A review by mh_books
Plague by C.C. Humphreys
3.0
Dick Turpin was one of my favourite characters when I was an adolescent. Add to this a gory murder story, the plague and of course stinky, overcrowded London of the 17th century and this book should have been right up my alley. The plot was fast moving (it would make a good action movie) and the dialogue, for the male characters at least, well written.
Captain Coke is a gentleman Highway man. The thief-catcher is a working class, religious man who is trying to earn enough to raise his every growing family. The ward Dickson was a fun character, learning to read from salacious pamphlets and eating nothing but nuts. All three had some interesting traits and an interesting backstory but needed some character development. The women were very 2 dimensional and I am not surprised some reviewers could not tell them apart.
I have also read that some reviewers found the narrative overly gory. I found the opposite, there was a lack of descriptions that I have become used to. I have gotten used to books that take time to describe the scenery and place settings. I realise that this is not ideal for an action story but now it is something that I miss when it’s not there. The simple descriptions of dead cats, hundreds of rats, grass growing through paving stones (that nobody walked on any more due to lack of people during the plague outbreak) give tantalising glimpses into a 17th Century world of plague, pestilence and an ever growing overcrowded London.
Overall recommended for anybody who just wants to escape into a good adventure story.
Captain Coke is a gentleman Highway man. The thief-catcher is a working class, religious man who is trying to earn enough to raise his every growing family. The ward Dickson was a fun character, learning to read from salacious pamphlets and eating nothing but nuts. All three had some interesting traits and an interesting backstory but needed some character development. The women were very 2 dimensional and I am not surprised some reviewers could not tell them apart.
I have also read that some reviewers found the narrative overly gory. I found the opposite, there was a lack of descriptions that I have become used to. I have gotten used to books that take time to describe the scenery and place settings. I realise that this is not ideal for an action story but now it is something that I miss when it’s not there. The simple descriptions of dead cats, hundreds of rats, grass growing through paving stones (that nobody walked on any more due to lack of people during the plague outbreak) give tantalising glimpses into a 17th Century world of plague, pestilence and an ever growing overcrowded London.
Overall recommended for anybody who just wants to escape into a good adventure story.