2020 historical mystery with fantastic elements. In 1634, the Indiaman
Saardam sets sail from Batavia on the eight-month journey to
Amsterdam. Sammy Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being
transported to Amsterdam to answer for a crime that nobody seems to be
able to name. His bodyguard, Arent Hayes, is determined to prove his
innocence. And there are signs of a demon on board…
Is there a demon? Is this the sort of fictional setting where
demons exist? I'm not going to say; the uncertainty is an important
part of this, and as with Turton's previous book working out what's
going on is a big part of one's enjoyment of the story. What's not in
any doubt is that things that look demonic are happening; and many of
the passengers and crew believe in demons, and will do frightful
things to avoid becoming their victims.
This is a locked-ship murder mystery with storms, a ghost ship, a
mysterious leper, romance, mutiny… all right, not for the sort of
naval technical specialist who'd come here from Hornblower or
Aubrey-Maturin because this one's also set aboard a ship. There are
some deliberate tweaks (such as cutting the number of officers, and
advancing bits of technology) to make the story work. The language is
modern too, which I found disconcerting at times, especially the
frequent use of "Okay".
All right, Hayes is perhaps a little too good for the era as he
joins forces with the estranged wife of the returning governor to find
out who's the intended victim and what they can do about it. But I
really can't think of a better Accidental Seduction Speech than this
one.
'Most men would say this isn't women's work.' There was no mistaking
the challenge in her tone.
'My father was one of them,' admitted Arent. 'He taught me that
women were frail creatures, purposely crippled by God that men might
prove their virtue by protecting them. Sounded right enough, until I
went to war and saw men pleading for their lives while women swung
hoes at the knights trying to take their land.' His tone hardened.
'Strong is strong and weak is weak, and it doesn't matter if you
wear breeches or skirts if you're the latter. Life will hammer you
flat.'
A thing that I suspect I'm not meant to know about is the wreck of
the Batavia in
1629. Not only
are some of the events quite clearly inspired by that incident, some
of the names are taken from there too: Hayes, Lucretia (as
"Creesjie")…
It's not quite as powerful as Seven Deaths, and the ending in
particular feels somewhat inconsistent with the established
characters, but in spite of that I enjoyed it, and I'd recommend it
with some reservations; read Seven Deaths first, though there's no
narrative connection.
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