This multilayered literary thriller is nothing short of superb.
Four key characters relate the circumstances surrounding the
mysterious death of a fellow of New College in 17th-century Oxford:
the first, a dilettante Venetian gentleman, finds himself under
suspicion in the close-knit academic community. What seems in his
account to be a straightforward murder case turns out to be a
national religious and political conspiracy. An entertaining and
learned novel; comparisons with The Name of the Rose are justified.
(Kirkus UK)
We are in Oxford in the 1660s - a time, and place, of great intellectual, scientific, religious and political ferment. Robert Grove, a fellow of New College is found dead in suspicious circumstances. A young woman is accused of his murder. We hear about the events surrounding his death from four witnesses: Marco da Cola, a Venetian Catholic intent on claiming credit for the invention of blood transfusion; Jack Prescott, the son of a supposed traitor to the Royalist cause determined to vindicate his father; John Wallis, chief cryptographer to both Cromwell and Charles II, a mathematician, theologican and inveterate plotter; and Anthony Wood, the famous Oxford antiquary. Each witness tells their version of what happened. Only one reveals the extraordinary truth.
An Instance of the Fingerpost is a magnificent tour de force: an utterly compelling historical mystery story with a plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing until the very last page.
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