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Can Samuel Pepys save his sister from the hangman’s noose?
As the inferno of the Great Fire devours London in 1666, another firestorm rages in the tranquil village of Brampton, where Pepys’s sister, Paulina, stands accused of witchcraft.
Pepys summons his inquisitors, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish, plunging them into the heart of the witchcraft mystery. Can Abigail, Pepys’s astute housemaid, and Jacob, his awkward yet eager protégé, unravel a web of secrets, gossip and lies to clear Paulina’s name?
Racing against time, Abigail and Jacob must confront a formidable adversary: Simon Hopkins, son of the infamous Witchfinder General. Possessed by his father’s Puritan zeal, he will stop at nothing to prove Paulina’s sorcery and send her to the gallows.
To the pious folk of Brampton, the options are stark. Witch or not? Life or death?
MY THOUGHTS
My thanks to Zoe of Zooloo’s Book Tours for the invitation and pdf to review. The Brampton Witch Murders is the first book in The Samuel Pepys Mysteries and is published by Vintage Mystery Press. It is available in ebook and paperback formats (31 August 2024).
This is a fairly quick read, being about 244 pages. Simultaneously as the Great Fire of London begins to take hold in 1666, diarist Samuel Pepys despatches his two inquisitors – namely his protégé Jacob Standish and housemaid Abigail (Abby) Harcourt to Brampton where Pepys’ sister Paulina lives with their parents. Paulina has been accused of witchcraft. The infamous ‘Witchfinder General’ Matthew Hopkins has passed away however the mantle has been picked up by his son Simon Hopkins. Just as pious and unforgiving as his father, Hopkins is also on his way to Brampton and its a race against time for Jacob and Abby to get there to begin their investigations before he arrives.
I certainly felt that whilst Jacob had the wealth and status and the occasional flash of inspiration, Abby was the brains of the outfit. She may have been a mere housemaid but Jacob often appeared clumsy and inarticulate in comparison. It was a shame that Abby was frequently disregarded by others due to her lowly status because she was much quicker of mind. They did make a great pairing though, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
“From what the inquisitors knew, Brampton did not possess a wise and balanced magistrate. It had Bulstrode Bennett. The situation was serious indeed”.
Paulina wasn’t the only woman to be accused of being a witch and local magistrate Bulstrode Bennett, an odious man who seemed to be in cohorts with Hopkins was no help when it came to protesting their innocence. Jacob and Abby definitely had their work cut out in trying to save these women, and in particularly Paulina. Having now read two author’s witch books, one after the other, I was by now familiar with the word ‘poppet’, the historical meaning of which is a small human figure used in witchcraft and sorcery. There were plenty of these appearing in the village to both frighten and be used as evidence of guilt.
Samuel Pepys makes only fleeting appearances in his historical cosy mystery but however helpful the use of his name and influence may be to his inquisitors, this alone is not always enough to save them from danger. With its well drawn cast of characters and enough deaths to rival Midsomer Murders, I enjoyed this entertaining, intriguing and descriptive story. A great start to the series.
Ellis Blackwood fell in love with the writings of Samuel Pepys, and the 17th-century England he inhabited, through the great man’s published diaries. The Samuel Pepys Mysteries are the result of that literary love affair.
Three titles will be published in 2024: The Brampton Witch Murders (Book 1), The Plague Doctor Murders (Book 2) and The Coffee House Murders (Book 3). Each highlights a slice of Pepys’s life, in the company of fictional characters, most notably his personal inquisitors, Abby Harcourt (Samuel’s housemaid) and Jacob Standish (his protégé). Many more Pepys Mysteries will follow.
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Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/bramptonwitch-zbt
