- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Canada / Mystery (Feb 22 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0688176836
- ISBN-13: 978-0688176839
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.7 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 499 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
A boisterous, bawdy romp through Restoration England, Unnatural Fire introduces a pair of unlikely heroines and sets them on a merry chase through London just before the dawn of the 18th century. The Countess Ashby de la Zouche has lost her place in society with the death of Charles II, her former paramour, and the subsequent disappearance of her husband, a swindler who's gone to America to seek his fortune. Languishing in debtor's prison, she's soon rediscovered by her erstwhile maid Alpiew, whose circumstances aren't much better than her former employer's. But the two women swiftly discover how to turn their shared fondness for gossip into a tidy livelihood as stringers for an infamous scandal sheet. Hired by a wealthy matron to get the goods on her philandering husband, they stumble on a murder that sets this fast-paced, funny story in motion. The mystery mixes royal intrigue, theatrical shenanigans, cross-dressing strangers, and secret formulas into a delicious potion brewed by an actor and playwright who specializes in Restoration comedy. Author Fidelis Morgan's thorough familiarity with the period informs every paragraph of this delightful historical romp. --Jane Adams
From Publishers Weekly
British actress and playwright Morgan's (Hangover Square) love of Restoration comedy fires her first novel, a bawdy romp featuring a pair of unlikely female sleuths: the intrepid 60-year-old Lady Anastasia Ashby de la Zouche, who was once Charles II's mistress, and her former personal maid, the buxom, alluring Alpiew. Desperate for money, the countess and Alpiew join forces to write articles for a London scandal sheet, but get sidetracked following a well-to-do merchant, Beau Wilson, at the behest of his worried wife, who is suspicious of his long, unexplained absences from home. As they trail Beau around London's seedier districts, the countess and Alpiew attend a play or two as well as a lecture on the eclipse of the sun (due later that year of 1699), comment wittily on the state of the theater and scientific learning and eventually stumble on their quarry, his throat cut from ear to ear, one night in Covent Garden. Like a comic Restoration play, the action proceeds pell-mell, replete with bad puns and knockabout farce. The discovery of a secret "elaboratory" where Beau dabbled in the "hermetic arts" (alchemy), a fishing outing to the country, the murder of the Wilsons' loyal servant, Betty, and a cipher in alchemical symbols all lead in the end to a surprising plot involving King William himself. Fans of light historical mysteries are sure to be amused. (Mar. 16)Forecast: The BBC and Channel 4 are adapting Unnatural Fire for a TV movie; A&E and PBS are both interested in U.S. rights. Adaptation by either of the latter will boost sales of the book down the road.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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First Sentence
'Take this down ... "At the stroke of 8 o'clock this morning, while the night-watch Charlies still slept in their boxes, the Honourable Marmaduke Smallwood tied a knot with tongue which he can never untie with his teeth. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
'Take this down ... "At the stroke of 8 o'clock this morning, while the night-watch Charlies still slept in their boxes, the Honourable Marmaduke Smallwood tied a knot with tongue which he can never untie with his teeth. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A devious duo solve a mystery,
By
This review is from: Unnatural Fire (Paperback)
Out of expedience, two women on the fringes of society in Restoration England become embroiled in a mystery far more complicated than what it first appears. Lady Anastasia Ashby de la Zouche and her trusted servant Alpiew exist from day to day in that part of London where the demimonde earn their living by taking advantage of opportunity. Just released from debtor's prison, the two women have contracted to uncover shocking stories for a scandal sheet, even if they have to fabricate the details. In the context of researching a story, they are hired by a respectable woman to follow her husband, who the wife suspects of infidelity. Not exactly inconspicuous, the two bumbling sleuths eventually witness the husband's brutal murder, although they cannot get a good look at the perpetrator. When the wife herself is accused of murder for hire, Lady Ashby and Alpiew delve into the dark passages of nighttime London, replete with murderers, thieves and cutpurses, on a mission for truth.The result is a comedy of errors as the aging Countess Ashby exploits her memorable dalliance with the former King Charles II, now deceased. With the buxom and youthful Alpiew as a partner, the two unlikely detectives uncover more fodder for gossip and accusation than anticipated, from secret experiments to an alchemist's laboratory and suspects in high places. The two women are as engaging as they are foolish and impetuous and render the story with a broad wink at the vagaries of human nature. And, of course, in the nick of time, all is made right and fortunes restored. Snappy dialog and quirky characters make this back alley romp a pleasant experience.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unnatural Fire,
By
This review is from: Unnatural Fire (Us) (Hardcover)
A historical mystery that is a delightful rowdy romp through London in 1699. Not at all the usual 'researched and narrated to the nth degree' slow moving dull historical mystery one finds so often. Countess de la Zouche, bawdy ex-mistress of Charles II, keeps out of debtor's prison by selling naughty gossip tidbits with the aid of her former maid, Alpiew. Their adventures include murder, scandal/mystery involving alchemy, numerous backstreet characters and nobility. Witty and satirical, this book is definitely a fun read.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Restoration Romp,
By Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Unnatural Fire (Paperback)
Countess Ashby and Alpiew are an unlikely team. Alpiew is a former employee of the Countess'. Ashby thinks she ran away with her husband, but in reality, Alpiew was just another of the items he stole when he took off for the New World. They meet again in debtor's prison, each vying for a job with a scandal sheet. They end up combining talents and sharing the salary. In the course of their business, they are asked by a Mrs. Wilson to follow her husband. She suspects that he is cheating on her. They lose track of him the first night and witness his murder on the second. The come to discover that he is also an alchemist who will do anything to get the money to continue his research. But how far did he go, and what has he done?At times the language of another era is somewhat difficult to follow, but usually all is explained soon after. The characters of the aged former royal favourites and their servants are very entertaining, as are the characters themselves. The mystery can be difficult to solve, but all the clues are there if you only look. I am definitely going to read more of this series.
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