28 March 2018.
ISBN: 978-1-98067952-3
Jonty
Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith are spending a few weeks in Bath before going
on holiday to France. Orlando has to consider some old books on mathematics
that are for sale and decide whether to purchase them for St Brides, the
Cambridge College where he teaches mathematics and Jonty teaches English
Literature. Jonty is also busy, attempting to complete his book on
Shakespeare’s sonnets. However, Jonty is soon distracted when he discovers that
an open-air, all-male production of Macbeth is to be staged near Bath. He is
surprised, and at first pleased, when the director turns out to be an actor
friend from his time in London. Jimmy Harding had always been attractive but
now he is gorgeous and he makes it clear that he wants Jonty to be more than
just a friend. Jonty loves Orlando but he has to struggle against the
temptation to succumb to Harding’s lures, while Orlando fights against the
demons of jealousy that torture him.
Despite their good intentions to concentrate
on their work, Jonty and Orlando are tempted to expend their energies on
detection when they discover that their fame as investigators has preceded
them. They visit Dr Buckner’s House of Sulis, therapeutic Baths that are
strictly only for gentlemen, and Dr Buckner asks them to investigate a death
that had occurred in the Baths twenty-five years before, which had haunted
Buckner’s father for the rest of his life. When the older Dr Buckner was
abroad, he had left administration of the House of Sulis to a man who proved
unworthy of his trust. This man had allowed wild parties to take place in the
House of Sulis, with men bringing ‘ladies of the night’ to join in their
debauchery. Dr Buckner returned unexpectedly and discovered one such party. He
threw all of the revellers out and it was only later that the body of one of
the young women was discovered in a side room. Because of the eminence and
influence of the men involved and the unimportance of a young prostitute, the
investigation into Sarah Carter’s death was perfunctory and it was declared to
be from natural causes. The older Dr Buckner was intent on restoring the
reputation of the House of Sulis and did not speak out about his conviction
that Sarah Carter had been strangled. He regretted his silence until his dying
day and now, out of respect for his father’s memory, his son wishes Jonty and
Orlando to discover the truth about Sarah’s death.
Jonty and Orlando pursue their
investigation by questioning the men who were present at the House of Sulis on
the fatal night and, at a very different level of society, the few people they
can trace who knew Sarah Carter or worked alongside her. It soon becomes clear
that somebody remembers Sarah with either affection or guilt, because that
person leaves expensive hot-house flowers on her grave. This is a true ‘cold
case’ as there is no evidence that the killer has murdered again and there is
little danger to the sleuths in pursuing their investigation, however Jonty and
Orlando soon discover that truth and justice always come with a high price.
The Cambridge Fellows Mysteries have
just been republished and Lessons in
Temptation is the fifth in the series. It is a skilful blend of detection
and love story, with excellent period detail and some fascinating insights into
life during the Edwardian era. It explores the joys of Jonty and Orlando’s love
but also the dangers and dilemmas of maintaining a relationship that could lead
to disgrace, dismissal and a term in prison doing hard labour. Above all the
Cambridge Fellows books possess two engaging protagonists, whom it is
impossible not to like. It is a very enjoyable read.
-------
Reviewer: Carol Westron
Charlie Cochrane couldn't be
trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team— so she
writes. Her favourite genre is gay fiction, predominantly historical
romances/mysteries. A member of the
Romantic Novelists’ Association, and International Thriller Writers Inc,
Charlie's Cambridge Fellows Series, set in Edwardian England, was instrumental
in her being named Author of the Year 2009 by the review site Speak Its Name.
Carol Westron is a successful short story writer and a Creative Writing teacher. She is the moderator for the cosy/historical
crime panel, The Deadly Dames. Her crime
novels are set both in contemporary and Victorian times. The Terminal Velocity of Cats, the
first in her Scene of Crimes novels, was published July 2013. Her latest book Strangers and Angels published
28 November 2017 is set in Victorian England.
Also published in 2017 is her fourth novel in her scene of Crimes Series Karma
and the Singing Frogs.
To to read a review of Karma and the Singing Frogs, click
on the title
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