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    Murder by Misrule
    Murder by Misrule
    Murder by Misrule
    Audiobook10 hours

    Murder by Misrule

    Written by Anna Castle

    Narrated by Joel Froomkin

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Brilliant Francis Bacon is at a loss -- and in danger.

    Francis Bacon is charged with investigating the murder of a fellow barrister at Gray's Inn. He recruits his unwanted protégé Thomas Clarady to do the tiresome legwork. The son of a privateer, Clarady will do anything to climb the Elizabethan social ladder.

    Bacon's powerful uncle Lord Burghley suspects Catholic conspirators of the crime, but other motives quickly emerge. Rival barristers contend for the murdered man's legal honors and wealthy clients. Highly-placed courtiers are implicated as the investigation reaches from Whitehall to the London streets.

    Bacon does the thinking; Clarady does the fencing. Everyone has something up his pinked and padded sleeve. Even the brilliant Francis Bacon is at a loss — and in danger — until he sees through the disguises of the season of Misrule.

    "Castle's characters brim with zest and real feeling." — Kirkus Starred Review.

    Don't dally! Jump right into this first book in the award-winning Francis Bacon mystery series.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAnna Castle
    Release dateNov 24, 2017
    ISBN9780991602537
    Author

    Anna Castle

    Anna Castle writes the Francis Bacon mysteries and the Lost Hat, Texas mysteries. She has earned a series of degrees -- BA in the Classics, MS in Computer Science, and a PhD in Linguistics -- and has had a corresponding series of careers -- waitressing, software engineering, grammar-writing, assistant professor, and archivist. Writing fiction combines her lifelong love of stories and learning. She physically resides in Austin, Texas and mentally counts herself a queen of infinite space.

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    Reviews for Murder by Misrule

    3.5/5

    48 ratings8 reviews

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    • 4/5
      In 1585 England Francis Bacon is told by his uncle, Lord Burghley, that he to investigate the death of a fellow barrister at Gray's Inn. He recruits four of his students to help with the legwork of the investigation - Tom Clarady. Stephen Delabere, Allen Trumpington and Benjamin Whitt.
      An entertaining mystery, looking forward to read the next.
    • 4/5
      I love a good mystery. And what could be better than a mystery combined with one of my favorite historical eras, the Elizabethan age?! It takes a talent to write a great mystery and also adhere to historical detail and this author has done just that. I'm thoroughly impressed.

      I've had mixed feelings on Francis Bacon, as I've read other books with him as a character or background figure and it seems the portrayals are not always favorable. However, I really liked him in this book and his apprentice, Thomas, was a refreshing addition to the story.

      The mystery itself is labyrinthine and carries much suspense. It's rare for a historical novel to be "edge of the seat" reading. Don't get me wrong. Everyone knows I love historical fiction and it can be exciting, but when you add an element of suspense to the genre, it's even better. I'm thinking along the lines of C.W. Gortner's Spymaster Chronicles or Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series. This book is a worthy addition to that type of series and this too is a planned series so I'm looking forward to reading Bacon's continuing adventures.

      I'm recommending this book to anyone who loves mysteries. Don't let the historical fiction genre dissuade you. Even if you do not normally read historical fiction, you are going to want to read this one purely for the excellent mystery writing. The historical bits are just icing on the cake!
    • 4/5
      Francis Bacon is currently out of favour with Queen Elizabeth. In a bid to get back in her favour he is given the task of finding the murderer of a fellow barrister at London's Gray's Inn. Bacon is not the best in social situations (can we say awkward?) so he enlists the help of four of his pupils: Tom Clarady, sent to Gray's by his privateer father in hopes of becoming a gentleman; Allen Trumpington, a smallist person with a few secrets of his own; Benjamine Whitt, the intelligent and studious one; Stephen Delabere; the pompous, highborn, egotistica one. The four each have their strengths, weaknesses and priorities.Clarady sees a beauty watching from an upper window and promptly falls in love. He thinks she may have seen something of the murder, so uses this as an excuse to search for her. Taking direction from Bacon, the foursome search in high society and low society to find clues to the murder and the reason for it.While the search is on going there is also the question of who and why other barristers and jockeying to take over the dead man's position. There is also the question of whether there was help from the Catholic faction and it may have a political slant.The characters personalities are enjoyable. The are times where it is tense and then there are the humourous times between the characters and their relationships. At times they work together and then they work against each other. It all makes for a good read.
    • 3/5
      I must confess to being a bit confused by this book. It started well enough, and then seemed to get dragged into many side plots. There was not much of Francis Bacon, except that he kept lying in bed, at least this is the impression I got. There was not much, by way of sleuthing, so I was a bit surprised that a whole book was made around this murder
    • 3/5
      This is a fun read. Thee characters are well developed and have very distinct personalities. The mystery itself is good as well.
    • 3/5
      I liked many things about this book--sense of place, diversity of character, most of the mystery itself, and it was on track to four stars about halfway in. Then the ruinations started appearing--an anachronistic phrase, not such a big deal, but then some astonishingly coincidental timing, a main character who sees the murderer, solves the mystery, and then forgets, and a random loaded gun in the 16th century. Castle got careless, at least.
    • 5/5
      At the start of Murder by Misrule, Francis Bacon had been banished from court for his impolitic writings and was deeply in debt. Bacon tries to obey his powerful uncle's instructions and to win Queen Elizabeth's favor back but he would prefer to focus on his reading and studies. As he undertakes to investigate the death of his tutor, he faces Catholic conspirators and the jockeying for power in Gray's Inn. The persistence and creativity of his pupils push the investigation forward and liven up the book. Of the four pupils, it's Tom Clarady, the wealthy privateer's son that gives the story it's romance, adventure, and conflict. Tom is striving to become a gentleman and has agreed to underwrite the education and expenses of Stephen Delabere, the eldest son of the seventh Earl of Dorchester. There's tension between the two, especially as Stephen grows progressively more demanding and prickly. Also part of their group is Trumpet, Allen Trumpington, a slight and studious aspiring member of the Bar. Benjamin Whitt, is the fourth in their group - older by a few years, large and with a quiet wit. The four pupils come across their tutor, stabbed and murdered in the street. When their new tutor Francis Bacon enlists their help to find the killer, this search takes them from the small side streets of London to Queen Elizabeth's court - and to grave danger.I enjoy a good mystery and love historical fiction, so Murder by Misrule was treat for me. I didn't know much about Francis Bacon and was happy to discover that while he'd been brilliant at deduction, a rational thinker and the father of the scientific method, he was clumsy in his social life and would unintentionally offend those whose attention and respect he was seeking. Anna Castle combines humor with a complicated mystery to deliver a fun, satisfying read.
    • 4/5
      " Ben shook his head, bemused, 'It seems too simple.' Bacon answered crisply, 'Simplicity is often the sign of truth.' " A highly entertaining murder-mystery set in Elizabethan England with a wonderful set of characters. Francis Bacon has fallen out of favor with Queen Elizabeth and on the day of the Queen's Day Pageant he stumbles across the body of his former tutor and fellow barrister at Gray's Inn, Tobias.Smythson. Francis is tasked with solving the murder, which may very well include a Catholic conspiracy, and will hopefully place him back within the Queen's favor. Francis sends out four of his students, including Thomas Clarady to do most of the dirty work for him. While trying to solve Smython's murder, the Season of Misrule returns, where pranks and silliness abound; there will be several more murders, Thomas falls in love with a widow who may or may not have a live husband and all of Tom's friends may not appear to be who they seem.Anna Castile presents an engaging mystery with smart and witty writing. I'm pretty much up for anything set in the Elizabethan era and I enjoyed reading about real-life characters Francis Bacon and Queen Elizabeth herself. Bacon is a favorite of mine and he was placed in a very believable role of the sleuth, his work in developing the scientific method and empiricism makes his character a good teacher as well as prime candidate for solving the intricate mysteries during the season of misrule. While Francis is the sleuth, most of the story comes from Thomas Clarady's point of view, a young and dashing student who easily falls in love with one of the key witnesses to the murder. Tom's character was entertaining and humorous as he and his friends try to track down witnesses. I do wish Francis would have made more appearances, hopefully there will be more Francis Bacon Mysteries to come.This book was received for free in return for an honest review.