7 February 2023.
ISBN: 978-1-4483-0640-4 (HB)
The book opens in 1908 in London at the theatre owned and run by the Fitzglen family who pride themselves on being one of the foremost theatrical families in the capital. The actual owner of the theatre is Jack Fitzglen, who inherited it when his father, Aiden, died in a fire when Jack was just twelve years old. After Aiden’s death, Jack’s guardians devoted themselves to restoring the fire damaged theatre and rebuilding the family’s theatrical reputation. Now in his twenties, Jack has taken over the management of his inheritance and, in consultation with his family, decides what should be performed upon the stage of the Amaranth Theatre. However, the Fitzglens have another, secret profession. They are society thieves, who use their charm and glamour to gain invitations to the houses of wealthy patrons where they can note which items it would be profitable to steal. The Fitzglen family have one firm rule regarding what they describe as their filches, they only steal from the wealthy who can afford to lose what the Fitzglens appropriate.
This time the filch that Jack proposes is very different. Amongst the papers belonging to his late father, he has discovered three photographs and a brief letter dated 1891. The letter acknowledges receipt of the things Aiden had sent her and the promise to keep them secret and safe, it also warns Aiden to stay away from Vallow, especially to never come near to Vallow Hall. The letter is signed Maude. Two of the photographs show an attractive young woman, in one of them she is holding what appears to be an ornate document, although the writing is indecipherable, and the other photograph is taken from further back to show more of the room in which the young lady is standing. The third photograph is of an exquisitely decorated bowl, which even in a black-and-white picture is clearly an exceptional work of art. Jack believes that this is the Talisman Chalice, which was stolen from a religious house in medieval times and, for the past centuries, had been in the possession of the British Royal Family until it disappeared. Its loss was only discovered late in 1891when an exhibition of royal treasures was planned to celebrate the 50th birthday of Queen Victoria’s eldest son, who later became Edward VII. Jack intends to locate the chalice, steal it back and, as part of a grand new play, return it to King Edward VII. He is convinced that the publicity this would generate would ensure that audiences flocked to the Aramanth and improve the Fitzglen family’s chance of renovating their theatre.
One thing makes the family hesitate: there is a legend surrounding the chalice that if it is acquired by those who should not possess it, it will cause them ill fortune. This legend even has a song describing what occurs when the Talisman Chalice is stolen. Jack refuses to be deterred by this superstition and, leaving his poet cousin, Byron, in London to undertake the academic research into the chalice’s history, Jack and his personal servant, Gus, set off for the village of Vallow, which lies close to the border between England and Scotland.
This is a book in which two time scales tell two different strands of the story until they eventually meet. The next part of the narrative is set in 1891 where Maude, a young and innocent heiress is pushed into marriage with Saul Vallow of Vallow Hall. Maude has led such a restricted life that she has no idea that Saul’s obsessive and cruel control of all of her actions is abnormal and, although she finds his impotent fumbling distasteful whenever he visits her bed, she accepts this and has no idea of what he is trying to achieve. However, when Maude pretends to have misunderstood her husband’s instructions and accepts an invitation to accompany him for a weekend visit to a family that moves in the highest society, she meets a very eminent young man who seduces her, unaware that she is still a virgin. When he realises this, he uses two friends as emissaries to secretly send Maude two gifts to secure her future: a beautiful and extremely valuable chalice and the uninhabited and exceedingly grim Baste House, a place that has always frightened Maude. The chalice works its strange dark power and Maude’s husband’s behaviour becomes even crueller and more manipulative and her life becomes intolerable, comforted only by the music that she loves.
As the book progresses, the two time periods meld together, alongside Byron Fitzglen’s research, which illuminates the history of the chalice and involves many real-life historical figures. As Jack explores the strange things that have occurred in Vallow he masquerades as a mild-mannered, academic gentleman who has just come into money and is house hunting. He does not suspect that he has been recognised and, as he is drawn inexorably towards Baste House, he is in mortal danger from an unknown, ruthless and evil foe.
Chalice
of Darkness
is the first book in a new series featuring Jack Fitzglen and his family. It is
a superb series debut with settings that contrast the lively comradeship of the
Fitzglen family and the darkness that surrounds the chalice. It has a complex,
exquisitely crafted plot, a deeply evil villain and tension that grows
relentlessly throughout the story. Best of all, it also has a cast of engaging,
multi-dimensional protagonists, led by Jack Fitzglen, his cousin, Byron, and
Jack’s loyal, inventive servant, Gus. Chalice of Darkness is an
excellent read, a page-turner, which I thoroughly recommend.
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Reviewer:
Carol Westron
www.sarahrayne.co.uk
https://sarahrayneblog.wordpress.com/
www.facebook.com/SarahRayneAuthor
www.youtube.com/user/SarahRayneAuthor
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. Carol recently gave an interview to Mystery People. To read the interview click on the link below.
https://promotingcrime.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/carol-westron.html
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