This novel proved to be one of those precious finds that offer, besides an intriguing story to follow, a peek into a historical period I know next to nothing about, so that I feel compelled to search online more details and learn something new in the process. The background for The Ashes of London is that of the Restoration, the time in which King Charles II ascended to the throne of England after the execution of his father, Charles I, and Oliver Cromwell’s rule: in September 1666 the city of London was devastated by fire, and it’s during the final days of this disastrous occurrence - and its aftermath - that the book’s events take place.

James Marwood is a civil servant trying to keep a low profile in the hope that his masters forget he’s the son of one of the revolutionaries whose movement brought about the demise of the previous king: saddled with the difficult task of caring for his ailing father, whose time in prison after the conspiracy’s failure left him weakened in both body and mind, Marwood is torn between his filial duties and the need to further his career so that he can tend to what’s left of his family in reasonable comfort. Catherine Lovett is the daughter of one of the conspirators as well, her father being a wanted fugitive: she’s been left in the care of an uncle who is keen on marrying her off to a very unsavory character, while all she dreams about is architectural design, an unheard-of pastime for a woman in those days. The paths of these two characters are destined to cross, in part due to various circumstances and in part because of both their fathers’ affiliations, while the city of London tries to recover from the still-smoldering fires and a series of bizarre murders reveals the dangerous undercurrents running through the political and social fabric of the realm.

I very much appreciated the intriguing mix at the roots of this book, where historical fiction blends with a crime investigation and a good dose of political plotting and conspiracies, but most of all I enjoyed the “time travel” opportunities offered by the story, thanks to the descriptions of the day-to-day life of 17th Century England and the great social turmoil lurking under the surface. What I found particularly fascinating were the details of the city of London, which the author was able to depict with a cinematic, quite evocative quality that brought to life the sounds, sights - and unfortunately smells - of a bustling city which was grievously wounded by the Great Fire. There is an intriguing parallel here between the precarious political situation, in which the new King knows he still has to deal with the remnants of the conspiracy which prompted his father’s downfall, and the daily struggles of the citizenry, whose houses have been destroyed by the fire and have to live in ramshackle hovels or in the ruins of their burned-out homes, with no certainty about the immediate future. This is the background on which the main themes of civil unrest and inequality stand, together with a look at the social mores of the times and their consequences on people, particularly the two main characters.

James Marwood was soon able to inspire my sympathy, not least because his POV is written in the first person, allowing us to be instantly privy to his thoughts and troubles: as he deals with his professional duties, which are carried on through the double difficulty of being effective while keeping a low profile, we understand he’s a decent human being gifted with a good heart, and if sometimes he struggles with the frustration of having to care for a father who tethers between dementia and the dreams of a “new order”, he does so with such a deeply ingrained affection and respect for the old man, that it’s impossible not to feel for him.

Catherine, on the other hand, is more feisty and combative (often, and with reason, very fiercely so), and she’s also very “modern”, character-wise, because of her keen interest for architecture, which leads her to dream of a more unfettered life - practically an impossibility in those times. She is no frivolous dreamer, though, and when circumstances require her to adapt to change, sometimes through harrowing events, she shows a resiliency and an inner strength that are nothing if not admirable. Both Cat and Marwood suffer for the sins of their respective fathers, offering the opportunity for a commentary on a society that visits those sins on the innocent offspring of past conspirators.

Alongside these two main characters move a number of intriguing figures which help depict quite clearly the atmosphere of the times through their greed and depravity, cunning and coarseness, without forgetting the proverbial movers and shakers - some of them real-life persons - who complete this fascinating picture of an era of turmoil and change. Among them I want to mention Mistress Alderley, Cat’s aunt, who under her unprepossessing exterior shows great skills in being the proverbial power behind the throne in more ways than one; or the ruling monarch Charles II, who in a very human moment shows his desire to know more about the father he barely knew before he was killed; and again Edward, Cat’s despicable cousin who represents the entitled attitude of the lesser nobility who believes nothing and no one can stand in their way.

The Ashes of London is a very immersive portrayal of a time and a place I know I will enjoy visiting again through the next books, and it represents one of the best bookish finds of this year so far. ( )

A few more coincidences for my liking.
But I enjoyed the language and the characters. ( )

Charles I of England was beheaded in 1649. But his heir did not take the throne; rather, England entered the period known as "the Republican Commonwealth," during which the radical Puritan Oliver Cromwell, using the title of "Lord Protector" ran the country as a dictatorship. Cromwell’s death (from natural causes) in 1658 resulted in the eventual restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and Charles II was called back from exile to serve as king.

Charles II had perhaps more than his share of challenges. One task was to eliminate the Fifth Monarchists from Britain. This was an extremist Puritan sect, numbering up to around 10,000 adherents, which took its name from a prophecy in the Book of Daniel about four ancient monarchies (Babylonian, Persian, Macedonian, and Roman) that would precede the kingdom of Christ. They saw Charles I as the last of the Roman monarchy, since they were convinced the prophecy would happen soon - in 1666 - given its similarity to the cryptic biblical Number of the Beast from the Book of Revelation, chapter 13, verse 18). The Fifth Monarchists played a role in the killing of Charles I to ease the way for the kingdom of Jesus. (It appears their Bible reading was selective, and they missed the parts about not killing, and beating your swords into plowshares.)

Many of the group’s leaders were arrested and executed after two aborted uprisings, one in 1657 and one in 1661. Adherents remained, however, and continued their agitation while avoiding capture.

There was more.

The Great Plague of London, the last major epidemic of the bubonic plague to occur in England, ravaged the population from 1665 to 1666. Anyone getting ill for any reason could inspire a panic. Then the Great Fire of London started on September 2, 1666, fanned by strong winds and fed by wood that had been stockpiled for the coming colder months. The fire eventually consumed about 13,200 houses and 87 churches, including St. Paul’s Cathedral.

All of these occurrences form the backdrop for this work of historical fiction. The story begins on September 4, 1666, while London was still burning and onlookers were gathered before St. Paul’s Cathedral, which stood at the highest point of the city and was believed to have been impregnable. But on this day, it was consumed by fire. As St. Paul’s history website explains, a wooden scaffolding erected to add a dome contributed to the spread of the flames around the cathedral. The high vaults fell, smashing into the crypt. There, thousands of books stored in vaults leased to printers and booksellers fueled the flames and put the structure beyond hope of rescue.

Two of those observing the destruction of the cathedral are the main characters of the story, and they alternate narration. Although Catherine “Cat” Lovett and James Marwood don’t know each other (yet), both are the offspring of fathers who were Fifth Monarchists. Cat’s father had been on the run for six years and she had not seen him in all that time. Marwood’s father was released from prison six months before the story began. The father's brain is now addled, and Marwood has to care for him. Additionally, in exchange for his father’s release, Marwood had to agree to go to work for an influential member of the government, ostensibly as a clerk but also doing whatever "errands" he was assigned. One of these errands was to help investigate the murder of a man found during the clean-up of the cathedral fire. Marwood observed that the murdered man had his thumbs tied behind his back, and worse yet, other similarly trussed bodies turned up before long. Marwood thought he could pick up clues as to what was going on from the grounds of the cathedral ruins.

Cat gravitated to the ruins as well. She aspired to be an architect, although that was not really an option for women. But she was drawn to St. Paul's, since it was being rebuilt by the renowned Christopher Wren. He and his team of designers had responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire, including what later came to be regarded as his masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral.

As Marwood struggled to figure out what happened, he was also tasked with locating Cat’s father, who was on top of the King’s “most wanted” list. If he could find Cat, he thought perhaps he could find her father as well and fulfill at least part of his assignments. But Cat suddenly went missing. Cat's aunt and uncle, with whom she lived, were trying to push her into an arranged marriage with an execrable man, and her lecherous cousin had become a danger to her. She felt her only recourse was to go into hiding.

The tension rises as the two inexorably make their ways toward one another, with each of their lives at serious risk during this time. The lack of restraints on violence - especially with respect to women - and the overarching authority of the king who had the power of life over death, made the survival of Cat and Marwood respectively a continuous gamble.

Evaluation: This is the first in a series of thrillers set in this time period. I always enjoy murder mysteries that teach me something in addition to providing a page-turning diversion. ( )

First in a series of historical mysteries set in Restoration London, this one begins as the city burns. James Marwood is both helping with the water brigade and overseeing the damage when he sees a young boy break through the barriers and head towards St. Paul's cathedral. He catches the hysterical boy and brings him to his rooms to calm him down. He soon notices that the boy is really a girl, and she runs off, stealing the cloak he had covered her with. Cat Lovett is the niece and ward of her uncle by marriage, Sir Henry Alderley, a wealthy goldsmith on good terms with the king. Cat is facing a marriage to a man she neither loves nor respects; what she really wants to do is draw buildings and plan cities. The situation, and the unwanted attentions of her cousin Edward, lead to Cat running away. She lands a servant position in a boarding house. One of the residents, Master Wakely, is working with Christopher Wren on plans to rebuild the city, and he allows Cat (now known as Jane) to assist with minor tasks. But her mind is on finding her father, a member of a religious sect that supported the execution of Charles I and now believes that his son, Charles II, must be taken down in order for King Jesus to rule the world.

Meanwhile, Marwood's employer brings him into the investigation of two murders: bodies have been found with their thumbs tied together behind their backs. In the course of his discovery, Alderley's second wife, Olivia, asks Marwood to find her niece Cat--and the king, be it known through Mrs. Alderley and the King's confident Chiffinch, want to find Cat's father. The situation is complicated by the fact that Marwood's father was a member of the King Jesus group and spent years in prison upon the restoration of the monarchy. Now, feeble and becoming senile, he is dependent on his son, and James is aware that their loyalty is being closely watched.

I am not a big fan of mysteries of any sort, so other readers might enjoy this one a lot more than I did. It was a plus that I know a good deal about this period of English history, and Taylor does a good job of recreating the customs and appearance of Restoration London and of the unpredictable nature of the king. I needed a fairly light read, and this was a farily good one, but I probably won't be pursuing the rest of the series. ( )

Reasonably good but light historical mystery yarn, plotting and characterisation are fine and the historical setting interesting, if not quite convincing in certain aspects - in particular, around the religious convictions and conflicts. All in all, a bit too much of a 21st century weltanschau appeared. April 2020. ( )