Monday, January 31, 2022

Four Thousand Days by M.J. Trow

 
First Line: "This is absolutely disgusting!"
 
October 1900, University College, London. Dr. Margaret Murray has learned not to take things at face value. When one of her students is found dead in her rented room, Murray dismisses the police verdict of death by suicide and sets out to learn what really happened. 

As an archaeologist, Murray knows that, in order to understand how a person died, you have to know how that person lived, so she sets out to learn as much about the dead girl as she can. The first thing Murray learns is that the girl was hiding many secrets, one of which might lead to an extraordinary archaeological find. Then the case takes on a new urgency when a second body turns up on a windy beach in Kent...

~

I am sometimes hesitant to read fiction that uses real-life people as characters, but for some reason, I couldn't resist M.J. Trow's Four Thousand Days. Perhaps it was the time period-- 1900, right at the end of Victoria's reign. Perhaps it was the fact that Margaret Murray was a female archaeologist. For whatever reason, I'm glad I picked up this enjoyable historical mystery (and I appreciated the author's The Real Margaret Murray at the end of the book).

Dr. Margaret Murray isn't the only interesting character in the book. There's the handsome Constable Adam Crawford who attends Murray's free archaeology lectures on Fridays and has a keen eye for rooting out clues to solving crimes. There's retired Scotland Yard inspector Edmund Reid, subject of the popular Inspector Dier mystery novels. There's Tom, a former thief and erstwhile chef and server at Murray's favorite watering hole, the Jeremy Bentham. Of Murray's students, the standout for me was Janet Bairnsfather, "the Job of University College," who's much too rigidly proper to fit in well with Murray and her inner circle of students. Even the characters on the periphery are interesting, and sometimes good for a laugh or two, like the Herne Bay Decorum Society, "...a not-very-well-meaning clique of busybodies, largely female...who twitch curtains and look for outrage."

The mystery is a good one, and I was dying to find out what the archaeological find was. When I did learn, I think my jaw hit the floor. (And that was also when I learned the significance of the book title.)

Four Thousand Days is a well-written, thoroughly enjoyable historical mystery, and I'm looking forward to seeing Margaret Murray in the future.

Four Thousand Days by M.J. Trow
eISBN: 9781448307401
Severn House © 2022
eBook, 224 pages
 
Historical Mystery, #1 Margaret Murray mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Net Galley

14 comments:

  1. Oh, this looks really interesting, Cathy! I'm like you when it comes to reading fiction that features real-life people. But it sounds as though it worked here, and I do like a well-written historical novel. Oh, and a strong female protagonist, too. Yeah, I think this warrants further digging...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Replies
    1. We do seem to share some of the same reading DNA. :-)

      Delete
  3. Okay, I'm definitely intrigued. Got to get this one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you get a chance to read and enjoy it, Dorothy.

      Delete
  4. I like the sound of this one! I am also usually hesitant to read fictionalized accounts of real people, so I am glad this one was handled well and that the author included a note about the real person.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I was very happy to see that note in the back of the book.

      Delete
  5. Sounds good; I enjoyed Trow's post Civil War novel set during the Grant presidency that featured Grant and Custer, among other real life characters. I'll watch for this one at my library.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was looking at some of the other books he's written, so I appreciate your input, Sam.

      Delete
  6. You make me want to read this one even more than I already did. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't tell me... it was the curtain twitchers and the outrage that drew you in, right? ;-)

      Delete
  7. That does sound good! I had already added it to my list from your earlier post that included it, but this review definitely makes it more of a priority.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you get a chance to read and enjoy it, FR!

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!