Fire

The fourth John Grey historical mystery

1666. London has been destroyed by fire and its citizens are looking for somebody, preferable foreign, to blame. Only the royal Court, with its strong Catholic sympathies, is trying to dampen down the post-conflaguration hysteria. Then, inconveniently, a Frenchman admits to having started it together with an accomplice, whom he says he has subsequently killed.

John Grey is tasked by Secretary of State, Lord Arlington, with proving conclusively that the self-confessed fire-raiser is lying. Though Grey agrees with Arlington that the Frenchman must be mad, he is increasingly perplexed at how much he knows. And a body has been discovered that appears in every way to match the description of the dead accomplice.

Grey's investigations take him and his companion, Lady Pole, into the dangerous and still smoking ruins of the old City. And somebody out there - somebody at the very centre of power in England - would prefer it if they didn't live long enough to conclude their work...

Praise for L.C. Tyler

'Tyler juggles his characters, story wit and clever one liners with perfect balance' The Times

'A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?' The Bookbag

'A dizzying whirl of plot and counterplot' Guardian

'I was seduced from John Grey's first scene' Ann Cleeves

'Unusually accomplished' Helen Dunmore

'Literate, witty, and huge fun' Irish Independent

Long-listed for CWA Historical Dagger 2018 (UK)

“A historical thriller, but one written with tongue firmly in cheek . . . Tyler is a witty writer, and this third outing for Grey is great fun”

- Sunday Times on The Plague Road

Tyler at his entertaining best . . . a Restoration romp delivered with aplomb and verbal artistry, a delicious slice of history in all its dark, dank and deadly reality, and a veritable stage show of witty one-liners wrapped up in an enthralling mystery adventure - Lancashire Evening Post on The Plague Road

L. C. Tyler was born in Essex and educated at Jesus College Oxford and City University. His comic crime series featuring author-and-agent duo Ethelred Tressider and Elsie Thirkettle has twice been nominated for Edgar Allan Poe Awards and he won the Goldsboro Last Laugh Award with Herring in the Library. His latest crime series is set in the seventeenth century and features lawyer John Grey.

He has lived and worked all over the world, but has more recently been based in London and Sussex.

To find out more about L. C. Tyler or follow him on twitter @lenctyler.

The fourth John Grey historical mystery 1666. London has been destroyed by fire and its citizens are looking for somebody, preferable foreign, to blame. Only the royal Court, with its strong Catholic sympathies, is trying to dampen down the post-conflaguration hysteria. Then, inconveniently, a Frenchman admits to having started it together with an accomplice, whom he says he has subsequently killed.John Grey is tasked by Secretary of State, Lord Arlington, with proving conclusively that the self-confessed fire-raiser is lying. Though Grey agrees with Arlington that the Frenchman must be mad, he is increasingly perplexed at how much he knows. And a body has been discovered that appears in every way to match the description of the dead accomplice.Grey's investigations take him and his companion, Lady Pole, into the dangerous and still smoking ruins of the old City. And somebody out there - somebody at the very centre of power in England - would prefer it if they didn't live long enough to conclude their work... Praise for L.C. Tyler 'Tyler juggles his characters, story wit and clever one liners with perfect balance' The Times 'A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?' The Bookbag 'A dizzying whirl of plot and counterplot' Guardian 'I was seduced from John Grey's first scene' Ann Cleeves 'Unusually accomplished' Helen Dunmore 'Literate, witty, and huge fun' Irish Independent

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