Death’s Long Shadow (Richard Brinsley Sheridan Mysteries, 2)
Theatre manager, playwright and politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan is one of the most colourful figures of the 18th century, a mercurial character who pulled himself up from humble beginnings to the ranks of the gentry. In this enjoyable book set in 1792-93 he adds ‘detective’ to his other talents. As the story starts, Sheridan is mourning the recent death of his young wife, and has come to Staffordshire to visit an old female friend, now married to an earl. One of the house guests is found dead in mysterious circumstances. Investigations lead to the victim’s backstory and a plausible candidate for the killer.
Some months later another murder follows, one of the backstage staff at Sheridan’s own theatre in London. It turns out the victim has been hiding a homeless relative in a secluded part of the theatre building. The story rattles along with numerous blind alleys and enjoyable characters.
Sheridan solves the mysteries in a denouement which I did not predict, though I found it did rather stretch my credibility. The plot, running over a period of several months, includes Sheridan’s care for his surviving baby daughter and his hopes for a second marriage. We see him as an idealistic, romantic man and, though clearly possessed of a sharp intellect, he is very fallible, falling prey to hypnotism at one point. He is well able to mix in all levels of society which, as shown here, range from royalty all the way down to the roughest St Giles rookery. Though he is clearly one of a kind, I would have preferred it if Cullen had provided him with some sidekick or assistant off whom he might bounce ideas as the investigation progresses.
Still, as a well-told tale, with strong characters in clearly pictured settings, this is good value.
