The Devil's Feast by M.J. Carter

First Line: The fire in the grate had burned down to a series of glimmering embers in among the drifts of ash, and the room was now dark, save for the candle.

In the London of 1842, the Reform is the newest and grandest gentlemen's club which caters to those whose politics are of the liberal sort. When one of the Reform's members dies horribly on the premises, Captain William Avery is persuaded to investigate. The club is only days away from an extremely important dinner, so it's vital that the entire episode be hushed up as quickly as possible.

Avery, working without his mentor and partner Jeremiah Blake, finds himself up to his eyes in rivalries and hatreds, and not all of them are political. The chef in the renowned kitchen of the Reform is none other than Alexis Soyer, "the Napoleon of food"-- a man whose culinary brilliance is matched only by his talent for self-publicity. Avery could certainly use Blake's help.

In this third Blake and Avery historical mystery, Blake is in a pickle, and this means that young Captain William Avery must be in charge of the investigation at the Reform Club-- something that goes quite against Avery's grain since he is politically conservative. Once again M.J. Carter has created a rich, layered mystery that's even more savory than the dishes that Chef Soyer (an actual person) was known for. The Devil's Feast kept me guessing from first page to last because it takes Avery a very long time to ascertain the true focus of the deaths. Are men being poisoned because of their politics? Is it because of that important dinner? Or does it have something to do with London's first celebrity chef, Alexis Soyer? Avery finds that puzzle very difficult to solve-- especially since he's in danger of being poisoned himself.

And while Avery is trying to solve this mystery, he's trying to help Blake, and he's also being forced to deal with an increasingly difficult wife. Fortunately Avery does have the help of young Matty, the girl readers first met in The Infidel Stain. She not only provides Avery with a great deal of help (risking her own future to do so), she is a mirror in which readers can see the true Victorian London, a city with debtor's prisons and a great divide between the haves and the have-nots. Matty and Blake (who has more of his childhood exposed) are teaching Avery valuable lessons in the true ways of the world.

But The Devil's Feast is no mere fascinating Victorian exposé. Foodies will love the insights into cooking for a prestigious gentlemen's club, and the fast-paced mystery will delight all those who enjoy solving a cracker jack of a puzzle. Carter's Blake and Avery series started out strong and it's getting stronger with each entry. I can't wait to see what's in store next!
    

The Devil's Feast by M.J. Carter

eISBN: 9780698168756

G.P. Putnam's Sons © 2017

eBook, 423 pages

Historical Mystery, #3 Blake & Avery mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley


 

The Infidel Stain by M.J. Carter

First Line (from Prologue): The still, quiet shop was a blessed shelter from the biting cold.

Time and distance have lessened the bond between Jeremiah Blake and William Avery. It's 1841, and Avery has come to London feeling a bit tired of country life and a little uneasy in his marriage. Things are much different than they were in India, and he's having trouble adjusting.

A series of gruesome murders bring the two men back together. All the victims had some connection with London's gutter press, and they were all murdered in the same way, yet the police seem very unwilling to investigate. It takes a rich and titled man known for his religious principles and his work to improve the conditions of the poor to set the two men the task of finding the killer. They soon find themselves racing against the clock amongst criminals, pornographers, missionaries, whores, and political extremists in the teeming streets of the poorer sections of the city.

I enjoyed Carter's first Blake and Avery mystery, The Strangler Vine, with its exotic Indian setting, but I wondered how I would like this second book with both men back in London. I need not have worried. Carter is positively Dickensian in her description of the poor sections of the city; they came to life before my eyes. There was even a tiny scene in which Dickens appeared that made me smile. Those few words brought the man to life in a way that biographies never have.

In The Infidel Stain, we learn more of the background of the mysterious Jeremiah Blake, and once again it's proven how dissimilar the two men are. One way Carter does this is with my favorite character in the book (outside of the two heroes), young Matty Horner. Ever since her parents died, it's been the worst sort of fight for survival for Matty and her little brother. As her history unfolds, we see Avery's more conventional reaction to her, and then we see Blake's, who tells Matty at one point, "You kept your head above water when the world left you to drown." 

Carter does an excellent job of placing her book right within the social and political events of the day, and as I read, I was reminded that London in 1841 is eerily similar to what's going on today. (The more things change, the more they remain the same.) She also provides glints of humor amidst all the seriousness, as when Blake's assertion that "No reading is ever wasted" is proven beyond doubt.

As good as the story is in this book, I found it to have the same problem as her first book: pacing that sometimes slows to a crawl before it picks up again. Perhaps some of the wonderful period detail could be edited in order to tighten the narrative?  Be that as it may, I enjoy immersing myself in M.J. Carter's Blake and Avery books, and I look forward to the third.

The Infidel Stain by M.J. Carter

ISBN: 9780399171680

G.P. Putnam's Sons © 2016

Hardcover, 432 pages

Historical Mystery, #2 Blake and Avery mystery

Rating: A-

 Source: Amazon Vine


 

The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter

First Line: He stumbles out from the mango grove and at that moment the thick monsoon clouds, which color the night a dull charcoal grey, shift.

India, 1837: New to the British East India Company, young William Avery feels as though his life is wasting away in Calcutta while he waits to be posted somewhere where he can have adventures and be covered in glory. Now all he can do is run up debts and try to court the fascinating Helen Larkbridge.

All that changes when he's given a temporary promotion and teamed with newly named Special Inquiry Agent Jeremiah Blake to find a famous writer who's disappeared. Avery's partner is a genius at languages and disguises, but he's gone native. Blake has made his discontent with British colonial rule known, so Avery is ordered to keep an eye on him.

The further in country they travel, the more danger they encounter, and everything seems to tie into the mysterious and deadly Thuggee cult. It may be profound culture shock for young Avery, but he's got to learn fast. If he doesn't, he won't be returning to Calcutta to make his report.

Author M.J. Carter brings colonial India to life in that period twenty years before the Great Mutiny of 1857. Life in Calcutta is exotic and expensive. Even a young soldier like Avery is expected to have a minimum of seven servants! To the British, every native of India is inferior-- and so are their language, their culture, their food, their architecture-- nothing escapes contempt. The East India Company is there to keep the peace so they can reap the ultimate in profits. That's the bottom line. The less contact with the natives the better.

At the same time, a fascinating and layered portrait of the Indian people is shown, from the lowest of the servant classes all the way to princes who hand out bags of rubies, sapphires, and diamonds as though they were an endless supply of chocolates. Whenever the political and financial aims of the East India Company differ from what is actually needed and expected in the country, explosive situations arise. The Strangler Vine delves into the devious means the East India Company used to bend everyone to their will.

All this is seen through the eyes of young William Avery, who at first is easily swayed by the company he keeps. Bored and impressionable, he does everything he's expected to do (including running up debts) and even begins to cultivate his own superior air when dealing with the natives. His assignment with Jeremiah Blake is the best possible thing that could have happened to him. Traveling with this taciturn man, Avery gets out into the country away from the stifling influence of the Company to see how the people really live. Blake and his second-in-command, Mir Aziz, are giving Avery an education, and I liked watching the young man change through various encounters both tame and deadly. There's just a touch of Holmes and Watson about Blake and Avery, and it's going to be interesting to see how this relationship grows in future books.

The only two things that detracted from the book for me were its pacing, which kept bogging down, and Avery's romance with Helen Larkbridge, which felt tacked on and unnecessary to the plot. However, The Strangler Vine's setting and its two main characters definitely make me anticipate more books in this new historical series. 

 

The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter

ISBN: 9780399171673  

G.P. Putnam's Sons © 2015

Hardcover, 384 pages

Historical Mystery, #1 Avery and Blake mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Amazon Vine