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THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES by Elizabeth Redfern is the perfect antidote for those of you
who are a little tired of the wizened and sometimes whiny prose that makes up a great deal
of contemporary fiction. If you're looking to go back in time, this is historical fiction
that will remind you of the days of Dickens and Dr. Johnson, with prose rich in
description, so rich sometimes that you feel like you are walking the olde streets of
London with Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes.
A police officer in London 1795 must try to catch French spies during the war that is
going on. However, his mind is firmly caught up in the unsolved murder of his teenage
daughter. As he investigates, he finds himself in cahoots with a group called The Company
of Titius, astronomers who teach him more about codes and passions than anything else in
his life. The various stories and wide range of characters mesh into what is a fast and
eager story of suspense and mystery and, ultimately, of love and human bondage.
Redfern doesn't mince words --- she is an efficient and able storyteller whose sense of
time and place will not confuse the reader, as some historical fiction writers can. Like
Caleb Carr, she makes you feel as if you are walking directly behind these characters,
listening in on their private conversations, living out their dreams and desires along
with them. The astronomy tangent is really wonderful, a widespread and entertaining (as
well as educating) arc that gives the earthly goings-on a proper perspective. THE MUSIC OF
THE SPHERES is a first-rate first novel from an author who clearly has something to offer
the present pantheon.
--- Reviewed by Jana Siciliano
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