Covent Garden, January 1708. Widow Trotter has big plans for her recently-inherited coffee house, not suspecting that within days her little kingdom will be caught up in a national drama involving scandal, conspiracy and murder... Queen Anne's new "Great Britain" is in crisis. The Queen is mired in a sexual scandal, spies are everywhere, and political disputes are bringing violence and division. The treasonous satirist "Bufo" is public enemy number one and the Ministry is determined to silence him. Drawn into a web of ...
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Covent Garden, January 1708. Widow Trotter has big plans for her recently-inherited coffee house, not suspecting that within days her little kingdom will be caught up in a national drama involving scandal, conspiracy and murder... Queen Anne's new "Great Britain" is in crisis. The Queen is mired in a sexual scandal, spies are everywhere, and political disputes are bringing violence and division. The treasonous satirist "Bufo" is public enemy number one and the Ministry is determined to silence him. Drawn into a web of intrigue that reaches from the brothels of Drury Lane to the Court of St James's, Mary Trotter and her young friends Tom and Will race against time to unravel the political plots, solve two murders, and prevent another. The first in a projected series of "Chocolate House Mysteries", the novel presents the London of Queen Anne in all its brilliance and filth, its violence, elegance and wit. The book moves among a rich cast of characters, ranging from the life of the streets and the "nymphs" of Drury Lane to the conspiratorial world of Queen Anne's Court. At its heart is the Bay-Tree Chocolate House, Covent Garden, where Widow Trotter presides as she does over the novel itself, with good humour, fierce integrity, and resolute determination.
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This is an excellent book; set in the London of Queen Anne, the country is in political turmoil (with the machinations of Whig and Tory we can still recognise today!).
Mrs Trotter runs a coffee house, and with her tenant, a budding poet Tom Bristowe, and his lawyer friend Will she becomes embroiled when one of the coffee house's patrons, a printer called Morphew, is accused of murder. The trio are determined to prove his innocence, and their efforts threaten to bring down the government as secret letters and satirical pamphlets abound.
There are elements of this book that show incredibly skilled writing - the author depicts life in the early 18th century incredibly well, and the sketches of the coffee house culture, the 'beau monde' on display and the horrors of the prison are handled extremely well. The characters are well drawn and very believable.
However, the book is far too long. It could easily have been reduced by a third and been a better read for that. The first half seemed very ponderous and I had to force myself to carry on. Once I was drawn into the story, it was very enjoyable.
Overall, well worth pursuing and a very entertaining portrait of Anne's London.
Thank you to NetGalley and Matador for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
