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Rusty Macduff #4
The Lost King
For King and Country – but which one?
Rusty Macduff specialises in the awkward cases in the golden age of crime. But this client is unusual even for him.
Mr Chaos Smith claims to be the heir to an ancient kingdom located in a small town between London and Portsmouth.
He has a problem: archaeologists have been digging up the barrows on the nearby heath and are about to reveal their findings to the public.
Legend tells that the largest barrow holds the body of the first monarch of the town and half the crown that would give a man the right to rule. The other half? That’s currently in a bank vault on the high street. And there is no lack of interest in stealing it.
Which is why Rusty has been hired: to try and steal it first.
This book is a love letter not only to light-hearted fiction like P. G. Wodehouse and the Father Brown Mysteries by G. K. Chesterton, but to the almost vanished genre of thrilling books about unlikely kingdoms – such as The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope, King Ottakar's Sceptre by Hergé, Oliver VII by Antal Szerb, and The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling. In short, think Passport to Pimlico meets Raymond Chandler. The Rusty Macduff mysteries can be read in any order – so jump into THE LOST KING right now, and escape to the newest little kingdom in the world, where bloody murder and foul conspiracy are afoot, and only one detective can stop it…
Rusty Macduff specialises in the awkward cases in the golden age of crime. But this client is unusual even for him.
Mr Chaos Smith claims to be the heir to an ancient kingdom located in a small town between London and Portsmouth.
He has a problem: archaeologists have been digging up the barrows on the nearby heath and are about to reveal their findings to the public.
Legend tells that the largest barrow holds the body of the first monarch of the town and half the crown that would give a man the right to rule. The other half? That’s currently in a bank vault on the high street. And there is no lack of interest in stealing it.
Which is why Rusty has been hired: to try and steal it first.
This book is a love letter not only to light-hearted fiction like P. G. Wodehouse and the Father Brown Mysteries by G. K. Chesterton, but to the almost vanished genre of thrilling books about unlikely kingdoms – such as The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope, King Ottakar's Sceptre by Hergé, Oliver VII by Antal Szerb, and The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling. In short, think Passport to Pimlico meets Raymond Chandler. The Rusty Macduff mysteries can be read in any order – so jump into THE LOST KING right now, and escape to the newest little kingdom in the world, where bloody murder and foul conspiracy are afoot, and only one detective can stop it…
276 pages, Paperback
Published October 30, 2023
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 28, 2022
August 2022 Review Read
So where do I start with this latest Rusty Macduff outing ? Well digressing slightly from my review, like Rusty I was born and grew up in London, and whilst Rusty was I’m guessing born in the early 1890s ( to be corrected/confirmed by C.A.W. Parker ), and I was born over half a century later (some jokers will say otherwise) I feel this affinity with him, and in some ways even jealousy (especially of his early years as an irregular). And then like Rusty I also lived for many years around the Surrey/West Sussex/ Hampshire border, and although I was finally a little further south than Rusty my knowledge of the towns and villages in which he has his adventures reinforces that affinity.
Ok , back to the review, this time we are in Petersfield, a lovely market town on the Hampshire side of the county border. After receiving a strange parcel at his local pub in Frensham Woods and realising he is being openly followed by a strange man who is now also in the pub staring at him , Rusty starts to get suspicious. What is this parcel, covered in weird stamps. and who is the grinning man in what is an out of the way pub that rarely sees strangers?
Dealing with these questions in his own inimitable way, Rusty is soon being offered a job of work by the stranger. He wants him to steal crown jewels from a vault in a Petersfield bank for the King of Petersfield. All seems straight forward enough.
If I mentioned every twist and turn , every sniggering moment, every strange character, every near miss and every adventure that Rusty experiences over the next few weeks during his stay in Petersfield I would not only be spoiling the book for you, but re-writing the wonderful novel that is The Lost King: A page-turning laugh-out-loud cosy noir mystery set in the golden age of crime
I first came across Rusty in The Girl for the Gold, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Every novel and novella since have made me laugh, cringe and walk away from the finished story amused, uplifted and full of admiration for CAW Parker the author. This book is no different. And although I have only just finished it, to write this review, I know I will re-read very soon, to ensure I get every joke, nuance and witticism that I missed in this read,
And finally despite this just being released, I will be looking forward to the next instalment in The Adventures and Cases of Rusty Macduff.
Thanks as ever to the talented C.A.W. Parker.
So where do I start with this latest Rusty Macduff outing ? Well digressing slightly from my review, like Rusty I was born and grew up in London, and whilst Rusty was I’m guessing born in the early 1890s ( to be corrected/confirmed by C.A.W. Parker ), and I was born over half a century later (some jokers will say otherwise) I feel this affinity with him, and in some ways even jealousy (especially of his early years as an irregular). And then like Rusty I also lived for many years around the Surrey/West Sussex/ Hampshire border, and although I was finally a little further south than Rusty my knowledge of the towns and villages in which he has his adventures reinforces that affinity.
Ok , back to the review, this time we are in Petersfield, a lovely market town on the Hampshire side of the county border. After receiving a strange parcel at his local pub in Frensham Woods and realising he is being openly followed by a strange man who is now also in the pub staring at him , Rusty starts to get suspicious. What is this parcel, covered in weird stamps. and who is the grinning man in what is an out of the way pub that rarely sees strangers?
Dealing with these questions in his own inimitable way, Rusty is soon being offered a job of work by the stranger. He wants him to steal crown jewels from a vault in a Petersfield bank for the King of Petersfield. All seems straight forward enough.
If I mentioned every twist and turn , every sniggering moment, every strange character, every near miss and every adventure that Rusty experiences over the next few weeks during his stay in Petersfield I would not only be spoiling the book for you, but re-writing the wonderful novel that is The Lost King: A page-turning laugh-out-loud cosy noir mystery set in the golden age of crime
I first came across Rusty in The Girl for the Gold, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Every novel and novella since have made me laugh, cringe and walk away from the finished story amused, uplifted and full of admiration for CAW Parker the author. This book is no different. And although I have only just finished it, to write this review, I know I will re-read very soon, to ensure I get every joke, nuance and witticism that I missed in this read,
And finally despite this just being released, I will be looking forward to the next instalment in The Adventures and Cases of Rusty Macduff.
Thanks as ever to the talented C.A.W. Parker.
September 10, 2022
A glorious, witty, uplifting story with a touch of noir. Rusty Macduff specialises in awkward cases but this case is unusual erm for him. Mr Chaos Smith claims to be the heir to an ancient kingdom in Hampshire. The case starts with a bang quite literally and develops with twists and turns, conspiracies and comics, murder and mayhem. It is gas paced, wonderfully weird, witty with an edge of noir. C A W Parker is a great writer and storyteller. I look forward to reading more of these. I received a complimentary copy from the Author and am leaving a honest voluntary review.
October 6, 2022
Feeling a little down after watching the news? When was the last time you got a package that clicked and you couldn’t get rid of it? Then your hired by a fellow who claims to be royalty but people throw their sandwiches and soup at him and and you. That’s only in the first chapters of the new Rusty mystery. Hooked from the beginning with keystone cops package problem and then down the rabbit hole to find a king that people throw food at. It’s a feel good romp with Rusty.
August 24, 2022
At times I wondered if Rusty would survive this adventure with all his parts intact!!Intact!!! It is fast pacer and so many twists and turns that I got confused sometimes. The ending was a major shocker when it was revealed. Enjoy. I did!
September 13, 2022
This was a fast paced and easy read. Loved all the twists and turns. Would recommend to all who like a bit of laughter wit and noir.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews