat in this book, but I have to admit that I didn't really miss him. This is due to two facts: Dodd is more than capable of handling the bulk of the action, and Finney adds a very intriguing character in the young lawyer, James Enys, who-- delightfully-- is not exactly what he seems to be. (Finney has since published Do We Not Bleed?, the first of what I hope will be many James Enys mysteries.)

If you're in the mood for a first-rate historical mystery that will sweep you back to Elizabethan England where you will laugh and try to puzzle out what's going on, you can't do much better than reading any of P.F. Chisholm's Sir Robert Carey mysteries. I love them!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, Chisholm (Patricia Finney) writes with an amazing grasp of 16th century England, especially in day to day life. Sir Robert Carey is back, still in London after his previous adventure and trying to solve a murder for his father, the Lord Chamberlain. Meanwhile, Sergeant Dodd has his own agenda, intent on retribution for the man who injured him in the previous book. Sergeant Dodd's dour character is a perfect point of view for the reader to see 16th century London and his take on Sir Robert is always entertaining.

I'm looking forward to another Robert Carey book and hoping for one from Carey's point of view next time. Sir Robert Carey was a real person in history and led every bit as exciting a life as Chisholm writes for him.

[Lexie Conyngham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable as usual, with a nicely complicated plot, but it did have the feeling of being a transitional book taking us from the previous one to the next one without any firm identity of its own. Two days later I had forgotten how it ended or indeed that I had finished it and had to go back and look, but I'm still keen to read the next one.

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is my least favourite in this series so far and for such a short book it certainly has a slow and plodding pace. This is perhaps because many of the events it covers are simply left overs from the previous book, leaving it with precious little plot of its own. The mystery to be solved here is very much a tangled web in the background rather than the main affair.

It also suffers from the London issue I had with the last book in that I simply found the set up and the characters of the borderlands more engaging and interesting. Much like Dodd doesn't really like Carey in full London courtier mode, I have to admit I didn't care for most of the characters... even the ones I was supposed to get. The exception being Carey's parents who are fairly awesome. Oh and Dodd, who gets to play the hero instead of the sidekick for a change.

[refgoddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this because none of the books I have on hold have come in. So, instead of looking for authors, I decided to look for readers. I loved Steven Crossley's reading of In the Woods, so I decided to give this one a try. He does a fabulous Scots accent, and the humor in this mystery comes through well in his narration. I like the historical details and the setting of Elizabethan England. But I probably won't pursue this series. For some reason, I found the mystery itself boring. I stuck with it because I really liked the character of Sergeant Dodd. He reminded me of the Wee Free Men: immoral, but practical, and on the side of good. And funny as hell.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sergeant Dodd stays in London in order to pursue satisfaction from the Lord who assaulted him and jailed him unfairly. Will Shakespeare plays a minor role. We meet Lady Huston, Carey's mother who is in command of a privateer. An intricate plot to sell worthless Cornish land to wealthy members of the court creates murder and mayhem in London. Entertaining with fast moving action and complexity upon complexity.

[Mary MacKintosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt the book captured a sense of life at this time effectively. Sergeant Dodd was a spectator, trying to figure out London life and English customs. There was a lot of conversation, and a lot of puzzlement on Dodd’s part. Frankly I slept through the last three chapters, and did not go back to figure out how we got to the ending, which was not as bloody as Dodd would have liked.

[Betsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well crafted, just not quite my cup of tea. I already knew a fair mount of Elizabethan history, but even so, it was a little difficult to keep up with who was who, and their respective positions in the hierarchy of Elizabethan politics.

[Monzell Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a new author for me, I like stories about the Henry VIII time period. There was several old English words that are listed at the end pages to refer to things we aren't familiar with these days. I will look for his other books too.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well paced and great characters - although I miss the borders and hope the next books move away from London!

[Joyce Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last Dodds steps out from Cary's shadow and carries much of the plot himself. He brings his uncompromising Northern ways to a feud in " The Soft South ". Brilliant.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great novel, Sir Robert and Sargent Dodd are in fine form, and meeting James Enys, utter barrister, was a deligh.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dodd is really the star of this one along with Carey's mother. I hope she has a recurring role. And we meet the inspiration for one of Shakespeare's plots.

[Kaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it really hard to follow.

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure about this at the first, but turned out pretty good. Think I will follow. This is another interesting characters. Shakespear!

[Gayle Turner]

Love this series

[Bill McFadyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good yarn .

[Lizzy]

Not enough crows and a waste of the title.

[SB · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Murder of Crows (A Sir Robert Carey Mystery) by P F Chisholm (2010)

[Andrea Love · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spent my time reading this book just trying to keep up. There is a ton of action and numerous characters to keep track of. By the time I reached the conclusion, I had completely forgotten the preface chapter which set up the tale. It is a good read, full of intrigue and mystery, and the characters fill in gaps through their dialogue in the pub. But overall, its a good read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the netgalley book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

As ever from Patricia Finney (under her pseudonym), a highly entertaining and historically well researched read. To the forefront in this story, set entirely in London, is Carey's underling, Land-Sergeant Henry Dodd. Carey (and most entertainly his mother, Lady Hunsdon) are there but two-thirds of the way through the yarn, Carey absents himself suddenly and barely without a word, leaving Dodd to pick up the threads of the mystery and solve it. Dodd has become, through this series of mysteries, as engaging a character as Carey and one that Finney is obviously coming to love as she develops him.

[Robert Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished 07/12/2014. Sir Robert & his landsman Sgt. Dodd have been falsely imprisoned & beaten under the auspices of the Queen's Vice Chamberlain Thomas Heneage and are in London to redress that problem. RC is asked by his father Lord Hunsdon to find out who a corpse is that was found in his jurisdiction with no feet & missing a joint off his forefinger. The lawyer that was to be available to press Dodd's suit refuses as do all the others except one who pursues the case with all diligence. Then turns out to be a woman. Good historical references to 1592 with Shakespeare, Marlowe, & other literary persons included. I like this book. +