Review: The Crown Agent by Stephen O’Rourke

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A ship adrift, all hands dead. A lighthouse keeper murdered in the night. The Crown needs man to find the truth. Doctor Mungo Lyon, his reputation tarnished by the Burke & Hare scandal, and forbidden to practise as a surgeon, is the wrong man.

That’s exactly why the Crown chose him.

I bring to you on the blog today an awesome little Scottish treat.  We have The Crown Agent a serious gem in the Historical Fiction genre.  I was extremely impressed with this novel.  The world building and the stylistic invigorance that I was submerged in was so fascinating.  I absolutely love the history of this wee country and its realism was outstanding.  From the clothing, to the descriptions within Edinburgh, the trading ports…it was all so perfect.  The author didn’t hold back, and he had me hook, line and sinker.  I was ready to be transported back in time, back to a time with no internet, no distractions but a sublime narrative. 

I completely got on board with the hype that was going around surrounding The Crown Agent and I wasn’t disappointed.  The atmosphere is on fire, it’s a bleak world with a complex journey interweaved with the natural beauty of its time.  These interweaving threads made it impossible to resist its impeccable pull into the world the author had created.  I didn’t want to resist the pull. 

We meet Edinburgh Doctor, Mungo Lyon.  He’s inadvertently mixed up the Burke and Hare scandal, unfortunately this has left his career and his reputation in tatters.  What is his vocation going to be now?  Can he weather the storm or will fate direct him down another path?  Luckily or not, I’ll leave that decision up to you, he is given the opportunity to leave Edinburgh behind him for now and tackle a mystery.  The British crown has had his name recommended to investigate the death of a lighthouse keeper.  It should be easy to clear up, right?  Mungo finds himself uncovering truths he really ought to not know.  It puts his life in danger and those around him too.  He uncovers dark secret that he would be better off not reporting on, but he is a man of impeccable morals and must do the right thing.  This secret will be far more damaging to his reputation than the scandal back home was. 

The author has perfected the complexity of people, their flaws and emotional intelligence that makes a person them.  The clues are there, the worries, the fears.  The clues were scattered in a sherlock Holmes fashion, you just have to piece it altogether.  Life will never be the same again.  Mungo is swept away by the events he finds himself faced with and he knows some hard choices will need to be made.  Ingenious plotting that is rich in human emotion, action and atmospheric brilliance.