The Keeper of Secrets

Judith Cutler is one of my favorite writers, and I'm a bit puzzled as to why she's not more well known on this side of the pond. Her characterizations are often brilliant, she knows how to plot and to set a fine pace. She's even made me laugh countless times, so she's no stranger to humor. Her series about young police officer Kate Powers shows how difficult it can be to juggle a personal life with a demanding career. Her series about an older police officer Fran Harman portrays a very caring woman toward the end of her career, and she's also written two laugh-out-loud funny books centering around Josie Welford, a middle-aged pub owner in the West Country. When I discovered that she'd written an historical mystery, I almost clicked my heels together in glee. I couldn't wait to see what Cutler could do in a different time period. She does a very fine job indeed with young Parson Tobias Campion in the spring of 1810. Born to a life of wealth, Campion accepts a living in the small village of Moreton St. Jude, and his real education begins. His privileged childhood has not prepared him for the poverty in which he's surrounded. Fortunately he's guided by a fine cast of supporting characters: his childhood friend and (now) servant Jem, Edmund Hansard the local doctor, and the housekeeper of Moreton Priory, Mrs. Beckles. He is a sincere and quick learner which is a very good thing because things begin to happen. A poacher dies a suspicious death. A local aristocrat meets an untimely end, and Campion himself is viciously attacked. Just what is going on in Moreton St. Jude? What is the secret for which someone is so eager to kill? Cutler once again has a marvelous cast with the lovable and naive Campion at the center surrounded by three stout hearts and true. The early nineteenth century comes to life under her pen, and her social commentary is in turns chilling and humorous. The only part of the book that was a letdown for me was the identity of the murderer. I don't consciously set out to figure out whodunit from the very first page. If I do figure it out, all well and good, but one phrase in The Keeper of Secrets leaped out at me, and everything fell into place way too early. I felt as though I'd stepped on the blade of a hoe and got whacked right between the eyes with the stick. Ouch. That was a bit disappointing, but my championship of Judith Cutler is unchanged. I won't rest until I've read every single one of her books!

In 1810, young Tobias Campion arrives to take his position as the parson of a small countryside parrish in Warwickshire. Because his belongings have been delayed, he stays with his distant cousin, the Lady Elham, where he is forced to intervene when one of her son's drunken friends attack a young maid. The girl is Lizzie Woodman, gentle and stunningly beautiful. Campion, his loyal groom and a local swain are smitten by her. We know in a brief prologue that someone is dead, but we don't know who or why or when. Much of the first part of the book is spent setting things up. Campion has come from an extremely privileged background and has to make adjustments living on his small salary. He's also exposed to the poor of the parrish, living in earth-floored cottages if they are lucky and huts worse than animal pens if they are not--and is shocked at their deprivation. He befriends the local doctor, Hansard, a traveled man who became rich abroad but who gambled most of his money away. Campion attempts to make the lives of the poor of his parrish a bit less miserable, giving sermons on charity and trying to teach the children to read. These things do not sit well with many who believe in the status quo and people keeping to their proper place in life. Then there are deaths... One that is determined to be either an accident or due to health problems, but which is still troubling. Then another that is obviously murder. There is an obvious suspect... a young man who likes killing animals. But can they find him and prove it? By they-- I mean Campion and his man with the help of Dr. Hansard, who have personal reasons to be looking in on the murder(s). Campion is a sympathetic character, worldly in some ways, but also young and idealistic. The older Dr. Hansard is both teacher and companion. There are convincing details of daily life and local politics. The mystery is not bad. There are some nice twists, although I actually could spot the killer before the end (something I'm ordinarily not adept at). Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I will eagerly look for the next in the series and may check into other books by this author.

In spring 1810, Reverend Tobias Campion, who has turned his back on a life of privilege, takes up his small Warwickshire parish of Moreton Priory. Alas, his first night in the village as the guest of his distant cousin, Lady Elham, is exciting for all of the wrong reasons. Tobias intervenes in the attempted rape of Lizzie Woodman, a housemaid in his cousin's home. While this makes him a hero to some, it brings him the enmity of others. Nothing is quite what it seems in at Moreton Priory. Tobias makes friends with Dr Edmund Hansard, uses his social conscience in relation to the lives of the labourers and poor of the village, and consequently offends some of his parishioners. At the same time, while he has deepening feelings of affection for Lizzie, he is aware that others are also attracted to her. Soon, though, a number of deaths and accidents occur and soon Reverend Campion and Dr Hansard join forces to try to uncover some answers. It is not particularly fast-paced and some may find that the scene-setting takes too long. However, once the scene is set and the characters established, the novel is full of twists and turns and some insights into the social history of the times. It is the historical setting rather than the mystery that makes this novel most enjoyable. This is the first book in a series and I'll be reading the next book `Shadow of the Past' to see how what the future holds in store for Tobias Campion. Jennifer Cameron-Smith

In 1810, newly ordained parson, Tobias Campion is taking up a position as Vicar to a parish in Warwickshire, under the auspices of a distant cousin, Lady Elham. On the very first night, he prevents the attempted rape of a servant girl, Lizzie, only to discover her hideously mutilated body in the woods, a few weeks later. With the help of his manservant, Jem and his new friend and neighbour, Doctor Hansard, they are determined to find the murderer and the reason for other attacks and disappearances around the neighbourhood. The quest takes them over the countryside to a private asylum near Bath where Lady Elham's son is confined after repeated attacks on both humans and animals. I found this book to be an excellent read, fast flowing yet with many twists and turns and can only hope that this is the beginning of a series of books featuring the Rev. Tobias Campion.