Death in the Setting Sun

John Rawlings #10

by Deryn Lake

John Rawlings has never been happier. His apothecary business is doing well and he is blissfully content with his charming wife and adorable little daughter. Little does he know that his settled life is soon to be tragically shaken off course . . .

An evening out at an illustrious theatre party at Gunnersbury House, hosted by Princess Amelia, ends in tragedy when a guest is discovered murdered. Suspicion falls upon John Rawlings when he is found crouched over the inert figure. Despite his protestations of innocence, many at the scene, including the royally powerful Princess Amelia, believe John is the murderer and he is forced to go into hiding. John and his closest friends desperately try to delve through the layers of deception to uncover the truth, whilst struggling to come to terms with their own grief.

Countless adventures teach him it is not always easy to tell friend from foe and there are far more late night dealings at Gunnersbury House than he at first expects. But somewhere the vicious figure of the murderer is lurking and it is up to John to determine their identity before they strike again . . .

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Crime, British Literature

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Deryn Lake is a well-known historical novelist who joined the popular ranks of historical detective writers with her gripping John Rawlings Mysteries, Death in the Dark Walk, Death at the Devil's Tavern, Death on the Romney Marsh, Death in the Peerless Pool and Death at Apothecaries' Hall.

Deryn also writes popular historical romances including the acclaimed The King's Women, Sutton Place and Pour the Dark Wine.

Deryn Lake lives near Hastings, East Sussex

Reviews

[Sara G · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't the strongest entry in the John Rawlings mystery series, and really the only thing I enjoyed was the Georgian era setting. We didn't hear much from the enjoyable characters from the previous books and I figured out "whodunnit" very early on. The suspension of disbelief was just way too much. Hopefully the series gets back on track after this one.

[Peggy Richter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but troublesome

I enjoyed this book overall, but I also found it a bit troublesome. This is the 10th in the series and one would think rawlings would be wiser or more mature. But he's not. It takes a considerable time for him to see through the murderer's motives, but the main motive trully should have occurred to him. He has spent enough time with Fielding to know it's a common motive. Then there are the disquises. Seriously? Yes, people see what they expect to see, but there are limits. That said, the story is told well, and if one agrees to be somewhat credulous, it's enjoyable.

[Ana Mello · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rawlings did not grow up. Unfortunately the “ detecting” is very much like most books nowadays: suspecting everyone with far more imagination than logic, and getting to the obvious one in the last pages. I was specially annoyed by the one who was killed. The one normal person in the whole thing, and not adventurous actresses or ridiculous vigilant ladies.
Wish the man would think less with his nether regions aand used some brains for a change

[Virginia Tican · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Rawlings, after 3 years of marriage and one beautiful red~headed and Gifted daughter, has a Stalker. What I can not fathom is this ~ Having seen John at his shop when he was still single and right there and then decided to have him, why did The Stalker not make her move then given her crazy obsession with him and her knowledge from her study of him? Given that knowledge, she would have tailor~made herself to the type of woman Rawlings usually gravitate to and reel him in. Why wait until Emilia is pregnant with her second child to strike? For that matter, why allow him to even get betrothed much less marry when the field is quite free for her to ensnare John then? Even with deadly obsession as a motive plus delusions of a royal liaison (the Prince was her lover) or other aristocratic connections (the Earl was her lover) that may provide a method for the madness, I am still ambivalent about this one. This is also slow and I think not thoroughly thought through plus the culprit is pretty obvious given the author's narrative description from the time Priscilla re~introduced herself to Emilia's life as her old school mate. Not much of a Mystery here though the death of the Earl was a bit of a red herring, the author has still succeeded in hinting as to who the killer was and that the removal of Emilia from John's life thus making him a widower is the motive. (Based on the fact that Rawlings' investigations were all resting on Priscilla's story that someone is after her and had mistaken Emilia for her owing to the eye~catching red cloak including her imagined tragic love affair with the Prince resulting in a bastard child, all told to John by Priscilla which nobody could substantiate until all was revealed, all of which John did not even question nor verify... thus: A flawed hypothesis resulting to a flawed conclusion.)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1764. All is happy in the Rawlings household especially when wife Emilia discovers an old school friend, Priscilla Fleming. Priscilla works in the household of the Princess Amelia and has been set the task of organising a play for their entertainment, and persuades Emilia to take an acting part. But on the night of the play at Gunnersbury House a body is discovered. As it is John Rawlings who is discovered next to it he is accused. Now John must prove his innocence and find the guilty party, but unfortunately there will be more deaths.
Although I found it fairly easy to know who the guilty party was I still found this to be an enjoyable read

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

The John Rawlings series are based on real characters who lived in the 18th. century although the books are historical fiction. Lake writes really good books and this one is no exception. People are murdered and the mystery is who is the murderer and why are the victims chosen. The suspense continues until almost the end of the book, keeping the reader wondering how it will end. I really enjoyed this book.

[Patricia B. Tozier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I have not read the first 9 books in this series, it was very easy to read this book as a stand alone mystery, no cliffhangers. I enjoyed the main characters, and feel that they were well fleshed out. It did drag a little at the end, when the murderer was so obviously right under his nose, but that did little to mar the enjoyment of this mystery set in Victorian England.

[Kurry Swigert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably my favorite of the 10 I’ve read so far. Interesting characters, nothing that “jumped the shark”, and a good story-line. I even picked up on a clue and was never mentioned when the crimes were solved.

[Andrew Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good series

I'm enjoying the series very much and the dialogue is spot on for the period but this was the weakest storyline so far with much conveniently happening at just the right moment and the killer obvious from the moment it happens. Hoping things back on track in the next.

[S V B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep waking up at 4am and the only way I can get back to sleep is to read about John Rawlings solving crimes in Georgian times.
I liked this one despite guessing who the murderer was pretty early on. Joe Jago is my fav

[Diana Herrera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my Lord, what a terrible thing to do to your protagonist. I guess maybe she wanted his life to go in a different direction? The culprit was extremely obvious very early on too. Not one of my favourites from the series.

[Kim Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another enjoyable mystery in this really well-written series, with its very likeable cast of characters. Although I say it was enjoyable it was a little sad in places.

[LJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

First Sentence: Like many seasons that are destined to be severe, the winter of 1764 started moderately enough with mild evenings, crisp leaf falls, and a lot of fine clear sunshine in the daytime.

Apothecary John Rawlings is father to a very intelligent daughter, Rose, married to Emilia and expecting their second child. Emilia is surprised to be invited to Gunnersbury House and to take part in a Christmas Mask for Princess Amelia. When, after the play, John looks for Emilia, he finds her bleeding to death in the snow wearing the red cloak of another woman who claims she was the intended victim. But it is John who is accused of murder, set to be arrested and encouraged to escape in order to find the true killer.

Unfortunately, this was one of my least favorite books in what has otherwise been a very good series. However, it is not without its strengths.

Lake creates a very good sense of place and time through her detailed descriptions, manners, dress and the syntax of the characters’ speech. She also conveys a wonderful sense of impending doom without using foreshadowing, as is so common. That is something I very much appreciated.

There was a redundancy in describing Rose, but I can forgive that. What I’ve always had a problem with is a fault in John’s character. On one hand, John is smart, generous and I appreciate the gratitude and affection has for his father. However, it is his apparent fickleness toward women that has made him a difficult character toward I can feel empathy. That is a problem. Not liking the protagonist can definitely shade my feeling toward the story. Beyond that, I had a greater complaint.

The greatest fault I had with the book was that the story’s plot lacked depth. There was one very large coincidence and, to me, the killer was obvious from the start, even if the motive was not.

Every author should be allowed an off book. Due to the strength of her previous books, I am not giving up on Ms. Lake. Instead, my fingers are crossed that the next book in this series will return to the series I so enjoy.

DEATH IN THE SETTING SUN (Hist Mys-John Rawlings-England-Georgian) – Okay
Lake, Deryn – 10th in series
Allison & Busby, ©2004, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 0749083654

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Rawlings has never been happier. His apothecary business is doing well and he is blissfully content with his charming wife and adorable little daughter. Little does he know that his settled life is soon to be tragically shaken off course . . .

I enjoyed this book, the mystery was interesting and moved along at a fair pace. I have a couple of criticisms though. 1) John Rawlings has been helping out on cases for several years and yet doesn't twig who the murderer is, even though it is blatantly obvious. Not even an inkling. 2) I can understand people moving on after the death of a spouse but it seems too quick for him to be thinking about sleeping with someone else a mere 8 weeks after his wife was murdered. Not just died, murdered! This rather put me off. Rating: 4 stars for the mystery.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

A jolly romp through Regency England.... enjoyed it and the many murders.... although it is meant to be well-researched the characters don't(luckily) talk too much in olde Englysh.... but stick to reasonably formal/modern language. Lots of curl-tossing, fast horse riding and mention of chamber pots. Thank goodness for modern plumbing and medicine! Apothecary John Rawlings is an attractive 'detective'.... thanks to Bettie - I have a feeling she sent it to me. Would def read another though maybe not the whole series.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opening sentence: Like many seasons that are destined to be severe, the winter of 1764 started moderately enough with mild evenings, crisp leaf falls and a lot of fine clear sunshine in the daytime.

The mystery itself is not as cool as its George II era setting. Enjoyable enough

[Thasc · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting whodunnit. I guessed who the murderer was about half way through the story.

[Hazel Locke · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am a real fan of john rawlings.

[Margareth8537 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have enjoyed most of these Georgian mysteries

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Middle of a series so time to find book One!

[EndeavourPress4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is published by Endeavour Press