Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Wrecking Storm by Michael Ward, the second in his Thomas Tallant historical mystery series. My thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to participate in the tour and to the author for my digital review copy.
About the Book
London 1641. The poisonous dispute pushing King Charles and Parliament towards Civil War is reaching the point of no return. Law and order in the city are collapsing as Puritan radicals demand more concessions from the King. Bishops and lords are attacked in the streets as the Apprentice Boys run amok. Criminal gangs use the disorder to mask their activities while the people of London lock their doors and pray for deliverance.
No one is immune from the contagion. Two Jesuit priests are discovered in hiding and brutally executed – and soon the family of spice merchant Thomas Tallant is drawn into the spiral of violence. Tallant’s home is ransacked, his warehouse raided and his sister seized by kidnappers.
Thomas struggles to discover who is responsible, aided by the enigmatic Elizabeth Seymour, a devotee of science, maths and tobacco in equal measure. Together they enter a murky world of court politics, street violence, secret codes and poisoned letters, and confront a vicious gang leader who will stop at nothing to satisfy his greed.
Can Elizabeth use her skills to unpick the mass of contradictory evidence before the Tallants are ruined – both as a business and a family?
And as the fight for London between King and Parliament hurtles to its dramatic conclusion, can the Tallants survive the personal and political maelstrom?
Format: ebook (218 pages) Publisher:
Publication date: 22nd April 2021 Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Find The Wrecking Storm (Thomas Tallant #2) on Goodreads
Purchase links
Amazon UK
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My Review
The Wrecking Storm is the second book in Michael Ward’s historical mystery series featuring Thomas Tallant, the son of a London spice merchant. The book can be read as a standalone but those who have read the first book in the series, Rags of Time, will benefit from greater knowledge of the main characters. I was particularly pleased to see the return of Thomas’s friend, the pipe-smoking Elizabeth Seymour whose interest in science and mathematics often helps her to come at problems from a different perspective than everyone else.
The book opens in 1641 during the turbulent period before the outbreak of the English Civil War. The execution of Thomas Wentworth, the Earl of Strafford, and rumours of papal plots has created turmoil on the streets of London as opposing groups – both religious and political – clash. The conflict provides cover for those with more nefarious objectives.
Initially it is the brutal murder of two Jesuit priests that is the focus of an investigation by two of Thomas’s acquaintances: his fellow Member of Parliament, Sir Barty Hopkins, and Robert Petty, chief investigator to the Merchant Adventurers. When it is discovered one of the murder victims had been in hiding close to the Tallant family’s warehouse on the banks of the River Thames, it all becomes a little too close to home. What Thomas doesn’t realize is just how much closer to home things will soon get.
Together, Thomas and Elizabeth set out to discover who – and why – the Tallant family is being targeted. The identity of the culprit will keep you guessing until the final pages of the book; if you guessed before then, you are extremely clever!
The author skilfully incorporates the fictional elements of the story into actual historical events, such as King Charles’s attempt to arrest John Pym and four of his fellow MPs in the House of Commons chamber. The book closes with the threat of civil war looming, the ‘wrecking storm’ of the book’s title. As Thomas observes, ‘Our family has experienced what awaits us all. Father against son. Husband against wife. Brother against brother.’ It will be interesting to see how events unfold for Thomas, Elizabeth and their families.
In three words: Atmospheric, intriguing, lively
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About the Author
Writing has been central to Mike Ward’s professional life. On graduating from university he became a journalist, working in newspapers and for the BBC. He then went into journalism education, teaching and researching journalism practice before becoming head of the UK’s prestigious Journalism School at UCLan. For the last eight years he has run his own content creation company. Rags of Time was Mike’s debut novel.
Connect with Michael
Twitter | Goodreads
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