Not only is this a beautifully written book, but it also happens to be very nicely researched, which is an irresistible combination for any lover of historical fiction based on a fascinating series of crimes that in fact took location in the 17th century. I am referring to this debut novel by Rebecca Stott which takes a modern day murder and develops the theme of it as getting possibly related to the murders that took spot at Trinity College, Cambridge, exactly where, amongst others, Isaac Newton was studying and at some point became a Professor of Mathematics. But, whilst Newton was solving the difficulties of Gravity and discovering that light was created up of a spectrum of colours, had he in reality gained his fellowship due to another’s demise?

This mystery is narrated by Lydia Brooke and is aimed at her prior boyfriend Cameron Brown. The story opens in 2002 when a body is located floating in the river Cam. The body turns out to be that of Elizabeth Vogelsang, a Cambridge historian who has been studying the alchemy experiments of Newton and the way in which he was ostensibly tied into the alchemy groups of Europe as opposed to becoming the lone wolf as he was so typically described. As Elizabeth Vogelsang occurred to be the mother of Cameron, he asks Lydia to full the final chapter of the book on which his mother had been working.

When Lydia moves into Elizabeth’s house and starts operating in her study, strange factors start off to take place, which, thankfully, are not simply left as ghostly happenings by the writer but are much more closely tied to the animal rights activists that are in and about Cambridge, and the activities of Cameron who is operating in a laboratory for a large pharmaceutical firm where he is testing a new neurological drug on rats, which is being created for hugely questionable purposes.

As soon as the function is nicely underway, Lydia cannot resist rekindling the romance with Cameron and there is a nicely drawn comparison between the two these days sending text messages to each and every other as compared to the ways of communication in Newton’s time at the university. Clearly, Cameron’s work is meant to be a modern day version of the discoveries of Isaac Newton, in the exact same way that the contemporary day murders reflect the five murders that took spot in the 17th century.

I do not want to take anything away from other mystery writers when I say that this is a scholarly function but when you read it I am positive you will see what I mean, especially in regard to the study, and thereby the storyline that is so cleverly linked to the true historical situations.

A superb piece of historical fiction, beautifully written.