"Rich in historical detail-good mystery"
In 1787 France, Colonel Paul de Saint-Martin, a provost of
the royal highway patrol, is directed to find and arrest
Captain Maurice Fitzroy for the rape and assault on a
French noble woman. After making several inquiries he
learns that his quarry has escaped to England and is
residing in his cousin's home in Bath. At the request of her host to teach how to read lips, sign
and speak to the master's son, a deaf child, Anne Cartier
(see MUTE WITNESS) temporarily resides at the same Combe
Park home as Fitzroy. Anne and Paul are good friends on
the verge of becoming even closer and she is only too happy
to help to help Paul with his efforts to kidnap Fitzroy and
bring him back to France. Their efforts are sidetracked
when Anne's worst enemy is killed on the grounds of Combe
Park. Paul, Anne and a Bow Street runner work together to
find his killer, no easy task because the man had more
enemies than a street dog has fleas. Fans of Iain Pears rich historical mysteries will want to
read BLACK GOLD, a work rich in period detail with
characters that are unique to the era. Charles O'Brien is a
gifted storyteller who writes about the aristocracy of the
late eighteenth century from a commoner's point of view.
The novel takes the moral high ground, which helps explain
why the protagonists are so appealing. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted May 1, 2002
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