About the Book
1798. Three people, two brutal murders, one promise…
Golo Eck is searching for the fabled lost library of The Lynx, Europe’s first scientific society, founded in 1603.
Fergus, his friend and fellow adventurer, is on the trail of the legend in Ireland when he becomes embroiled in the uprising of the United Irish against English rule. His only hope of escape is Greta, a courageous messenger for the United Irish cause. Following the bloody battles of New Ross and Vinegar Hill, Fergus is missing, and Greta is on the run.
Golo meanwhile suspects other forces are on the trail of the Lynx, and he heads to Holland in pursuit. When Golo’s ship founders and he disappears, his ward Ruan is left to fend for himself, a stranger in a strange land. Can Ruan pursue the trail to the lost library? Will Golo and Fergus be found? Can Greta escape Ireland with her very life? And will the truth of the Legacy of the Lynx finally be revealed?
Format: ebook (268 pages) Publisher: Urbane
Publication date: 3rd November 2016 Genre: Historical Fiction
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My Review
I love my historical fiction, particularly with a mystery element, so I was immediately drawn to this book both by the cover and the description. However, despite having a large and imaginative cast of characters and lots of action, the novel just didn’t work for me.
The author is particularly ruthless with her characters, many shortly after they have been introduced, and one of the main characters, Ruan Peat, comes across as a stroppy teenager who is difficult to warm to or care about. Although there are lots of action scenes, a large section of the book is based around events in the Irish Rebellion which seemed extraneous to the main plot, the search for the lost library.
Throughout the book, I found myself waiting for more information about the history of The Lynx but when some colourful details were eventually given these were recounted very briefly by a minor character. This is clearly a well-researched book inspired by historical fact and most of the writing evokes the period in which it is set. However, there were some modern phrases that jarred (such as “keeping his mouth zipped”, “plonked himself down”, “split early doors”). I felt the book did pick up towards the end as the individual threads were woven together.
About the Author
Clio Gray was born in Yorkshire, and, after a childhood spent first in Saltburn-by-the-Sea and then Devon, she went to London to study philosophy, then Leeds, where she completed a degree in the History of Art. Finally she took a Post Grad Dip Lib, and went into the public library service, where she remains now, after upping sticks to settle in the Highlands of Scotland.
A life-long lover of books, she kept on in her established career in libraries, and now works in Tain Library in Easter Ross. Inspired by the Highlands and its unique Nordic connections, she finally settled down to write, beginning with the short story circuit, before moving on to novels. Since then she has won a number of prestigious awards and competitions, including the Harry Bowling First Novel Award in 2004 and The Scotsman Orange Short Story Competition in 2006, nominated for the Man Booker in 2015 and longlisted for the Bailey’s Fiction Prize 2016.
Clio is the founder of HISSAC, the Highlands and Islands Short Story Association and is Chair of the Judges of HISSAC’s Annual Open Short Story and Flash Fiction Competitions. She also sat on the founding committee of Bloody Scotland, the first International Crime Writing Festival of Scotland. (Photo/bio: Author website)
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