The Motive from the Deed
The latest adventure of outlawed Viscount St. Mars, aka the highwayman Blue Satan, and his friend Hester Kean unfolds in London during the 1715 Jacobite uprising. The German-speaking George I, in the first year of his reign, seems vulnerable to Stuart supporters and their French allies. London bubbles with fears of civil war, as rumors of treason send lords and commoners to the Tower.
Hester, living as a poor-relation companion to her cousin the flighty Lady Isabella, is overjoyed to rediscover her long-lost brother Jeremy. The joy turns to fear when she encounters a murdered bookseller who had employed Jeremy as a pamphlet writer. Was the unknown killer’s motive political, personal, or related to the bookseller’s trade in salacious French pamphlets? Jeremy’s obvious love for the young widow makes him a prime suspect. Meanwhile Viscount St. Mars, ex-Jacobite sympathizer, sneaks back into England seeking to clear his name and regain his confiscated estates. While pursuing an understated romance with Hester, he risks discovery to help clear her brother. Wynn’s extensive research delves into London’s literary world, and this enjoyable book features quotes from Alexander Pope as well as a cameo by the great poet himself. Historical notes; third in the series.
