Edward Marston is a seriously prolific writer. His books are usually crime novels set at various times in history and sit at the cosy end of the market. He is most famous for his detective stories set in and around the Victorian railways (see my review here) but he has also ventured into Norman England, onto early twentieth century ocean liners, to Elizabethan theatres, to London in WW1 and I have recently seen a new series which will feature large hotels. The books are pleasant and pass the time nicely. The history is fine as far as I can tell and the locations are interesting. I do wish that he wrote better dialogue – it always seems very stilted to me.
The Amorous Nightingale is part of a series set in Restoration Britain. A young architect Christopher Redmayne, who has been of assistance to the King before, teams up with a Puritan watchman Jonathan Bale, at the king’s command, to try and solve the mystery of the disappearance of a theatre performer and her maid. Harriet Gow is a beauty and a singer of note and she is much sought after by titled and famous men as a companion. Some of the book is told from her point of view in captivity and some follows the investigation.
The author litters the plot with slightly comic characters including Redmayne’s brother, a builder who does not approve of architects, a coachman, Redmayne’s clerical father and an aristocratic playboy. At times the comic nature of these characters and what they say becomes silly and unbelievable but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story and the search for Harriet.
I enjoyed this novel and it was a quick and easy read, as are so many of the books by this author.
Anne Is Reading 
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