Themes of 'feminism' in 18th century London, slavery, lies & crime. Reminded me of The Lie Tree but this is so much better. ( )

" Robertson writes in a sympathetic evocative prose delicately tracing her way through the classicism, sexism, and racism of the time to deliver a good murder mystery in with the social commentary and amazing setting of the scene"
read more: http://likeiamfeasting.blogspot.gr/2014/12/theft-of-life-imogen-robertson.html ( )

In this latest installment of the Crowther and Westerman chronicle, a body is found in the grounds of St Paul’s. Investigation of the apparent murder leads into the dark world of reprobates who make their fortune on the back of the slaves and who will stop at nothing to protect their immoral profits. Its a gripping story that readily builds a desire to see its depraved villains suffer a fitting end. A real page-turner, consuming from start to finish. ( )

A Jamaican plantation owner is found dead in the grounds of St Paul’s Cathedral, staked out on the ground as if in preparation for a whipping and only in his undershirt. Surely this can only be the deed of some runaway slaves? Soon Crowther and Westerman find themselves in the middle of yet another investigation, asking uncomfortable questions among wealthy and influential slave traders.

This is the fifth volume in the Crowther and Westerman series, describing the unlikely friendship between a scholar and anatomist and the unconventional widow of a captain in the Royal Navy, intent on solving murders and thereby restoring a voice to the dead. Set in London in 1785, this novel deals with a rather dark chapter in British history: the flourishing slave trade in the West Indies. Imogen Robertson deals with the subject matter sensitively and sympathetically, never letting the reader forget the human cost, even when the plantation owners are talking about cost and profit. The mystery at the heart of the novel is complex and gripping, and involves Crowther and Westerman receiving help and support from several individuals, former slaves among them.

Imogen Robertson is one of my favourite authors: her descriptions of place and atmosphere, as well as her treatment of the characters, create a real sense of the period, and I have often thought that I know the main protagonists so well now that they have become like friends. There is a moving sub-plot involving one of Mr Graves’s wards and an extraordinary act of courage shown by the four older children that resonated deeply within me; it is not strictly necessary to have read previous volumes in the series, as some of the key points are alluded to, but it will certainly aid a fuller understanding and appreciation with regard to the recurrent characters’ motivations. The setting of the plot in 1785 and the gradual acceptance of former slaves in London society foreshadows a turning of the public mood against slavery within the next few years, yet it would still be another 22 years before the transatlantic slave trade was outlawed, and another 26 years before slavery in Britain was finally abolished in 1833, the government paying £20 million pounds in compensation to the slave owners. There are some recommended reading sources for finding out more about the slave trade, and in her historical notes the author reveals that some of the characters in the book are based on real-life figures from the time. With the chosen title, Imogen Robertson reminds us that not only do the murder victims have their lives stolen away from them, but so have the slaves at the point of capture, and that their sense of degradation and humiliation of being treated as another man’s property can never be erased, even after years of freedom, whether through escape or through buying it back. At times this makes for uncomfortable reading as everyone in the country would have benefited at least indirectly from the slave trade, but it is necessary reading nonetheless. Recommended.

(This review was originally written as part of Amazon's Vine programme.) ( )