Tag: NetGalley

Book Review – Mrs Hudson and the Capricorn Incident by Martin Davies @AllisonandBusby

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About the Book

It is spring in Baker Street, and London is preparing itself for the wedding of the year. It will be an international spectacle in which the young and popular Count Rudolph Absberg, a political exile from his native land, will take the hand of the beautiful and accomplished Princess Sophia Kubinova. A lot depends on the marriage, for it is hoped that the union will ensure the security and independence of their homeland.

When the princess subsequently disappears in dramatic circumstances, members of the British establishment are quick to call on Mr Sherlock Holmes. He, in turn, needs the gifts of long-standing housekeeper Mrs Hudson and her able assistant, housemaid Flotsam, to solve this puzzling case on which rests the fate of nations.

Format: Hardcover (352 pages) Publisher: Allison & Busby
Publication date: 20th February 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

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My Review

Mrs Hudson and the Capricorn Incident is the seventh book in the author’s series featuring the redoubtable Mrs Hudson and her illustrious employer. I haven’t read any of the previous books but that certainly didn’t affect my enjoyment of this one although that does mean I’ve missed out on the back story of some of the characters, especially housemaid Flotsam. As a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, I enjoyed the little nods to the original stories such as the references to bizarre previous cases – the Brabham Hall poultry affair, the case of the Brazilian opera singer, the string of pearls and the trained marmoset – and Holmes’ bravura observations about newly arrived visitors to 221B Baker Street.

It turns out Mrs Hudson is almost the equal of her employer when it comes to observation and the solving of conundrums. But while Sherlock Holmes is often dashing about the country with Dr Watson in his wake, Mrs Hudson is calmly seated at the kitchen table using her vast network of contacts to put two and two together. She has a willing and able pupil in Flotsam who is the narrator of the story and also does a lot of the running around.

Whilst the troubles of the House of Capricorn, rulers of the Grand Duch of Rosenau, involving a turn of events that could cause an international incident, is the main focus of Sherlock Holmes’ attention – by Royal command, no less – Mrs Hudson and Flotsam investigate a number of cases of blackmail which share a common modus operandi. And one name keeps cropping up but who is the individual behind it?

Their investigations take them back and forth across London, from the houses of the wealthy to dingy alleyways. Flotsam mingles with members of high society and theatrical stars of the day but also street urchins and market traders. That doesn’t mean, however, that Flotsam escapes the household chores that Mrs Hudson sets her. Those stair rods won’t dip themselves after all. However at the back of Flotsam’s mind is the absence of her friend Scraggs, who’s humble beginnings in life were similar to her own. But could he be something more than a friend? (There is a delightfully tender scene at the end of the book.)

Look out for all the features of a classic detective story – clever disguises, mysterious escapes from locked rooms, last minute dashes, dangerous encounters and basketfuls of red herrings.

Mrs Hudson and the Capricorn Incident is a delightfully entertaining historical mystery that captures the essence of Conan Doyle’s characters and the ingenious nature of Sherlock Holmes’s methods but doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s the perfect escapist read that will leave you alternately scratching your head and chuckling at the gentle humour.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Allison & Busby via NetGalley.

In three words: Engaging, intriguing, playful
Try something similar: Sherlock Holmes & the Singular Affair by M. K. Wiseman

About the Author

Martin Davies is a writer and media consultant based in the UK. He is the author of eleven novels, including international bestseller The Conjuror’s Bird which was a Richard and Judy Book Club selection. The Unicorn Road was chosen as one of The Times/WH Smith top paperbacks of the year, and Havana Sleeping was shortlisted for an Historical Dagger award by the Crimer Writers’ Association. Martin Davies’ books have been translated into ten languages. (Photo: Author website)

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Book Review – Woman in Blue by Douglas Bruton @FairlightBooks

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About the Book

Front cover of Woman in Blue by Douglas Bruton featuring image of Vermeer's painting of the same name

‘You will live beyond one lifetime and beyond even two in the painting he makes of you.’

In the Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam, there is a painting called Woman in Blue Reading a Letter. Each day a man visits to gaze at it. He is irresistibly drawn to it. Obsessed by it. He studies the painting, in search of resolutions to his past and present loves, and the Woman in Blue studies him back. For there is more to the Woman in Blue than any of the men who gaze upon her realise. She has a story of her own to tell.

Format: Paperback (144 pages) Publisher: Fairlight Books
Publication date: 20th February 2025 Genre: Fiction

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My Review

I recently read the author’s book Blue Postcards, which was longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction in 2021, and enjoyed its ingenious and unconventional structure: 500 numbered paragraphs each including the word ‘blue’. The author continues his fascination (I hesitate to call it obsession) with the colour blue in this his latest book which is inspired by a painting by Vermeer that hangs in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Each day a man visits the Rijksmuseum to gaze at the painting Woman in Blue Reading a Letter by Vermeer. Only that painting, and for hours on end. Initially we don’t know quite why, and we’re not alone because the museum attendants wonder too. So does his wife. Does the model remind him of someone? Is it just a distraction from other aspects of his life? Is he seeking inspiration for a book? It did our author, after all.

The man’s fascination with the picture and the long hours he spends looking at it, observing it, wondering about small details in it – the significance of the map on the wall behind her or the box of pearls on the table – has an intensity to it, a meditative quality that draws you in. How often nowadays do we sit and look at anything for longer than a few minutes?

Gradually it becomes clear that it is the Woman in Blue who possesses most control over events and that this is not entirely coincidental. She is not the passive artist’s model we might have first thought. In the author’s imagination, her influence extends beyond the picture. She can sense the thoughts of the man viewing the picture, is amused by how often his ideas are wrong and luxuriates in her ability to captivate him as she has Vermeer. She even becomes a little impatient at his attempts to make sense of things in the painting, to discover the artist’s intentions. ‘Just look, like you did at the start,’ she says.’

The book explores the boundaries between reality and illusion in art. The man notes the Woman in Blue casts no shadow on the wall behind her as she would in real life. He recalls reading that in another of Vermeer’s paintings, View of Delft, he shifted buildings a little to suit his composition. The blue bedjacket the Woman in Blue is wearing gives the impression of a gently swollen belly but she is not pregnant. It is Vermeer who, at that moment, is in the process of bringing things into the world: a painting and a child by his wife.

We also see how a painting can live on in other forms, some quite crude or mundane. For example, the man notes that it’s possible to purchase a tea towel with the Woman in Blue on it in the museum gift shop although he’s perturbed that the blue is not exactly the same as that in the painting and fears it will fade after multiple washes.

For a short book, Woman in Blue contains a remarkable number of ideas and I suspect more will come to you, as they did to me, once you’ve finished reading it. Predictably, the book brought to mind Tracy Chevalier’s novel The Girl with the Pearl Earring, also inspired by a Vermeer painting. Playfully, the author has the man complain Vermeer has painted the Woman in Blue’s hair in such a way that it conceals her ear and that ‘had it not he might have painted a wonderful pearl earring there’.

In addition to its inclusion in the title, the author manages to sneak in a few more references to the colour blue. (I like to think this was for the amusement of those who’ve read Blue Postcards.) For example, the man writes a letter to the Woman in Blue on blue lined paper and is particular in using a blue pen. He buys his wife a blue Delft tile with a blue tulip on it.

Woman In Blue is a delightfully clever novel that will make you think about the relationship between artist, subject and viewer next time you visit a gallery or look at a painting.

‘That is what great art does: it allows the viewer in and the viewer brings something new to the painting, something of their own story and life and love.’

I received a digital review copy courtesy of Fairlight Books via NetGalley.

In three words: Thought-provoking, playful, contemplative

About the Author

Author Douglas Bruton

Douglas Bruton is the author of five previous novels: The Chess Piece Magician (2009), Mrs Winchester’s Gun Club (2019), Blue Postcards (2021), With or Without Angels (2022) and Hope Never Knew Horizon (2024). Blue Postcards was longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2021. His short fiction has appeared in various publications including Northwords Now, New Writing Scotland, Aesthetica, The Fiction Desk and the Irish Literary Review, and has won competitions including Fish and the Neil Gunn Prize. He lives in the Scottish Borders. (Photo: Publisher author page)

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