Music may be the food of love… it doesn’t fill an empty belly. Winter is not a good time for jobbing musicians in early 18th century Newcastle. The town has emptied for the season, and Charles Patterson, harpsichordist, concert arranger and tutor to the gentry, is down to his last few shillings. But Patterson has another talent: solving mysteries. When an unpopular organ builder thinks his life is in danger and a shop-boy dies in dubious circumstances, the offer of a substantial fee persuades him to seek answers to some difficult questions. Like, who stole the dancing-master’s clothes? Why is a valuable organ up for raffle? And will Patterson escape whoever is trying to kill him?
Roz Southey is a novelist and music historian living in the north-east of England. She lectures in music at Newcastle University, from which she gained a doctorate in 2002. She is acknowledged as the foremost authority on the historical and social contexts of eighteenth-century music-making in the north-east of England; her book on the subject - Music-Making in North-East England during the Eighteenth Century - was published by Ashgate in August 2006 and her papers have appeared in other academic publications. A childhood in the Lake District has left her with an enduring interest in local and family history; a book of her short articles on local history was published in 2008.
“Rich in color and texture and written in a style that feels both modern and period-authentic.” – Booklist
“The book's major appeal. . . lies in realistic but wickedly pointed characterizations and the convincing evocation of the sounds and stink of a preindustrial city. Southey deserves an encore for this ingenious satire of a society as full as ours of nefarious predators-and for her bittersweet sympathy for the underdog.” - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)