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.