In recent years I've become more interested than ever in the way that crime novelists draw inspiration (literary rather than homicidal) from real life criminal cases. The form that inspiration takes will vary from author to author. Sometimes it's indirect, perhaps to the point of being debatable if unacknowledged by the author. Sometimes it's fairly clear. And sometimes the story offers a retelling of the original story in fictional form, perhaps supplying a new, or relatively new, interpretation of the existing facts.
The case of Sir Edmund Godfrey, who died in 1678, has attracted a great deal of attention from crime writers as well as criminologists. Godfrey's body was found in a ditch near Primrose Hill after he had been missing for several days, and his death has been the subject of a wide variety of theories. Over the years, I've read three books about the case. The first is the most famous, and was written by John Dickson Carr. The second, three years ago, was The Bloodless Boy by Robert J. Lloyd, which was dark, atmospheric, and menacing. And now we have a lighter novel which turns the case into a nifty detective story, The Three Deaths of Justice Godfrey by L.C. Tyler.
I've spoken several times on this blog about my enthusiasm for Len's humorous series about Ethelred Tressider and Elsie Thirkettle, but this book is the tenth entry in a very different series, featuring the magistrate Sir John Grey. Here Grey sets about investigating the mystery surrounding Godfrey's fate. The John Grey books are historical stories, but although they are relatively serious, Len blends his well-researched plot material with touches of wit. I like in particular Grey's wife Aminta, who is given some of the best lines.
A historical note, running to more than eleven pages, appears at the back of the book, and it provides an excellent summary of the competing ideas about the case. If spoilers were removed, it would make a very good stand-alone essay. Len also explains where, and why, he deviated from complete fidelity to the historical record. I suspect we'll never be sure about the truth of the case, but Len's arguments are, as I would expect, well-marshalled and cogent.
4 comments:
Really enjoyed this - I read it back to back with the Carr. That was an ambitious book but didn't work for me as the information dumps are far too dense. This is much more engrossing and entertaining.
Yes, that balance between giving information and telling the story well is a tricky one in a book like this and I'm glad you enjoyed Len's version of events.
I shall have to read this, Martin. Be interesting to see how different it is from mine! (Thanks for the mention, by the way.) Hope all's well, Rob
Thanks, Rob. Yours is a book that has stayed with me - which many, even some very good ones, don't. Hope your writing is going well.
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