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  • The Shadows of London

  • By: Andrew Taylor
  • Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
  • Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (74 ratings)
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The Shadows of London

By: Andrew Taylor
Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
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Summary

London 1671.

The damage caused by the Great Fire still overshadows the capital. When a man’s brutally disfigured body is discovered in the ruins of an ancient almshouse, architect Cat Hakesby is ordered to stop restoration work. It is obvious he has been murdered, and Whitehall secretary James Marwood is ordered to investigate.

It’s possible the victim could be one of two local men who have vanished – the first, a feckless French tutor connected to the almshouse’s owner; the second, a possibly treacherous employee of the Council of Foreign Plantations.

The pressure on Marwood mounts as Charles II’s most influential courtiers, Lord Arlington and the Duke of Buckingham, show an interest in his activities – and Marwood soon begins to suspect the murder trail may lead right to the heart of government.

Meanwhile, a young, impoverished Frenchwoman has caught the eye of the king, a quiet affair that will have monumental consequences...

©2023 Andrew Taylor (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Sheer brilliance… Truly, this is breathtaking. The combination of emotional literacy, with beautiful language and an utterly immersive sense of time and place is perfect." (Manda Scott)

"Andrew Taylor offers us a completely convincing portrait of life in the city and at court in Restoration London… An absolute delight in a series that goes from strength to strength." (S. G. McLean, prize-winning author of the Seeker series)

"This is Taylor at his unassailable best." (Financial Times)

What listeners say about The Shadows of London

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, read well

Found this by chance, surprisingly good and very listenable. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in historical fiction.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • D.
  • 21-09-23

A slow beginning a good ending

I felt the story took some time to get going, after the initial set up the middle part of the story tended to drag a little. The ending however contains a couple of twists that sets the next book in the series (when it’s published) up nicely.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Deserves more than 5*

I’ve listened to the series in order, and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters and narrator. This is a lovely way to round off the series - the ending you hoped the two main characters were heading for.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another triumph

I enjoyed what I think is going to be the last instalment of Marwood and Kat’s story. I love the whole series

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Superb narration of a fine mystery

I've listened to several books read by Leighton Pugh, and this is perhaps his best (though I've not listened to his epic Pepys Diaries). I no point did the narration jolt me out of the story as can often happen, it's a tricky book with many characters and the voices are all individual and recognisable without being hackneyed.
The story itself is a return to form, a good mystery and an enjoyable continuation of the arc. The reveal was a complex surprise, so I would have enjoyed more clues, but personal preference.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Not the best book in the series unfortunately. The story is predictable and the characters not as rounded and believable as previous books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best yet

This is the best one yet.
I hope there are more to come in this series

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Not for me - narration not the book

I’m afraid I must disagree with other reviewers. Having read the previous books in the series I was looking forward to this and thought I would give the narrated version a try. The book is great, so far, I haven’t finished it yet, not sure I will on audible. The narration reminds me too much of Monty Python, which is a real distraction. Cat, one of the central characters is breathy and simpering, not strong and independent. This is not about the differences in how I imagine the characters to be and others interpretation, this is about unnecessary characterisation. It’s not for me.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another winner

Up to standard to the previous books. I loved it - familiar characters plus some new ones. Excellent narration once more. Can’t wait for the next one!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great stuff!

Listening to The Shadows of London , the sixth in Andrew Taylor’s historical crime series with investigator James Marwood, brought back all the strengths of the first, The Ashes of London , which I reviewed in April 2016.

In The Ashes of London Government secretary James Marwood was ordered to investigate a savage murder at the time of the Great Fire; in The Shadows of London , this new title in the series, Marwood is again under orders after a faceless body is found in the grounds where new almshouses are being built. The architect of the houses is Marwood’s long standing special friend Cat, now he widow of a man she had loathed. The relationship between feisty Cat and Marwood deepens engagingly throughout (no spoilers!).

In 1671 Restoration London, the dreadful damage wrought by the Great Fire still casts its dark shadows and the restored monarch Charles 11 resides over a court seething with intrigue and plots . As Marwood investigates he comes to suspect duplicity at the highest levels. These are dangerous times.

Taylor’s skills include the assimilation of genuine historical figures (eg Lord Arlington, the Duke of Buckingham, quotations from John Evelyn…) into his historical fiction thus creating an astoundingly real society steeped in espionage and deceit in rich visual and sensory detail .The narrative bristles with danger as violence erupts from just below its surface. At the highest level is the young (historically real) French woman Louise de Kerouaille being brought over as a mistress for Charles whilst acting as a spy for France. Outside the Royal Court t here are cheats and liars: old men procure defenceless young women for their money and murdered men are left uninvestigated beside the highway.

Taylor paints everything indoors and in the streets with all its teeming life so minutely and vividly that we are absolutely absorbed: like the dangerous, cramped coach journeys with jostled passengers wearing masks against the dust and the stink. We can see details even as tiny as the courier’s leather pouch as we become familiar with the sending and receiving of letters and messages.

It’ makes for hours of great listening and Leighton Pugh is a superb narrator who cannot be faltered or bettered.

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