‘Ostler’ by Susan Grossey

Independently Published,
21 August 2023.
ISBN: 978-1-91600199-2 (PB)

The 1820s, and former soldier Gregory Hardiman is the ostler at a busy Cambridge coaching inn. When the inn cook is murdered, he sets out to investigate – and soon finds himself discovering secrets of the hidden life of St Clement’s college – secrets which put his life in danger.

This novel transported me straight back into the past, and the sounds and sights of a coaching inn in the reign of George IV. Gregory Hardiman’s backstory wasn’t over-emphasised, but we got enough to make him a rounded, believable character: a former soldier whose skill with horses had got him a job as an officer’s horseman, he’d seen service against Napoleon in Spain, then gone with his regiment to be a convict guard at Port Jackson. He had, he mentioned, a daughter in Spain who’d soon need a dowry. Otherwise, his life was focused on now: looking after his horses – as a horse-lover myself, I particularly enjoyed the way his interaction with them was drawn. He’s improving himself with reading, going for walks in the country – and now, investigating George Ryder’s death and the goings-on at the college.

There’s a whole cast of interesting, credible characters: the inn’s hen-pecked owner, his harridan wife and Gregory’s fellow-servants; helpful townspeople like bookseller Giles and banker Fisher. There’s the hierarchy of people who make up the college, from the know-it-all porter who never refuses a tankard, through the worried junior butler and his money-taking senior, the ancient Librarian, the Bursar whose rooms smell suspiciously of a lady’s perfume, up to the Master himself.

Short chapters keep the plot moving swiftly, and though there’s a large cast in the novel, I didn’t have any difficulty in following who was who. One discovery leads to another, and another, and the ending is nearly wrapped up. The description is vivid, and I liked the way Gregory’s ‘voice’ in the first-person narration reflected the speech of the time.

A first-rate historical crime novel, with a sympathetic hero, a good plot and convincing language and atmosphere. It’s the first of a new series, and already I’m looking forward to the sequel.
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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor 

Susan Grossey has always made her living from crime – for twenty-five years as an anti-money laundering consultant and now writing historical financial crime novels.  In 2012 she published what she thought was a standalone book set in London in 1824, but it turned out that the true hero of Fatal Forgery was a magistrates’ constable who insisted on having a further six books written about him.  When he retired in 1829, Susan turned her attention to her hometown of Cambridge and the University constables who were created there in 1825.  She has published Ostler – the first of five planned novels narrated by university constable Gregory Hardiman – and is currently wrestling with the second in the series.  

Susan Grossey – Historical crime writer

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh and came to Shetland as a newly qualified teacher. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  She lives with her husband. 

www.marsalitaylor.co.uk