Murder by Misrule

Murder by Misrule is Anna Castle's first book in her Francis Bacon Mystery Series. Francis Bacon is a 25 year old new barrister at Gray's Inn who is tasked by his uncle, Lord Burghley, to find out who killed fellow barrister Tobias Smythson in Westminster. Smythson had been working with Bacon's uncle to get information on the Catholics in the country, particularly the Jesuits who may have been bringing unlawful pamphlets into the country. With Mary Stuart condemned to die, England's Catholic citizens were in turmoil and Queen Elizabeth wanted to stamp out their rebellion. Smythson's death meant that the three law students he tutored needed to find someone new. The student's leader,Thomas Clarady, picked Bacon and Clarady primarily assisted Bacon in the investigation.

The mystery formula was followed here with the murder occurring early in the novel and the suspects and red herrings being in their proper order. The fact that the story took place in 1586 was secondary to the solving of the crime. Murder by Misrule, while a historical mystery, followed the formula of a straight mystery not the formula of a historical mystery.

I found the novel to be enormously entertaining. I was engaged in the plot from the first chapter. It had a light feel to it similar to a cozy mystery which made it a fast read.  The Francis Bacon character was interesting. As a 25 year old he had a brilliant mind but was a bumbling young man who had made some major political mistakes in his career. This is not how I remember him from history but everyone has to start somewhere.

Murder by Misrule was a pleasant surprise. I didn't know what to expect since I had never heard of the author before. Now I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.