The Drowned City

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Headline for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first outing with KJ Maitland and it's safe to say I will now be picking up more from her. This was a gripping historical thriller pitched absolutely perfectly. The writing was both menacing and masterful, and I want more!

The first in a series, I'm going to dive straight into book 2.

4.5 atmospheric and compelling stars

The Drowned City leaves me in a state of rejoicing because it's that rare creature: the first volume in what promises to be a very good, brand-new historical mystery series! And the next title is coming out in April!

Daniel Purselane, our "detective" is a street magician (among other things) who finds himself jailed in Newgate in James I's England accused of witchcraft. He's pulled from his cell and given a chance to save himself—by finding a recusant priest connected to the Gun Powder Plot and rumored to be hiding in Bristol before leaving England. But if he doesn't come back with results James finds acceptable he'll be in worse trouble than he was before.

The mystery quickly grows more complicated when Purselane arrives in Bristol. The city has been nearly destroyed by what was probably a tsunami (real-world historians are still debating this), Catholics and witches are being blamed for the catastrophe—and those suspected of either are at risk of mob violence. Defamatory broadsides abound. Then there's the unanticipated murderer branding corpses with IHS, a symbol of the Jesuits. Also a recusant priest (not the one Purselane is searching for) from Purselane's past. And pagan ritual. And a criminal cabal living in an abandoned castle. And...

Maitland weaves these many threads together deftly, keeping readers guessing until the end of the novel. If you like historical mysteries with solid mysteries at their heart that examine the politics and mores of the time they're set in, you're going to love this title. Seriously. You'll love it.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via HetGalley; the opinions are my own.

This is the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last as it's a brilliant and dark historical mystery.
The storytelling is excellent, the plot flows, great characters, and a vivid historical background.
I can't wait to read another book by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The first book in a thrilling and beautifully researched series, I have so enjoyed this.!!
Set in Jacobean England, the opening of this story is exciting, as we experience a Tsunami in Bristol, that utterly devastates the harbour area and makes inroads into the depths of the countryside, sweeping people and buildings away. As one warehouse collapses, the corpse of a young woman is exposed, she evidently has been murdered. I didn’t know that Bristol had experienced a Tsunami, so that one piece of research I had to check up on before I carried on reading. Amazing!
Daniel Pursglove is in Newgate prison awaiting trial accused of witchcraft, he is a known street magician ( think David Blaine ), and King James the first, is not a fan of such activities. He is rather harsh to those he considers in league with the Devil, or in any way connected with the Dark Arts, so, when Daniel is offered the chance to be released from prison to do some detective work in finding the traitors who are still in hiding and the recusant priests , who were involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot, he agrees, especially when he believes that if he finds answers that the King will like, he will be pardoned.
Daniel is rapidly thrust into a world of suspicion and deception. Who can he trust, and what story should he make up, in order to investigate such sensitive matters? We have Jesuits murders, Catholic Popery, murders in abundance, the sheer harshness of life, poverty, the stews , markets and the public houses, all meticulously researched and described, that are so delightful to read, you could almost imagine you are there, walking alongside Daniel. He is kind to the destitute young boy, whom he employs as a spy, he comes into contact with his old tutor, who used to bully and harshly punish Daniel as a scholar, he is respectful to women, but throughout, he feels the sense of being followed, and we too recognise the uneasiness that Daniel experiences.
I liked the fact that real historical figures were used. Sir Robert Cecil, son of Lord Burghley, carried on the magnificent spy network created by his father and Walsingham. King James the first , wrote a book , Daemonologie about witches, he was a strange creature, born of a Catholic mother and a bisexual father, no wonder he thought he was cursed.
This is going to be an exciting series, and I have the second book to read, enjoy and review. Life doesn’t get much better!!
I have previously read books by this author, The Owl Killers, Company of Liars, The Ravens Head, and I know the high standard of her books.
I have given this book a five star rating. I am happy to recommend to readers and will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon.
My thanks go to Netgalley and the publishers Headline, for my digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I knew nothing about what happened in Bristol in 1606, but I feel as though I’ve lived through it now. The author has obviously done extensive research and beautifully combines the events in Bristol, the feel of the era with a well plotted story of intrigue and murder. I love the use of real historical events and figures, such as the Kings spymaster Robert Cecil, with characters like Daniel Pursglove. The stench of poverty comes through the writing so well it makes the story come alive. Even if you have no interest in history, this is well worth a read. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It is 1606, just at the early years of the 17th century and after the Gunpowder plot has failed to kill the king when he addressed Parliament. This very slow burning historical thriller works its way into your psyche very slowly being told in the first person mainly by protagonist Daniel Pursglove. Daniel is really getting desperate whilst imprisoned in Newgate Prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He is interviewed by Charles FitzAlan, close confidant of King James, who will grant his freedom - if Daniel can infiltrate the underground Catholic network in Bristol and unmask the one conspirator still at large. Daniel over the space of 10 days rides his horse to Bristol to start his investigation.

Atmospheric and deftly plotted-characters are richly drawn the details of the book are fascinating-gives a very vivid picture of life at this time-I was transported every time I picked up this highly imaginative story to the time described-masterly story telling-highly imaginative and wonderfully evocative of Tudor times.

The author has written one of the most truly atmospheric historical thrillers that I have read this year and amazing that it is such a strong book from a new author. I can’t wait to see what she next writes and I look forward to reading her next book. I very strongly recommend this book as one of the best that I have ever read. I look forward to reading the next book very soon.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a historical murder mystery, and as usual for this author the attention to historical detail is excellent.

The book is set in Bristol, when the Bristol Channel flooded and numerous people and livestock drowned and farmland destroyed (a real event), and as so often happens when inexplicable, devastating events occur, it was seen as an act of God (during an unsettled religious period). I enjoy the mix of fiction and historical fact, it adds both authenticity and interest and enabled me to learn more about the little known Bristol 'tsunami'.

The book is the first in a series featuring Daniel Pursglove, a magician in prison in Newgate accused of witchcraft. He is given the chance to be freed if he goes to Bristol, during the flood, to find a priest accused of involvement in the Gunpowder Plot, who is thought to be hiding in the beleaguered city. However, he ends up investigating several murders, which leaves him vulnerable and in danger.

The mixture of mystery, murder and intrigue, set against a historical backdrop which is a mixture of fact and fiction is a winner for me. I liked Daniel, he was a compelling character, in fact all of the characters are well-drawn and interesting. However, the best part of the novel was the sense of time and place, both of which were so incredibly crafted, they appealed to all of my senses and I felt that I was walking alongside Daniel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I would highly recommend it.

NetGalley and Headline for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review