Deze auteur verkent thema's van geschiedenis en biologie door middel van meeslepende verhalen. Hun werken staan bekend om hun aangrijpende plots en diepe inzichten in de menselijke natuur. De auteur combineert meesterlijk historische gebeurtenissen met spannende verhaallijnen om onvergetelijke leeservaringen te creëren. Hun schrijven wordt gekenmerkt door nauwgezet onderzoek en inzichtelijke karakterpsychologie.
Set in Calcutta during 1837, the narrative follows William Avery, a struggling junior officer in the East India Company, tasked with locating the missing Scottish author Xavier Mountstuart. Paired with the enigmatic Jeremiah Blake, their contrasting personalities create tension as they navigate a perilous search filled with mysteries and dangers. As Avery confronts the harsh realities of their quest, he discovers unsettling truths that challenge his beliefs and threaten his life, pushing him to confront the complexities of colonial India.
In the years leading up to the First World War, three cousins—George V of Britain, Wilhelm II of Germany, and Nicholas II of Russia—ruled their respective empires, presiding over the last vestiges of dynastic Europe. Their reign coincided with the onset of the most destructive war in history, which would transform Europe into a landscape of violence. Miranda Carter draws on their correspondence and various historical sources to depict a world that was often out of touch with the realities of its time, struggling to maintain control as history unfolded around them. The narrative presents a vivid, sometimes humorous portrait of these three men: the damaged and egotistical Wilhelm, the quiet and stubborn Nicholas, and the anxious, dutiful George. It also features nuanced portrayals of other notable figures, including Queen Victoria, whose conservative legacy cast a long shadow, and Edward VII, whose unexpected diplomatic skills belied his playboy persona. Interwoven with their personal stories is a gripping account of the events leading to World War One, illustrating the interplay between personal relationships and political turmoil. Ultimately, the war shattered their familial bonds, culminating in a tragic finale marked by murder, betrayal, and abdication.
It's 1841, and three years after we left them at the close of The Strangler Vine, Blake and Avery are reunited in very different circumstances in London. There has been a series of dreadful murders in the slums of the printing district, which the police mysteriously refuse to investigate, and Blake and Avery must find the culprit before he kills again.
