The Curious Affair of the Witch at Wayside Cross (From the
Casebooks of Jesperson & Lane) by Lisa Tuttle (Random House Hydra).
In this second
adventure of the intrepid Victorian private detectives Jasper Jesperson and
Miss Lane. While the daring duo evoke shades of Holmes and Watson with a touch
of the supernatural here and there, they are anything put pale imitations.
While a mysterious murder sets them off on this latest adventure to Norfolk,
the story is as much about the denizens coming to terms with an uneasy
crossroads between the modern, scientific future and the folkloric, magical
past. When a new client falls dead on their doorstep, a young man in apparent
health whose heart has given out, the sleuths follow clues to Norfolk, where
the victim’s close friend has established a society dedicated to reviving the
“ancient religion” of Britain.
A kidnapped baby, accusations of witchcraft,
cunning men and wisewomen steeped in the lore of plants that can cure – or kill
– and a tragic love affair lead Jesperson and Lane down a twisted path, past
the “shrieking pits” and back to London, through greenhouses filled with
exotic, poisonous plants, and to a clergyman’s parlor. Lively, witty, and often
unexpected, these stories are a true delight.
I especially like the deft way
the author treads the line between fantasy and reality in a way that heightens
the emotional stakes and vividness of the tale.
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