“A Saxon Shadow” by H L Marsay

DCI John Shadow of the York police is back with a new case to solve, and it may be his most perplexing yet. As he muses to himself, the real difficulty in a case like this one is separating what matters from what doesn’t matter. 

A series of thefts, break-ins, and vandalism seem to have one thing in common – they’re connected to Saxon history. A legend exists concerning King Alfred’s Hoard – supposedly he buried a stash of gold and golden objects when fleeing a Viking army. Two long-time friends, Kenelm Underhill and Lance Debenham, have grown up trying to find that hoard, following in the footsteps of Kenelm’s father. A fragment of a map has been found in an attic trunk, and Kenelm believes he may be on to the hoard at last. 

 

But then he’s killed in his study. And Shadow and his DS Jimmy Chang found themselves overwhelmed with too much information and way too many suspects – a housekeeper who doted on the dead man, a brother preparing to run off with the not-grieving widow, the friend who felt cut off, the friend’s sister who supports herself in criminal ways, the local minister who was up to his eyeballs in Saxon lore, and the security guard at the pet food mill owned by Kenelm and his family. 

 

H L Marsay

It's not just a matter of sifting the important from the trivial; it’s a matter of eliminating what doesn’t figure into the case at all.

 

A Saxon Shadow is the eighth DCI John Shadow mystery by H L Marsay. It’s more complex than any of its predecessors, requiring a fairly close reading to keep track of the numerous characters (and suspects) and all of the possible motives feeding into the crime. 

 

The eight DCI John Shadow series are all set in York, and they share a number of features in common: a curmudgeonly DCI, his irrepressibly cheerful sergeant, a culinary tour of the city restaurants, café, and pubs (some of which actually exist), and an introduction to York’s colorful history and present. A member of the Crime Writers Association, Marsay lives with her family in the city of York in England. She’s also published The Secrets of Hartwell trilogy and The Lady in Blue mysteries. 

 

Related: 

 

A Long Shadow by H L Marsay.

 

A Viking’s Shadow by H L Marsay.

 

A Ghostly Shadow by H L Marsay.

 

A Roman Shadow by H.L. Marsay.

 

A Forgotten Shadow by H L Marsay.

 

A Christmas Shadow by H L Marsay.

 

A Stolen Shadow by H.L. Marsay.

 

Some Monday Readings

 

On Charles Dickens’s Unfinished Murder Mystery – Olivia Rutigliano at CrimeReads.

 

Redefining ‘Academic Excellence’ Will Not Save Colleges – Jeffrey Polet at Acton Institute.

 

Helene: the haves and the have-nots – Brian Miller at Notes from an East Tennessee Farmer.

 

The Hurricane Speech Panic is Here – Matt Taibbi at Racket News.