The Body in the Thames is the first book I've read by Susanna Gregory and is part of the Thomas Chaloner Adventure series (I didn't find it necessary to read the previous ones first to pick up the story). Set during the reign of King Charles II and after the demise of Oliver Cromwell, Thomas Chaloner finds himself caught between the Dutch visitors who are visiting England for peace talks and the British who are clamoring for war against their Holland neighbors.From the cover:
London swelters in a heatwave in the summer of 1664, and in the corridors of power the temperature is equally high as an outbreak of war with the Dutch threatens to become a reality. In the dilapidated surroundings of the Savoy Palace, a delegation from the government in the Netherlands is gathered in a last-ditch attempt to secure peace between the two countries. Thomas Chaloner, active in Holland during Cromwell's time, knows many of the delegates, including the sister of his late wife. . . . Then the body of his former brother-in-law is found in the Thames and Chaloner discovers the dead man has left enigmatic clues as to the motive for his murder.
My thoughts:
I'm amazed at the detail Susanna Gregory gives the reader of the time period and customs and life in the indulgent London court. Although I spent my childhood and teenage years in London, I did like having a map to refer to showing locations during 1664 when the landscape was very different. Thomas Chaloner is an interesting character. She's definitely an author I will read more often.
