A Death Along the River Fleet (Lucy Campion Mysteries #4)
by Susanna Calkins

Publication Date: April 12, 2016
Minotaur Books
Hardcover & eBook; 336 Pages

Genre: Historical Mystery

Lucy Campion, a ladies’ maid turned printer’s apprentice in 17th-century London, is crossing Holborn Bridge over the murky waters of the River Fleet one morning when, out of the mist, she sees a specter moving toward her. Frightened at first, Lucy soon realizes the otherworldly figure is in fact a young woman, clearly distraught and clad only in a blood-spattered white nightdress. Barely able to speak, the woman has no memory of who she is or what’s happened to her. The townspeople believe she’s possessed. But Lucy is concerned for the woman’s well-being and takes her to see a physician. When, shockingly, the woman is identified as the daughter of a nobleman, Lucy is asked to temporarily give up her bookselling duties to discreetly serve as the woman’s companion while she remains under the physician’s care.

As the woman slowly recovers, she begins—with Lucy’s help—to reconstruct the terrible events that led her to Holborn Bridge that morning. But when it becomes clear the woman’s safety might still be at risk, Lucy becomes unwillingly privy to a plot with far-reaching social implications, and she’ll have to decide just how far she’s willing to go to protect the young woman in her care.

Susanna Calkins has drawn a richly detailed portrait of a time in history and a young woman struggling against the bounds of her society in her next absorbing Lucy Campion mystery.

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Lucy Campion Mystery Series

Book One: A Murder at Rosamund’s Gate (April 2013)
Macavity Award Finalist Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award (2014)
Barnes & Noble Bookseller’s Selection (“Mystery Pick” and “Featured New Arrival”)
Chicago Book Review – Best Books of 2013

Book Two: From the Charred Remains (April 2014)
Short-listed for the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award (2015)

Book Three: The Masque of a Murderer (April 2015)
Nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award
Nominated for the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery (Lefty) Award

Interview with Susanna Calkins

TR: What compelled you to write a 17th century mystery?

SC: The idea for my first novel, A Murder at Rosamund’s Gate, came to me when I when was doing research for my doctorate in history. I had come across a fascinating collection of ballads that would tell the story of different murders. For years, those stories were in the back of my mind, and finally I began to write the story.  I honed in on the 1660s because I was fascinated by the plague and the Great Fire of London, and how those two cataclysmic events were simultaneously horrific for those who suffered through them, while at the same time offered unheard of opportunities for others. The widespread destruction of community bonds meant that people could steal more easily from one another (whether it was property, title or identity) or would cast a blind eye towards a woman who becomes a printer’s apprentice, like my protagonist Lucy Campion.

TR: Where do you get the names for your characters?

SC: This is an interesting question—I don’t think I’ve ever been asked this one! Mostly, I select names that come from the penny press of the period, or I follow the most common naming practices from the period, which was to use Biblical names.  However, the name needs to feel right to me as well. Interestingly, since you ask, I realize now that my main character, Lucy Campion, carries both light and heroism (champion) in the sound of her name. I think that fits her character, which is a decision I must have made subconsciously. Sometimes as a game I will work interesting names into my novels at the request of my friends. For example, several of my characters have the names of my friends’ streets as their last name (e.g. Greenleaf, Sheridan).  Lastly, and maybe most interesting, I named the barrister in my books, Wolcott Chalmers, for two small towns I used to pass through on 1-65 in Indiana. They just sounded like a great character name!

TR: Please tell us something about the book that is not in the summary.  (About the book, character you particularly enjoyed writing etc.)

SC: I really enjoyed writing about the medical practices of the day, and the tensions between those who follow the Galenic humors, and those who believe that soothsayers can rid a body of evil.  The woman that Lucy discovers not only has knife wounds on her hands, but it is also clear that someone has been performing bloodletting on her as well. She has an amulet around her neck, full of rosemary.

TR: How much time and effort went into your research for the book?

SC: Well, I spent a lot of time research my books well before I began writing them (a decade before) while I was completing my Ph.D. So I already had a strong sense of political, cultural, and social trends, as well as the general historical frameworks that serve as the backdrop of my stories. But I definitely research as I go, either referring to scholarly sources about the Great Fire and its aftermath, or using maps and other resources available online.  Sometimes if I’m a roll when I’m writing, I’ll just leave a footnote to myself to remember to look up the detail later. But if I need something to inspire me, I will do a little research to help me maintain momentum.

TR: Describe the room you are sitting in as though it was a scene in one of your books.  (Hmmm…not sure what you meant by this one, but I gave it a try- SC)

SC: Well, the marks of the Devil clearly abound throughout this largish room. Disembodied voices come from a great box in front of me; my good husband is clearly enchanted, though I bid him to be wary. There are other objects here that speak of deviltry, but several shelves of books that I verily believe will becalm my senses. A black cat sleeps, though I do not fear her crossing my path.

TR: What do you do when you are not writing?

SK: Ha! The question should be the other way around. I have a full time job at Northwestern University (helping faculty improve their teaching) and I teach classes on top of that job. I also have two children, who I try to attend to with some regularity 😉 I do actually enjoy reading, so I try to read novels when I can. Sometimes I feel like I can barely get any writing done, with everything else that goes on in my life!

About Susanna Calkins

SUSANNA CALKINS became fascinated with seventeenth-century England while pursuing her doctorate in British history and uses her fiction to explore this chaotic period. Originally from Philadelphia, Calkins now lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two sons. A Death Along the River Fleet is her fourth novel.

For more information and to subscribe to Susanna Calkins’ newsletter please visit her website. You can also follow her blog, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Giveaway of A Death Along the River Fleet by Susanna Calkins

This giveaway is for one print copy and is open to the U.S. only.  This giveaway ends on May 6, 2016 at midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Tour Schedule for A Death Along the River Fleet by Susanna Calkins

Tuesday, April 12
Blog Tour Kick Off at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, April 13
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Thursday, April 14
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective
Interview at The Book Connection

Friday, April 15
Interview at Dianne Ascroft’s Blog
Review at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Monday, April 18
Review & Giveaway at A Holland Reads
Interview at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Tuesday, April 19
Guest Post at A Literary Vacation

Wednesday, April 20
Review & Guest Post at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Thursday, April 21
Review at The Book Junkie Reads

Saturday, April 23
Review at Queen of All She Reads

Monday, April 25
Review at Diana’s Book Reviews

Tuesday, April 26
Review at The Editing Pen