Wow this was the perfect time to read a book about the plague and of course with a unusual twist with murder and mystery involved.. We are living in an age of Covid but this book reminded me that humans can have strength to get through anything, not to mention the horrible murder happening.
Gripping and exciting, also informative and really enjoyed this work.

The Plague Letters.
In this time of Coronavirus, I have read at least five books that have dealt with both the original ( Black Death) and second deadly outbreak of the plague in 1660’s London, it makes for a sobering contrast.
A charlatan doctor is kidnapping young girls and using them in experiments to find a cure for the plague. Most of these poor wretches are later found shorn of their blonde hair, their plague boils and pustules have been opened up and various items inserted inside, and their bodies have been subjected to knife wounds and burn marks, it is believed that the golden hair is being used to try and make gold coins, a reference to the belief of the Philosophers Stone.
Penelope is the young girl who has taken shelter with the village priest, after the death of her aunt and uncle. She is the true heroine of this book , usually overlooked due to her lowly female status, but she is clever and resourceful, and very resilient, she puts herself in great danger in her attempts to find out who is the killer.
Symon Patrick is the Priest, who truly appears to be a lost soul. He is infatuated with a female with a baby, and he believes himself to be the father of this child. He doesn’t seem to add guidance, comfort or any insight to this story. The main characters in this story are Doctors and surgeons, some are body snatchers, looking for a freshly deceased corpse in order to further their knowledge of the plague, but they seem to be an unpleasant and rather dismal lot, full of their own self importance.
This book is a murder mystery, once you get past the first few chapters, then the story and pace pick up and it is a well researched piece of work. There were so many similarities between the plague of then and the pandemic of now. I found the revelation of the killer, was a trifle flat, like a damp squib, it promised much but was full of unfulfilled expectation.
The historical notes at the back of this book were very revealing, and explained much.
I liked this book, but didn’t love this book. I gave a four star rating. Thank you to Serpent tail and Viper for my ARC. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon when pages are opened.

Set in 1665 during the Great Plague of London, I am amazed by how much The Plague Letters shows shocking similarities to the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020. Written well before Covid-19 was even a twinkle in a bat's eye, it's well worth reading just to prove that we will never learn, not even from history.

As doctors race to develop a cure, a murderer is roaming the streets of London experimenting on the sick and dying. Rector Symon and his sidekick Penelope become somewhat amateur sleuths as they follow the corpses to lead them to the killer. It's mainly Penelope really as Symon is completely smitten with a married woman and he would much rather sit at home reading her letters and dreaming of an impossible future.

Whilst I was intrigued by the murders, it was the spread of plague that completely mesmerised me and that brings me on to an element of the book that I thought was a fantastic addition but only if you read The Plague Letters as a physical book (unfortunately, I read an ebook). I will always choose a physical book over a kindle copy mainly because I love the feel of a book in my hands, but there are also a lot of features that just don't work in kindle. In this case, a map of London is interspersed between the chapters showing the spread of plague moving across London in red. This would have been a very dramatic graphic if kindle could only show colours.

Other than the enigma that is Penelope, and Symon's cute little cat that said 'mweep', I didn't really connect with any of the characters. Symon is wetter than a wet weekend in Skegness and I just wanted to give him a shake to make him stop obsessing over Elizabeth. The other medical men seemed to all merge into one and I couldn't really separate them in my mind, although there is a very useful cast of characters at the start of the book but it's not so easy to flick back and forth on a kindle as you could so easily do with a physical book. I call Penelope an enigma as I'm not really sure what her role is in Symon's household; she seems to annoy Symon a lot of the time but he doesn't even consider getting rid of her. The air of mystery surrounding her certainly adds to the intrigue of her character.

The Plague Letters may be historical fiction but it's like reading about the present day. Shocking in its similarities to 2020, it's a very well written novel with a murderous twist.

Thank you to Viper Books for approving my NetGalley request to read an ebook; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

The Plague Letters is a dark mystery set in Restoration London when bubonic plague is killing people in their thousands. I read the novel at the same time as watching a documentary on channel. 5 about the subject. The novel.is well researched, features true characters and has parallels with the times we are living in. I am a fan of Andrew Taylor's historical thrillers and this will appeal to his readers.

I feel absolutely honoured to get an advanced copy of this, and I devoured it happily. This has to be one of the best historical fiction pieces to grace our shelves since Hilary Mantel. It gives a fascinating insight into the dark medical world of plague-stricken London, and I simply could not put it down. The characters are brilliant, and there are several laugh-out-loud moments where I questioned my own humour :) Valentine has a unique skill of inserting very dark humour into a world where there shouldn't be much humour at all. I really enjoyed every page, and I would happily read it all over again.

Copy kindly send via Serpent's Tail / Profile Books, many thanks

Not my normal read but the description was enticing to me and I am glad I have read it.

Reading this book I could tell the author had done some thorough research and it became enjoyable to read and learn about historical London.
It was a fast pace book which meant it lost some of the elements to getting to know the characters a bit more in-depth which I would normally like and it missed the relationships But still a good book.

What to say about this book. My over-arching impression is that it was strange... very strange. I found the mystery compelling, in principle. I was kept reading because I was keen to find out 'whodunit', but the characters of the story were, to a man (which generic includes the women), a disparate group of misanthropes, none of which garnered one iota of sympathy from me. A more thoroughly unlikable cast of characters I have yet to encounter in a book, and I had little time for any one of them, except perhaps Nell and Jack, who were peripheral characters, at best.

There was so little introduction or back-story to the characters that it was difficult to raise them from the page. The main protagonist is supposed to be a priest, but is actually little more than a libidinous lecher. He has very little moral fibre, but he does square his shoulders and assert himself once or twice throughout the story. This occurrence is rare, however, and he allows himself to be put upon by just about every other character in the book.. An equally prominent protagonist is Penelope, a young girl who insinuates herself into the Rector's household and proceeds to pretty much take over the place, as well as the Rector's life. In this modern world of female empowerment, many would say that Penelope is an admirable character. However, for empowered read ill-mannered, unprincipled, overbearing, imperious and selfish. At one point she says 'If someone dislikes me, it's because they know I speak the truth'. Hmmm, not at all because you are a rude, unruly, self-centred, interfering busybody, of course.

The other characters were no better, and there was so little back-story to any of them or any real character depth or development, that it was difficult to connect with any of them. Indeed, they barely connected with each other! They all had such idiosyncratic personas that one got the impression of reading the libretto of a comic opera or the script of a pantomime rather than a serious novel. They all behaved in so outlandish and theatrical a manner that at first I was convinced that the book was supposed to be a farce. However, I believe that the author intends a work of serious fiction.

I read on and on, yet I felt that I was only ever skating over the surface of the story, never really being drawn into its depths. The plot was simple, yet it was executed in so confusing a manner due to the outlandish actions and dialog of the protagonists, that it was a harder read than it really should have been. It was supposed to be a mystery but the detectives were perforce culled from the very misanthropic characters that formed the cast, so my hopes were not high. I can't say that I guessed the perpetrator, but since no real clues were given, that is no surprise, and in the end it was pretty much a case of the last man standing is the culprit. As strange as the story is however, there is a modicum of predictability when, to heighten the suspense towards the end, some of the young female characters meet a hackneyed fate, and the deus ex machina moment when one of these young women somehow impossibly extricates herself from her captivity is glossed over in the most peremptory manner that one is left thinking 'what-now??'.

The story is well written and the plague-ridden atmosphere of 17th Century London is brought to life admirably. There are some strange word-choices made considering the period setting, which leads me to suspect an Transatlantic author - 'squished', 'ball-player', 'pocket-doors'. None of these are even English terms, let alone 17th Century English. The chapter heading maps and statistics that chart the spread of the disease through the city are a nice touch and they preface the progressively growing sense of impending doom that runs through the book. As aforementioned, the mystery is actually quite compelling, and the strangeness of the story's delivery is by no means a negative, nor yet the unlikable characters. The factor that lets the book down is the lack of character depth and reader-engagement. However compelling a plot, the tale will fall flat on its face if there is nothing of substance to hang it on.

This was one of those novels I really didn't want to end, though I wanted to know what was going to happen!
Despite the grim subject matter of the plague and mutilated bodies, the humour was fantastic. I found myself laughing out loud at the escapades of Symon and Penelope (especially Penelope - what an amazing character) and at the crudeness of Greatrakes and Mincy.

A murder mystery with an excellent plot and even better characters, just what I needed after this strange year living through a different sort of plague!

Five stars from me!

My thanks to V.L. Valentine, Serpent's Tail / Profile Books and NetGalley for the ARC of THE PLAGUE LETTERS. I really enjoyed this novel.. A new take on the time of the plague, a whodunnit, a new heroine to follow, Penelope, who appeared from out of the ashes and became the main protagonist. Symon Patrick is a man of the cloth, inexperienced in ways of the world, a little naive perhaps. He made mistakes, made bad decisions and let things go when he should have followed them through, but somehow this is the perfect juxtaposition to Penelope's educated miss sunk to dirty urchin persona. Between them they discover who is kidnapping young women and using them for experiments into a cure for the plague. I hope V L Valentine follows this story up with others. I would certainly read them.

A fascinating book which is very informative about London in the time of the plague. As well as an interesting historical reflection, the book is a great thriller/mystery. More detail than you often see in a murder mystery, the deaths are grisly and the pace fast. There was less focus on building the characters and relationships than I usually like, but the fast pace may have made that difficult.

I think all readers will be able to find a connection with the experiences of the characters in The Plague Letters after living with Covid 19. As I read about their journeys through London I found myself reflecting on my experiences of travelling around the city during the lockdown.

I wish that more of the novel had focused mainly on Penelope as I found her a much more engaging and powerful character than the men, who left me feeling frustrated. Whilst I enjoyed this book and found it atmospheric I felt it was lacking in connection with the characters and their plights.

A teriible virus spreads through London claiming many lives back in 1665. As there are so many deaths burial space is at a premium bodies are soon thrown into communal graves. Amongst the horror of the plague it appears that someone has been experimneting on some of the bodies in a rather unpleasant fashion.

As the story progresses the number of potential suspects makes this a interesting read. There a few twists and turns amd even an appearance by George Monck the Duke of Albermarle himslef!

The main characters are Symon Patrick, a rector, and Penelope, a quirky free spirited maid/servant in Simon's household. The Society for the Prevention and Cure of Plague may not be all that they seem.

Reading this through covid tintied glasses made me uncomfrotable numerous times (including the rich fleeing London to the countryside).

Worth a try for someone looking for something a little different.

I have always found books about the plague very interesting. This one has some interesting inclusions that I’ve not read before. It is essentially a murder mystery, with the plague as a background and interwoven with the murders. There are some interesting characters, and some downright frustrating ones.

I found the title a bit confusing, as the letters were not a factor in the murders, but a sideline to the main story. Not sure the love affair really added to the story. An interesting read, but didn’t keep me riveted.

This was so good, even though I seem to be surrounded by pandemic fiction during the 2020 insane pandemic itself.
Intriguing, clever and gripping as well as deeply creepy, with body snatching and weird mutilation.
I read this in one sitting, wanting to find out which ghoulish "healer" is behind the dead bodies.

An interesting idea (the plague is a great background t hang a story over) but the prose didn't work for me... I found it a struggle to pick up where I had left off and where normally I burn through books this seemed a slog.
Valentine clearly has an eye for a story, but whether it's the setting not being one I wanted to engage with during a pandemic (it did hit a little close to home) or just that the protagonist isn't very engaging (he's unlikeable which is fine but not very interesting either). this just didn't land for me.
That said I would certainly give the author another go as there is a lot of potential here.

This dark yet witty debut novel drops us right into the middle of 1665 plague ridden London. Wonderfully full of gothic atmospheric and prose, we are taken through the grit and grime of the capital, and into the lives of its inhabitants. Symon Patrick is a rector at St.Paul’s, who one day notices amongst the plague dead a girl exhibiting unusual details. Without too many spoilers, in his efforts to help with the plague he stumbles across victims who have suffered horribly, and not just from the plague.

This book is full of detail, and the author’s background in the history of medicine and knowledge of current viruses comes through. With the current COVID-19 situation in the world a lot of this book felt close to home; the advice given to the parishioners and the daily figures for infections and deaths felt very real.

I also like the format of the book, the map detailing is great. I look forward to the next book by this author.

It is becoming harder and harder to find a read I truly enjoy.. Very often even if I don't really like I will still read it every day, just to finish it and get out of the way..However this book seems to be a particular struggle, I had to force myself to pick it up.My fault for setting expectations high, but when I see plague and whodunnit in the same sentence I just can't help myself and get all excited that it's going to be just amazing.I found it very uninteresting, too slow paced and plain boring..not for me.

What more could one ask for in the time of Covid than an excellent historical novel with a feisty heroine. Then, on top of that 'The Plague Letters' is a murder mystery set in the 1660's, right in the middle of what was the last major visitation of the plague in London

As murders go these are particularly grisly and there are a host of suspects.

The main male character is fairly useless as a hero but there is a cast of supporting actors who make up for him. An absolute delight is Penelope, clever, anarchic, resourceful and psychic.

The book feels 'real' in terms of its history and the setting. That sense of reality you get when a huge amount of research has taken place but the writer is confident enough not to try and cram everything in.

The first few chapters as characters are introduced and the mood settled were a little confusing. Then, the novel picked up pace and was a cracking read.

The premise of this book was intriguing . The research that went into it was obvious. It was definitely well written and had a gothic feel to it at times. Symon is the rector of a parish in London. There are plague victims showing up in the mass graves that appear to have been mutilated prior to death. He suspects foul play is involved as the amount of bodies increase and decides to investigate with the help of Penelope,
The mystery builds as they come up with a trio of likely suspects. The plot twists and turns throughout and you constantly waver over who the villain is.
This was a brooding read, the descriptive text encapsulates London as it would have been during the restoration period . I did find it very hard going at times and the pace was very slow. I didn't find Symons character very engaging or especially likeable . Penelope was an intriguing character though and the mystery kept me reading until the end to find out who the Perpetrator was. Igive this a book a 3.5 star rating

I found the opening pages of this book quite a confusing start but once I'd settled in I thought it was a good whodunnit with a lot of contemporary resonance as the plague spreads across London. Symon wasn't the most engaging of characters but the contemporary detail was fascinating and overall I enjoyed it.