The Kings Evil (Christopher Redmayne, #1) by Edward Marston

The Kings Evil (Christopher Redmayne, #1) Reviews

• 
  Manybooks

  Fun, engaging and historically informative, I especially and gratefully appreciate how in the first of his Christopher Redmayne mysteries, how in The King's Evil author Edward Marston allows the friendship between the two main protagonists, between Christopher Redmayne and Jonathan Bale to progress slowly, organically, and yes, even at times very much much awkwardly, painfully (and therefore also totally realistically, considering their vast and at first almost insurmountable differences both socially and religiously), that there is not some sudden deus ex machina enlightenment of immediate companionship, of sympathy and compatibility of character discovered as if by magic (or by divine grace). And indeed, both Redmayne and Bale are conceptualised by the author as realistically, with both having (like generally and naturally most individuals would) their good points, their laudable character traits as well as their faults (and while there are indeed scores of potential villains presented by Edward Marston throughout The King's Evil, even they for the most part and generally appear as human beings, and not as monster types or caricatures, which in my opinion actually tends to render their villainy not only more believable but also more potentially frightening upon discovery).
  
  Now the only personally annoying quibble I do have with regard to The King's Evil is that like with most if not actually all of Edward Marston's historical mysteries I have read to date, I would definitely have appreciated a bit more length and description in The King's Evil (as Marston's historical fiction novels always do have such massively interesting premisses and themes, but for me, are usually or at least often rather annoyingly short, with not nearly enough background information presented, or rather worse and frustratingly, background details that are enticingly hinted at, but do not ever quite fully materialise). Still The King's Evil presents a more than promising start to an interesting series, and is highly recommended for fans of historical fiction and historical mysteries (especially mysteries set in the rather limited time frame of the British Restoration, in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London, the reign of King Charles II, who is both amusingly and in many ways, very much delightfully accurately portrayed).
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  Stevie Carroll

  I had mixed feelings about this one. The mystery was interesting enough, but I couldn't quite believe in Christopher as a man of his time. Not a series that I'm desperate to keep following.
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  P.D.R. Lindsay

  
  ‘The King’s Evil’ is a reprint of the first of the Christopher Redmayne novels, a historical mystery series set in Restoration England. This is one of Edward Marston’s five historical series and each series has a devoted readership. I’m particularly fond of the Victorian Railway Detective, Inspector Robert Colbeck, and the Elizabethan stage manager, Nicholas Bracewell. Marston has a solid grip on his craft and all his books are well written, well researched and a most enjoyable read.
  
  ‘The King’s Evil’, first published in 1999, sets the Redmayne series off with a cracking plot and two main characters who are delightfully mismatched. The novel begins with the fire of London slowly taking hold, and Jonathon Bale, the strong minded, monarch-disapproving puritan constable, at work defending his area from its ravages. Christopher Redmayne, the Dean of Oxford’s son, newly qualified architect, supporter of the restored monarchy, arrives after the fire, and hopes to rebuild a better, more beautiful London. The pair meet when hunting thieves stealing building materials from the house Redmayne designed, and when Redmayne’s employer is murdered they work together to catch the murderer.
  
  It’s a nicely convoluted plot, guessing whodunit or whydunnit is not easy, and the ending leaves the reader looking for the next in the series, if only to see how poor Jonathon Bale copes now he has to work for the King. One of the joys of Marston’s novels is that light touch of humour and Bale and Redmayne reacting to each other can make a reader laugh out loud. Highly recommended.
  
• 
  Karen Brooks

  The King’s Evil is the first in a series by Edward Marston (who wrote the marvellous Nicholas Bracewell series set in Elizabethan England) set during the Restoration and the early years of Charles II’s reign. The year is 1666, immediately after the Great Fire has decimated London and rebuilding is commencing. The book introduces the reader to young and aspiring architect Christopher Redmayne, while the series follows his fortunes and misfortunes. Though blessed with great talent, Redmayne’s greatest misfortune appears to be his brother, Henry, a Cavalier reprobate. He’s also lumbered with a God-fearing Dean for a father, a man Henry at least, fears more than the Lord Himself.
  When thieves are caught ransacking materials from a house Redmayne has been commissioned to build, he’s thrown into the company of Jonathan Bale, a Puritan constable who has no time for the likes of Redmayne, let alone his brother. Forced to work together, Redmayne and Bale must solve, not only the mystery of the thieves, but also find who’s responsible for murdering the owner of the house Redmayne is building, the rather obnoxious, Sir Ambrose.
  Forced to venture into houses of ill-repute – brothels and gaming – wander the crowded, dirty and dangerous streets, endure listening to lies and evasions, and encounter all types of citizens from the highest to the lowest, a grudging respect grows between Bale and Redmayne who find that, despite their wishes, if they want to bring this investigation to a close, two heads are better than one, particularly if they want to remain intact.
  Well-written, Marston has a flair for capturing the period and this book is no exception. While Redmayne and Bale are well drawn, the brother, Henry tends to verge on caricature and some of the dialogue lacks the bawdy joy of his earlier series and can be long-winded and forced. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable read and I immediately downloaded the next one in the series.
  
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  Vicky Thomasson

  I've enjoyed Marstons work before (I absolutely love the Elizabethan theatre series) so was looking forward to sinking my teeth into this. I wasn't disappointed, it is a well written novel laced with action and mystery. I love the two unlikely heroes, Christopher and Jonathan and I thought Henry was brilliant. Those who enjoy Historical fiction and action will love this.
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  Joanne Wood

  To be honest it's more 4and a half but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. An enjoyable mystery and characters I rather liked but the solution, while feasible, was a bit of a stretch from the information we had.
  I shall, nevertheless, be moving on to the next book with all speed. lol
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  Julie

  Bleargh. Life is too short to read this book.
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  John William Boundy

  Thoroughly enjoyable book, good pace, well developed plot. Look forward to the rest of the series.
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  M.H. Thaung

  This historical mystery is set mainly in 17th century London, against a background of the Great Fire's aftermath and political and religious tension. Christopher Redmayne secures his first commission as an architect, but his job becomes more complicated when he has to deal with theft and then murder. Constable Jonathan Bale is involved from a different angle, and the two men are forced to pool their efforts.
  
  I'm not normally keen on lavish descriptions, but I thought they worked well here to give a good sense of the historical period. The plot moved along nicely. I felt towards the end that the author was being obtrusively coy with concealing things from the reader (ie being vague about something specific a character noticed when it was right in front of them). Additionally, although the banter between characters was fun, it became a bit overdone towards the end.
  
  Overall, an enjoyable light read with some interesting historical details.
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  Robert Hepple

  First published in 1999, 'The King's Evil' is the first in a series of mysteries set in restoration London and featuring the architect Christopher Redmayne. This novel spends a lot of time introducing the regular characters of the series, before getting down to the mystery element of the plot. The setting is immediately post fire of London in late 1666-1667, and makes good use of conflicts between characters caused by their beliefs in Puritan or Cavalier principles. I cannot vouch for the historical accuracy of the novel - the characters seem to have way too much 20th century behaviour to be believable as genuine creatures of the Restoration - but it is a great yarn as well as a superb intro to the series.
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  Rachel Glass

  3.5 stars rounded up. Although this book kept me reading and I liked getting to know Christopher and Jonathan and the surrounding cast, it took a long time to get going, and by the end I didn't really feel I understood how the mystery had been unravelled or what the solution really was. I would read the next book in the series, though, to see if it improves, as the historical setting is interesting and fairly well evoked.
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  Misty Gardner

  This is a well-written story with good characters but I felt it did not sit happily in its historical era. If the reader is not familiar with the Restoration period then they will almost certainly enjoy it, but many of the attitudes and situations jar with anyone having a detailed knowledge of this time as they simply would not have happened...
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  Kirstin

  That was a pretty good read indeed. I loved the setting in London in 1666 just after the Great Fire when London was in such a turmoil and our two unlikely heroes, the Upper Class architect Christopher Redmayne and Lower Class Police Constable Jonathan Bale combined forces to hunt down a murder. It was well written, well researched and I am looking forward to reading more featuring these two chaps
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  Stephen

  Not a fan of this one.
  
  I like to get lost in historical mysteries, but this one doesn't manage to conjure up the sense of time and place - Restoration London - that is so important to feel one can immerse oneself in.
  
  Add on implausibly motivated characters and a frankly silly conspiracy plot and I will give this author a miss in future.
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  M. Sprouse

  Edward Marston does a fine job of getting you to feel the particular time and place, London, 1866. I enjoyed reading this book as I did #2, "The Amorous Nightingale". I was hoping for also a bit of a whodunit, and the book fails in that respect. To many late clues and lately mentioned suspects. An interesting read, yes! A good mystery, no!
• 
  Chad

  This is a great introduction to a new series for me. I really enjoy reading about a new period in history SBD always learn a lot as well as enjoy a good mystery. I’m looking forward to the next book: The Amorous Nightingale. 👍
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  Judy Huemiller

  very good read
  
  Christopher Redmayne keeps you wanting more he is a very good moral man who cares about solving crimes. I found this book to be intriguing it kept me on the edge of my seat I will continue with the next one in the series.
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  Graham

  8
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  Tanya

  This was a great easy to read detective story. I am definitely in for the series! I loved the language it's written in, the story and the characters. Highly recommended.
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  Tina Ambury

  I thoroughly enjoyed this unlikely partnership between a Royalist and a Parliamentarian.
  No doubt a series to explore 😁
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  [ J o ]

  [ read the third book in the series, 'The Repentant Rake' and did not enjoy so will not be continuing with the series ]
• 
  An EyeYii

  Minus feelings, Marston has fine pacing, action vs explication, surprises. He injects emotion into dry beliefs. Great London Fire wakes Puritan Const Jon Bale with "a feeling". At St Paul's ruins, he meets Royalist architect Chris, vaunted by vain brother Henry. First client craves fulsome flattery.
• 
  MBenzz

  After accidentally stumbling on this author, I took a chance and decided to give this book a shot. I was pleasantly surprised! I've read many books that take place during the restoration, but they were all from the point of Charles II or his mistresses. This is the first book I've read where I got to see what life was like for everyone else in England. The humble folks who work for a living and aren't surrounded by the opulence and grandeur of royal palaces.
  
  Set in 1666 London, the book opens with the Great Fire that destroyed much of London. Our leads in this story, Architect Christopher Redmayne and Constable Jonathan Bale are two very different, yet very likable men. They are brought together unexpectedly by the murder of Sir Ambrose Northcott and team up to try and figure out who killed him and why. Christopher has designed a house for Sir Northcott, and Jonathan is the Constable for the area he was murdered in. While the two get off to a rocky start (both personally and in their investigation), they start to see they work well together as a team. Using vastly different sources, they are able to get enough information to piece together the mystery at a satisfying pace.
  
  As for the mystery itself, I was pretty satisfied with the ending. I thought the beginning of the book had a great pace, and right after the murder things were moving right along, but then towards the end, I felt like I was being left out a bit. In the last chapter, Christopher puts everything together, but he doesn't explain himself. The big reveal scene was slightly confusing to me as I wasn't sure who was who (I won't go into it since I don't want to give anything away). Overall though, aside from feeling a little rushed at the end, I really enjoyed this book. I'll definitely be reading the second book in this series, and I look forward to exploring some of Mr. Marston's other novels.
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  Carole Moran

  This series by Marston is an excellent read. There are six books in this series; this is the first. Set in England's Restoration period, after Cromwell's death and with King Charles II on the throne, the hero Christopher Redmayne relentlessly pursues murders and uncovers mysteries. Redmayne is a Cavalier architect who is doing his part to rebuild London after the Great Fire of 1666, and with the assistance of an able Roundhead constable, Jonathan Bale, is an engaging character with an outrageous brother and an uncertain love life. The plots do not leave a reader of historical novels with a sense of total disbelief, and the relationships are interesting and often entertaining. Well worth a try.
  
  
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  Lynne

  Enjoyable nonsense, set during the Restoration, featuring a rather too-good-to-be-true architect and all-round Mr Perfect, Christopher Redmayne and Constable Honest Bluff, Jonathan Beale. Regardless, the plot is simple and entertaining enough without falling into the usual sallacious detail beloved of such as Rose Tremain (Merivel and Restoration come to mind). Thankfully, Charles II is a peripheral character this time, although I daresay much more will be seen of the simpering female characters (either whores or wives) in future outings. Another of the Works' purchases in their bargain section.
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  Pat

  I loved this book. I like mysteries that are set in a time and/or place with which I am totally unfamiliar. This book is set in London after the Great Fire. Christopher Redmayne is a budding architect who wants to be a player in the rebuilding of London. He teams up with Jonathan Bale, a constable, to solve a murder. I felt the "feel" of the book and the settings transported me to a long ago and far away place. I like learning things about what life was like at that time and in that place. I recommend this book.