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caitlinjsmith's review against another edition
3.0
The multiple forms intrigued me when picking up this book and they did not disappoint. Overall the story was interesting and undeniably reminiscent of 18th century England as was the intention. My only qualm, however, is that I found it difficult to pick up. I am not sure whether this is down to a lack of time management on my part or if the plot itself was persuading me against wanting to read. The ending seemed lack lustre for me as I was looking forward to a finale of great triumph and climax, where instead there was more of a slow droll and fizzle.
I would however recommend this book to someone looking to get into historical crime novels or even someone well versed in the genre.
I would however recommend this book to someone looking to get into historical crime novels or even someone well versed in the genre.
katheastman's review against another edition
4.0
Set in York at the end of the eighteenth century, Soot features an unlikely amateur sleuth in Fletcher Rigge. Plucked from the debtor’s prison by a questionable benefactor from the wrong part of town, he’s given a month to investigate the murder of Captain Harvey’s father, one of York’s silhouette artists. The suspects are his last sitters, with only their duplicate shades to identify them. The art of the silhouette maker appears to capture the essence of each character and it’s illuminating how much Fletcher Rigge is able to take from these deceptively simple shades of people. They represent the impression we leave behind and it’s for Rigge to fill in the detail, as he attempts to identify each sitter inside a month. In this, Rigge is the happy beneficiary of coincidence while pursuing his investigations but I can forgive him that in a York of this period. He also shows scant regard for his own safety or wellbeing. Maybe he thinks he has little left to lose, despite being drawn into a dangerous game where a murderer is still at large. Will Rigge prove to be a willing pawn or more skilled and capable of outwitting practised confidence artists and other undesirables than we expect? And why does he seem set on undoing all the good work he and others are doing on his behalf?
Soot held my attention from its first page when Mr Erskine, a lawyer, sends the York magistrate a bundle of documents concerning the violent death of Matthew Harvey. I tumbled headlong into the (rather aptly) shadowy world of this city at the close of the eighteenth century. Reading this collection of letters, diary entries and witness statements (complete with the lawyer’s annotations), the lawyer in me loved trying to piece together this whodunit/whydunit from all the material provided. If you enjoy puzzles, you’ll love this literary jigsaw of a mystery with characters as fascinating and fluid as Rigge’s roaming over the snowy northern city. Just as ink and soot smudge and snow soon turns to sludge, part of the fun of Soot is how nothing is ever black or white: the lines between good and bad blur and fudge and its people are neither one thing nor the other. What they are throughout is darkly amusing and interesting companions. Here’s the grieving son on his father’s search for the right shade: “He was always looking for what he called a dead black,” said Captain Harvey, smiling sardonically. “I reckon he’s found it now.”
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the shadows, smudged in Soot; it’s historical crime with a difference, laced with dark humour and told with flair. I’ll miss its unusual and unlikely but likeable protagonist Fletcher Rigge and hope we meet again in the ink-tipped pages of another book. In the meantime, treat yourself to the gorgeous hardback of this beauty… before the lawyers get their hands on it, too.
Soot held my attention from its first page when Mr Erskine, a lawyer, sends the York magistrate a bundle of documents concerning the violent death of Matthew Harvey. I tumbled headlong into the (rather aptly) shadowy world of this city at the close of the eighteenth century. Reading this collection of letters, diary entries and witness statements (complete with the lawyer’s annotations), the lawyer in me loved trying to piece together this whodunit/whydunit from all the material provided. If you enjoy puzzles, you’ll love this literary jigsaw of a mystery with characters as fascinating and fluid as Rigge’s roaming over the snowy northern city. Just as ink and soot smudge and snow soon turns to sludge, part of the fun of Soot is how nothing is ever black or white: the lines between good and bad blur and fudge and its people are neither one thing nor the other. What they are throughout is darkly amusing and interesting companions. Here’s the grieving son on his father’s search for the right shade: “He was always looking for what he called a dead black,” said Captain Harvey, smiling sardonically. “I reckon he’s found it now.”
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the shadows, smudged in Soot; it’s historical crime with a difference, laced with dark humour and told with flair. I’ll miss its unusual and unlikely but likeable protagonist Fletcher Rigge and hope we meet again in the ink-tipped pages of another book. In the meantime, treat yourself to the gorgeous hardback of this beauty… before the lawyers get their hands on it, too.
sfian's review
5.0
In terms of novels, I (almost) exclusively read SF and fantasy, so why did I pick this book up? Well, it first caught my eye because of the cover, which featured an instantly recognisable picture of York Minster.
York is my hometown and the place I have lived all my life (so far) and, being honest, I have yet to read a decent book set in the city, or its nearby environs. (Being honest I can only remember one book actually set in the city.)
"Literary" put me off - both when the bookseller mentioned the word, as I handed over my credit card, and the quote on the cover. I like my books to be relatively easy reads and that word, to me, suggests highbrow. However, I needn't have worried, this is am incredibly easy, and yet layered, read. It makes you think, you wonder what's going on. It made me laugh and it made me cringe. It also made me feel like in was in my city, two hundred years in the past. It's a fairly immersive novel, with a very acceptable ending.
And yes, it portrayed my city brilliantly, and even made me research (albeit briefly) some of the history. That other book had made a glaring error - to anybody who lives here - of street geography. This one seemed to have, until I checked whether there had in fact been a Black Swan inn that you could walk out of into Coney Street. (There indeed was, and not the one I'm more familiar with, which is in a slightly different part of the city.) I looked up other locations and worked out where they would have been or, indeed, still are. I still can't square Micklegate having a Spread Eagle pub but, you know what? I trust the author did his research more fully than I have done.
Finally! A book that pays its respect to York. Loved it.
York is my hometown and the place I have lived all my life (so far) and, being honest, I have yet to read a decent book set in the city, or its nearby environs. (Being honest I can only remember one book actually set in the city.)
"Literary" put me off - both when the bookseller mentioned the word, as I handed over my credit card, and the quote on the cover. I like my books to be relatively easy reads and that word, to me, suggests highbrow. However, I needn't have worried, this is am incredibly easy, and yet layered, read. It makes you think, you wonder what's going on. It made me laugh and it made me cringe. It also made me feel like in was in my city, two hundred years in the past. It's a fairly immersive novel, with a very acceptable ending.
And yes, it portrayed my city brilliantly, and even made me research (albeit briefly) some of the history. That other book had made a glaring error - to anybody who lives here - of street geography. This one seemed to have, until I checked whether there had in fact been a Black Swan inn that you could walk out of into Coney Street. (There indeed was, and not the one I'm more familiar with, which is in a slightly different part of the city.) I looked up other locations and worked out where they would have been or, indeed, still are. I still can't square Micklegate having a Spread Eagle pub but, you know what? I trust the author did his research more fully than I have done.
Finally! A book that pays its respect to York. Loved it.
karlou's review against another edition
4.0
Told entirely through written reports - diary entries, letters, memoranda and notes, Soot cleverly uses the epistolary form, utilising different voices and occasionally unreliable narration to explain how Fletcher Rigge finds himself charged with investigating the murder of Matthew Hardy, and what his investigation reveals.
There's a real authenticity about the proceedings, it felt less like a book set in 1799 than a collection of documents written at the time. From the colloquial, witty and occasionally bawdy diary entries through to the more formal exchange of letters, to the legal postscripts; the different voices of the chapters are distinctive and believable. The city of York, just starting to become industrialised is brought atmospherically to life; the almost constant snowfall a contrast to the grime of the early coal trade already resulting in a 'befoulment of the air.' The soot of the title refers not only to the coal sold by the deceased man's son, Captain Robin Harvey but also to the shades, or silhouettes the dead man was renowned for before his untimely demise. There are few clues as to the identity of his murderer but it seems the perpetrator must have been one of the last six people to sit for one of his shades.
Fletcher Rigge's diary entries, backed up by the reports of others, show him to be a serious, principled man, given to melancholy and guilty perhaps of a stubborn nostalgia. He is sent to debtor's prison following the suicide of his father who lost his entire estate through gambling. Determined to honour his father's commitments to his estate Rigge's sizeable debt was accrued due to the expense of repairing some of the labourer's cottages. He is freed from his debt by Captain Hardy but only if he can discover the identity of the killer within the month. A clever man, he is soon able to identify the six key suspects and it's here Andrew Martin really had fun with his characters, each vie for most colourful and while all have something of the grotesque about them - these are ordinary people with their flaws and idiosyncrasies writ large - each is written about with a certain affection, Andrew Martin is sharp but not cruel about his cast.
Although the droll characterisation and black humour are the most memorable features, it is also an intriguing and cleverly plotted mystery, the truth is gradually revealed and the blackness of the silhouettes is matched by the souls of certain participants. What a pleasure it was to read Soot with its fresh take on the classic murder mystery tale, I really enjoyed this intelligent and spirited book and recommend it to both crime and historical fiction lovers.
My thanks to the publishers for my copy, received through Netgalley in return for my honest review.
There's a real authenticity about the proceedings, it felt less like a book set in 1799 than a collection of documents written at the time. From the colloquial, witty and occasionally bawdy diary entries through to the more formal exchange of letters, to the legal postscripts; the different voices of the chapters are distinctive and believable. The city of York, just starting to become industrialised is brought atmospherically to life; the almost constant snowfall a contrast to the grime of the early coal trade already resulting in a 'befoulment of the air.' The soot of the title refers not only to the coal sold by the deceased man's son, Captain Robin Harvey but also to the shades, or silhouettes the dead man was renowned for before his untimely demise. There are few clues as to the identity of his murderer but it seems the perpetrator must have been one of the last six people to sit for one of his shades.
Fletcher Rigge's diary entries, backed up by the reports of others, show him to be a serious, principled man, given to melancholy and guilty perhaps of a stubborn nostalgia. He is sent to debtor's prison following the suicide of his father who lost his entire estate through gambling. Determined to honour his father's commitments to his estate Rigge's sizeable debt was accrued due to the expense of repairing some of the labourer's cottages. He is freed from his debt by Captain Hardy but only if he can discover the identity of the killer within the month. A clever man, he is soon able to identify the six key suspects and it's here Andrew Martin really had fun with his characters, each vie for most colourful and while all have something of the grotesque about them - these are ordinary people with their flaws and idiosyncrasies writ large - each is written about with a certain affection, Andrew Martin is sharp but not cruel about his cast.
Although the droll characterisation and black humour are the most memorable features, it is also an intriguing and cleverly plotted mystery, the truth is gradually revealed and the blackness of the silhouettes is matched by the souls of certain participants. What a pleasure it was to read Soot with its fresh take on the classic murder mystery tale, I really enjoyed this intelligent and spirited book and recommend it to both crime and historical fiction lovers.
My thanks to the publishers for my copy, received through Netgalley in return for my honest review.
keeperofpages's review
3.0
I’d like to start this review by saying – Mr Rigge is a wonderful character and I loved his humour. In fact, this novel has very interesting characters indeed. On Rigge’s journey to discover who the people behind the shade paintings are, he travels from York to London, from the theatre to seedy gaming dens – it all made for enjoyable reading.
There’s no straight forward narrative here, several different documents from several of the characters tells this story – diary entries, letters and memorandums, to name a few – these documents have been put together by Mr Erskine, a lawyer, who is sending them to the Chief Magistrate of York. A few times in the novel, we are given a document, Mr Erskine then briefly comments that he will not share the other document by a different person as they say a similar thing. This tactic creates unreliable narration as, without both accounts, you’re not entirely sure what to believe.
In all honestly, I struggled with this book, I was able to follow the story but I think I missed certain things – I say that because, on reading other reviews for this title, I wonder if I read the same book because it appears I missed so much. This book is set in 18th century England and the language reflects that time period so to enjoy this novel, you must get on board with that fact – I read this book on my kindle and there were a few times I used the dictionary assistance to find the meaning of words. This didn’t hinder my enjoyment, most times you can infer the meaning of the words from the context in which they’re used, but I just wanted to make certain. I mention this because while Martin used this language in a way that created a delightfully dark atmosphere, it, along with the formatting of the story, may have been the cause of me not fully grasping all that occurred in the novel.
This is not a criticism in anyway, more the novel was too cleverly structured for my basic brain. Regardless, what I took from this novel, I enjoyed – especially the dark humour and the character of Mr Fletcher Rigge.
*My thanks to Corsair for granting me access to a digital copy of this book via Netgalley*
There’s no straight forward narrative here, several different documents from several of the characters tells this story – diary entries, letters and memorandums, to name a few – these documents have been put together by Mr Erskine, a lawyer, who is sending them to the Chief Magistrate of York. A few times in the novel, we are given a document, Mr Erskine then briefly comments that he will not share the other document by a different person as they say a similar thing. This tactic creates unreliable narration as, without both accounts, you’re not entirely sure what to believe.
In all honestly, I struggled with this book, I was able to follow the story but I think I missed certain things – I say that because, on reading other reviews for this title, I wonder if I read the same book because it appears I missed so much. This book is set in 18th century England and the language reflects that time period so to enjoy this novel, you must get on board with that fact – I read this book on my kindle and there were a few times I used the dictionary assistance to find the meaning of words. This didn’t hinder my enjoyment, most times you can infer the meaning of the words from the context in which they’re used, but I just wanted to make certain. I mention this because while Martin used this language in a way that created a delightfully dark atmosphere, it, along with the formatting of the story, may have been the cause of me not fully grasping all that occurred in the novel.
This is not a criticism in anyway, more the novel was too cleverly structured for my basic brain. Regardless, what I took from this novel, I enjoyed – especially the dark humour and the character of Mr Fletcher Rigge.
*My thanks to Corsair for granting me access to a digital copy of this book via Netgalley*
latepaul's review
4.0
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book.
I picked it up at library based mostly on the cover and a little bit on the blurb. On getting it home I realised I'd read [a:Andrew Martin|35691|Andrew Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1343170976p2/35691.jpg] before, namely [b:The Necropolis Railway|228912|The Necropolis Railway (Jim Stringer, #1)|Andrew Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328874880s/228912.jpg|1351212] and I became a bit wary because my memory was I didn't enjoy it that much. (In fact I gave it 7/10 so it can't have been that bad)
So this book is set in 18th century York and London. It starts with a young man, Fletcher Rigge, in debtors prison for debts he largely inherited from his father. However a Captain Harvey, son of a recently murdered silhouettist, pays the debt and arranges for him to be released for one month on the condition he solves his father's murder.
The book is told as a series of documents collected, supposedly, by a lawyer writing to the York Chief Magistrate. So it's letters, Rigge's diary, transcripts of interviews and so on. As a structural device I had no problem with this, although my one complaint would be that the letters were printed in italics and I found that difficult to read for pages at a time. A minor point though.
I think this book works on at least three levels. First it is a murder mystery. Not being a huge connoisseur of these I can say that the mystery here worked pretty well. I was intrigued and tried to figure out who had done what to whom and why.
Secondly it was a historical novel set in a time and place I don't know much about. It's set in 1798/99 in York (mostly). Apart from a little [a:Jane Austen|1265|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1380085320p2/1265.jpg] I've not read much from that period and Austen's novels seem to be mostly set in big houses in the country where as this is resolutely in cities. Indeed country v city is a theme in the book as well as a conflict in the main character's mind.
So the descriptions of the period were very evocative and whilst I'm not fit to judge the details were specific enough to feel real.
Thirdly I found the characters engaging. Not so much Rigge, who is mostly just a straight up hero and a bit of an enigma, but many of the others, including the various suspects, are very colourful. Also when the setting allows, some of the dialogue has a little of Austen's wit and playfulness. There's some entertaining flirting going on.
The ending is satisfying and wraps up the mystery but hints a the possibility of further book(s). Which I would certainly read.
I really enjoyed this book.
I picked it up at library based mostly on the cover and a little bit on the blurb. On getting it home I realised I'd read [a:Andrew Martin|35691|Andrew Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1343170976p2/35691.jpg] before, namely [b:The Necropolis Railway|228912|The Necropolis Railway (Jim Stringer, #1)|Andrew Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328874880s/228912.jpg|1351212] and I became a bit wary because my memory was I didn't enjoy it that much. (In fact I gave it 7/10 so it can't have been that bad)
So this book is set in 18th century York and London. It starts with a young man, Fletcher Rigge, in debtors prison for debts he largely inherited from his father. However a Captain Harvey, son of a recently murdered silhouettist, pays the debt and arranges for him to be released for one month on the condition he solves his father's murder.
The book is told as a series of documents collected, supposedly, by a lawyer writing to the York Chief Magistrate. So it's letters, Rigge's diary, transcripts of interviews and so on. As a structural device I had no problem with this, although my one complaint would be that the letters were printed in italics and I found that difficult to read for pages at a time. A minor point though.
I think this book works on at least three levels. First it is a murder mystery. Not being a huge connoisseur of these I can say that the mystery here worked pretty well. I was intrigued and tried to figure out who had done what to whom and why.
Secondly it was a historical novel set in a time and place I don't know much about. It's set in 1798/99 in York (mostly). Apart from a little [a:Jane Austen|1265|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1380085320p2/1265.jpg] I've not read much from that period and Austen's novels seem to be mostly set in big houses in the country where as this is resolutely in cities. Indeed country v city is a theme in the book as well as a conflict in the main character's mind.
So the descriptions of the period were very evocative and whilst I'm not fit to judge the details were specific enough to feel real.
Thirdly I found the characters engaging. Not so much Rigge, who is mostly just a straight up hero and a bit of an enigma, but many of the others, including the various suspects, are very colourful. Also when the setting allows, some of the dialogue has a little of Austen's wit and playfulness. There's some entertaining flirting going on.
The ending is satisfying and wraps up the mystery but hints a the possibility of further book(s). Which I would certainly read.
stephend81d5's review
3.0
crime mystery novel based in late 18th century York where an artist is murder and the young gentleman in the debtors gaol is employed to find the murderer in exchange for his debts to be paid off. enjoyed the novel but still feel that the stringers series are better though
scottish_kat's review
1.0
I really thought I would like this but after a couple of attempts I gave up - there was nothing in it that I enjoyed.
kjcharles's review
A historical novel entirely told in letters, diary snippets etc. MC is a young man who's lost his family estate and been arrested for debt, but is freed by the son of a murdered man if he investigates his father's death.
Mph. It's well written (doesn't try for a particularly Georgian feel to the rhythms or vocab) with lots of nice historical detail. I didn't really feel I got to know/care about the MC particularly, even though about half the book is his diary, which became problematic as the plot shifted towards his personal story arc separate to the murder narrative. (Also the epistolary form means that the other writers all spend a lot of time talking about how handsome, interesting, appealing, wronged etc the MC is, which I always find rather odd.)
Notable that all the women were on a spectrum of flaws (unfair, unreliable, unfaithful, unpleasant) and oh hey is that sole gay characterthe villain , why of *course*.
The endingis a twist because surprise! we're not really solving the murder mystery, but in fact the mystery of why the dead man's son wanted it investigated. This is a great idea, but it's really obvious from early on because the book just doesn't care about the murder. I think we needed someone, anyone in the book to give a damn about the murdered guy, and they don't. Nobody cares he's dead, nobody cares who did it including the MC or the reader, we don't have any sense of him as a person, and the solution to his death is a total anticlimax, tossed away in a paragraph or so. All of which really undercuts the twist because it's so obvious there's something else coming.
I did finish it, which is something, but it left me unmoved. Not a success for me.
Mph. It's well written (doesn't try for a particularly Georgian feel to the rhythms or vocab) with lots of nice historical detail. I didn't really feel I got to know/care about the MC particularly, even though about half the book is his diary, which became problematic as the plot shifted towards his personal story arc separate to the murder narrative. (Also the epistolary form means that the other writers all spend a lot of time talking about how handsome, interesting, appealing, wronged etc the MC is, which I always find rather odd.)
Notable that all the women were on a spectrum of flaws (unfair, unreliable, unfaithful, unpleasant) and oh hey is that sole gay character
The ending
I did finish it, which is something, but it left me unmoved. Not a success for me.
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