![]() We are in rural Lancashire in the early years of the seventeenth century and young Fleetwood Shuttleworth has been married off to a wealthy landowner. ![]() The story is not a conventional crime mystery, but involves suspicion, injustice, intrigue, political chicanery and personal bravery. The evocative visual presentation was matched by superb writing and the conviction of a natural storyteller. The Familiars by Stacey Halls was one of the publishing successes of 2019, and rightly so. ![]() Happily, the five books on my 2019 shortlist don’t fall into that trap – take a look, and if you haven’t read them yet, do so – you won’t be disappointed. ![]() Sadly, there are those writers whose thirst for period accuracy produces lavish costume drama at the expense of a decent plot and good storytelling. I have always been a fan of historical fiction and, more recently, crime fiction set ‘back in the day’. ![]()
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