Francis Bacon is charged with investigating the murder of a fellow barrister at Gray’s Inn. He recruits his unwanted protégé Thomas Clarady to do the tiresome legwork. The son of a privateer, Clarady will do anything to climb the Elizabethan social ladder. Bacon’s powerful uncle Lord Burghley suspects Catholic conspirators of the crime, but other motives quickly emerge. Rival barristers contend … contend for the murdered man’s legal honors and wealthy clients. Highly-placed courtiers are implicated as the investigation reaches from Whitehall to the London streets. Bacon does the thinking; Clarady does the fencing. Everyone has something up his pinked and padded sleeve. Even the brilliant Francis Bacon is at a loss — and in danger — until he sees through the disguises of the season of Misrule.
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Murder By Misrule, the delightful debut historical mystery by Anna Castle, transported me to the Court of Queen Elizabeth I, where I learned that the young gentlemen studying law at the prestigious Gray’s Inn spent as much time on fashion and frolic as they did studying. This is the first in a series featuring the philosopher Francis Bacon, who uses his powers of deductive reasoning and the help of a group of young law students who he is tutoring to solve crimes. Well-researched (with the sights and sounds and smells of late 16th century London beautifully recreated), Murder by Misrule is also enormously entertaining; a mystery shot through with a series of misadventures, misunderstandings, and mendacity worthy of a Shakespearian comedy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced mystery because it had just the right balance of historical ambiance, well-developed and intriguing characters, and a plot that was complex enough to keep my attention but no so much so I found it overwhelming. It also makes fine reading for those like me who sometimes end their work days with the feeling that the modern world is way too much with us. The world of Francis Bacon and his students serves as a enjoyable escape from all that.
This was an entertaining read; the plot is intriguing and the dialogue is witty, however the mystery fell a little flat for me. Better character development and depth would improve the story quite a bit. There are a few times when the characters felt one-sided instead of multi-dimensional like real people are. For example: when Francis takes all the evidence at face value without any hint of a question when not everything adds up. As the most intelligent and youngest “ancient” at Gray’s you would think that he would at least consider the possibility that not everything was as it seemed. But overall I was entertained and enjoyed the book.
A realistic piece of fiction, Francis Bacon is one of the main characters. The novel is set in the sixteenth century, so if you like period fiction, you may like this book. However, you need to be prepared for short lectures on logic as Bacon tutors young men whom he is also using to solve a murder. The novel is set at Gray’s Inn, one of the schools used to train barristers. Murder by Misrule has a slower pace and is carefully crafted, but it is not for everyone. I liked it well enough to purchase the next two books in the series.
This is a good historical mystery which captures the lifestyle of the Elizabethan era. Historical characters populate the pages along with fictional, and this lends personality to the pages. The education of lawyers is particularly interesting. Expect a lot of palace intrigue and rivalry.
I did not like this book at all
I Liked the period details and authenticity. In reading the afterword I learned that many of the fictional characters were based on historical ones. Very good read.
Characters were well defined and varied. Settings were easy to imagine. The plot had a few interesting twists, but not anything too taxing. All in all it was engaging and relaxing.
An interesting story in a historical setting. A fascinating mix of characters that are believable.
Interesting mystery of Elizabethan England. Some real historical characters
It is fun to run around with Francis Bacon 😉
Felt very true to the historical period in which it is set including a lot of period accurate language.
I love historical mysteries. Got a great feeling for the period, great characters, and am looking forward to the next adventure!
Great fun with Elizabethan genre mystery fiction, with a lovely blending of history and fiction.
I’ll be reading more of this series! I’m trusting the characterization of Francis Bacon, and enjoying the use of his particular personality to develop these mysteries.
This was an interesting story with historical meaning. the characters were interesting and well developed. the ending was exciting,
Very creative synopsis. This is a fun read that also inspired me to read more history of this time period. Tom and Trump are especially likeable characters.
Good historical build of characters and world. Well plotted.
I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy this book but since I got it for free I thought I’d check it out. It started a little ho-hum but picked up and turned out to be a very good read. Good fleshed out characters; very believable story line; quite informative on 16th century law profession in England.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am generally a fan of historical novels and this book is several cuts above the average. Well written, interesting characters, highly informative.