The Ashes of London

By: Andrew Taylor

Narrated by: Leighton Pugh

Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

The first book in the No. 1 Times bestselling series

‘This is terrific stuff’ Daily Telegraph

‘A breathtakingly ambitious picture of an era’ Financial Times

‘A masterclass in how to weave a well-researched history into a complex plot’ The Times

Over 1 Million Andrew Taylor Novels Sold!

A CITY IN FLAMES
London, 1666. As the Great Fire consumes everything in its path, the body of a man is found in the ruins of St Paul’s Cathedral – stabbed in the neck, thumbs tied behind his back.

A WOMAN ON THE RUN
The son of a traitor, James Marwood is forced to hunt the killer through the city’s devastated streets. There he encounters a determined young woman, who will stop at nothing to secure her freedom.

A KILLER SEEKING REVENGE
When a second murder victim is discovered in the Fleet Ditch, Marwood is drawn into the political and religious intrigue of Westminster – and across the path of a killer with nothing to lose…

©2016 Andrew Taylor (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"The Ashes of London is the book we all dream of writing and of reading: a crime thriller that pushes the pages over with effortless ease, while at the same time weaving an intricate, delicate, delight of a tapestry that draws us into a time and place that are so rich, so perfectly balanced that we walk alongside the characters, inhabit their shoes, feel their fear and taste their hope, all written in Andrew Taylor's beautiful hand-crafted prose. This is a book to revel in, a joy and a delight. Definitely one of the must-reads of the year." (Manda Scott, best-selling author of the Boudica Dreaming series)

Really so unbelievable

This seems to have been written by a born again feminist who dipped into historical events to supply background scenery. I forgot that I had previously returned this plodding and lame novel to audible and sank up to my temporal lobes again before I realized the problem wAs the awfully predictable narrative and not my mental health. Avoid.

Fun and historically interesting story

It was a fun story to listen to, the characters felt believable, and the narration was good.

Excelllent descriptions

I liked this book for its richly detailed descriptions of life in 1660s London. The plot wasn't super-compelling but nonetheless held my interest. I'd like to try more books in the series.

JUST KEPT GETTING DEEPER INTO THE BLOOD AND ASHES

If you enjoy historic novels you will really enjoy this one. Taking place in the ashes of London after the Great Fire of 1666 the mystery just keeps getting deeper and deeper. Well developed characters intertwine with historic events and some of the real players even make an appearance. The fire rid London of many of the rats that brought the plague to its' people but not all of them got fried by the fire.

Less murder mystery and more slow burn adventure

An interesting time in history, and one that I’d not been aware of, so I enjoyed that aspect. This is less of a murder mystery, however, and more of a slow burn adventure. But I did like the way it wrapped everything up.

Entertaining Historical Fiction

I enjoy historical fiction and I loved the setting of this story in London just after the Great Fire; it whet my appetite to learn more about the reconstruction of the city. I’ve visited London numerous occasions and I know that most of Wren’s vision for the new city never came to pass, but I don’t know why… I’m looking forward to reading more on the topic.

The story in this book was very entertaining, and I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I was better able to keep track of who was who! (I’m terrible at remembering names). I really appreciated the author’s style: fluid and descriptive enough that I got a good feeling for what life was like in late 17th century London, and yet he didn’t drone on about every last detail so I still got to use my imagination to build up the world in my mind.

Great story! I can easily recommend it.

Already want his second book in the series

Great atmosphere and character development. Wanting to listen to the second in the series and Audible does NOT have it available. A great read.

One of the best historical fiction novels

Leighton Pugh is a superb narrator! He brings the characters to life so convincingly. Of course the story by Andrew Taylor is fantastic. A thoroughly enjoyable experience!

Elegant!

Great story and excellent narrator. Sophisticated as well as historically interesting. Now I might get his trilogy.

Very vividly described

As a foreign born I didn’t know much about this fire. Andrew Taylor transported me to that time.