The Cry of the Hangman - (A Lucy Campion Mystery) by Susanna Calkins (Hardcover)

About the Book

London, 1667. Printer's apprentice Lucy Campion is horrified when Magistrate Hargrave is viciously attacked with a brass hourglass during a break-in. The puzzling case is just the start of a series of dark, bizarre crimes. Lucy's determined to get justice for her much-loved former master, but someone is determined to stop her - whatever it takes.

Book Synopsis

Murder always sells. But when a series of dark and puzzling crimes takes place in seventeenth-century London, will printer's apprentice Lucy Campion be publishing the news - or starring in it?

London, 1667. Printer's apprentice Lucy Campion is unsettled when, on a frozen December morning after church, an elderly woman dressed in mourning clothes whispers an ominous warning in her ear.

Lucy sternly tells herself it's nonsense, but then her much-loved former master, Magistrate Hargrave, is viciously attacked with a brass hourglass during a break-in. But what exactly was the intruder searching for? And why did they first stop to steal a piece of Cook's lamb and lentil pie?

The puzzling case is just the start of a series of dark, bizarre crimes. Lucy's determined to uncover the truth and see that justice is done. But someone is equally determined to stop her - whatever it takes.

This page-turning historical mystery set in Renaissance London is a great choice for readers who like their heroines lively, their mysteries twisty and their historical settings brimming with authenticity.

From the Back Cover

SUSANNA CALKINS
THE CRY OF THE HANGMAN

"Something ill is coming. Do not dismiss the signs . . ."

London, 1667. Printer's apprentice Lucy Campion is unsettled when, on a frozen December morning after church, an elderly woman dressed in mourning clothes whispers an ominous warning in her ear.

Lucy sternly tells herself it's nonsense, but then her much-loved former master, Magistrate Hargrave, is viciously attacked with a brass hourglass during a break-in. But what exactly was the intruder searching for? And why did they first stop to steal a piece of Cook's lamb and lentil pie?

The puzzling case is just the start of a series of dark, bizarre crimes. Lucy's determined to uncover the truth and see that justice is done. But someone is equally determined to stop her - whatever it takes.

Review Quotes

[P]acked with intriguing historical details, which ably support a clever plot and a captivating heroine-- "Booklist"

A crisply written, cleverly plotted, and nicely detailed historical mystery, with a lively heroine and a satisfying ending-- "Booklist on The Sign of the Gallows"

A nice option for devotees of Anne Rutherford and Samuel Thomas-- "Library Journal on A Death Along the River Fleet"

An enjoyably complex mystery with a clever heroine neatly interweaves detailed historical background with fascinating characters-- "Kirkus Reviews on A Death Along the River Fleet"

An involving tale. Solid historical mystery, with intriguing hints about the future-- "Booklist on A Death Along the River Fleet"

Calkins makes fine use of advances in mathematics and cryptography of this period, while also drawing in the chaos of the Great Fire and plague in London as agents of change in society. For anyone interested in 17th-century England, this mystery is a treat-- "Publishers Weekly on The Sign of the Gallows"

Creepy and ingenious-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Lavish period detail, romantic tension, and a complex puzzle make the heroine's fifth adventure one of her best-- "Kirkus Reviews on The Sign of the Gallows"

This series keeps getting better-- "Publishers Weekly"