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The Price of Murder

by Bruce Alexander

Even though Bruce Alexander hasn't won any spectacular awards for his work, his novels featuring Sir John Fielding (the blind judge who was an actual personage in the 1700's) are worthy of your regard. This is a writer who excels in 18th century background to the extent you'd almost think he visited the London portrayed there. In The Price of Murder, Mr. Alexander writes on a par with Dickens. Bruce Alexander has provided us not only with a style compatible to that period, but also with a tasty variety of 18th century foibles and prejudice as well.

Sir John Fielding has an assistant, named Jeremy Proctor, who performs as the judge's eyes, and quite often his feet as well. When the novel opens, we're privileged to be immersed immediately into a sub-plot, involving Clarissa Roundtree, whom Jeremy hopes to eventually marry. Alas, Jeremy has not the money to support a wife, nor will he have for the next two years. Meanwhile Jeremy is occasionally substituting for Sir John's clerk, Mr. Marsden, who is ill, coughing with a cough that seems to be getting worse instead of better.

Jeremy is summoned to Sir John's presence, there to be told that an urchin has reported discovery in the Thames of a young girl's naked body. Autopsy results show that the child, who was about six or seven years of age, had been sexually molested. Further investigation brings to light the apparent fact that the child's name was Margaret, or Maggie Plummer. She had been sold – and the mother is nowhere to be found. But then the mother's next-door neighbor, Katy Tiddle, is enlisted to identify the body. Shortly after that identification, Katy is murdered.

It develops that Alice Plummer, Maggie's mother, had received money for her daughter – but when found at last she claims it was simply a gift and not something expected. Alice says that Maggie was given for adoption to an unknown party through Katy Tiddle, and was promised a nice home with all the comforts one could wish. Alice was never informed of the recipient. Then when Jeremy goes again to Katy's house in an attempt to discover clues either to her murder or to the sale of Maggie, he finds a number of pawn tickets – and one receipt for a very expensive pistol.

Seven Dials was a notorious section of London in the 1700's, and that's where Alice and Katy Tiddle lived. Jeremy makes the rounds of the pawnshops located there, and with Deuteronomy, Alice Plummer's brother, locates the gunsmith who has the matching pistol to the one found in Katy Tiddle's possession. Mr. Bennett, a servant, is suspected of bringing it to the gunsmith for repair. Only Deuteronomy thinks he knows to whom Mr. Bennett is a servant, and thus to whom Katy Tiddle might have sold Maggie. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Hooker, a former friend of Clarissa's, has gone missing. When she at last shows up, she's in her shift, and tells a fantastic story of being abducted and imprisoned.

Mother Jeffers, a rather ugly woman who has a reputation for being a madam, is accused by Elizabeth as the one who was responsible for her imprisonment. Elizabeth even claims that Mother Jeffers' daughter has the dress that Elizabeth originally wore – however, the dress in question proves made to fit the daughter, not Elizabeth.

Deuteronomy Plummer is a jockey, and often a winner in the races where he participates. He thought the world of his niece, Maggie, and vows to avenge himself on her murderer as soon as that person is found. Deuteronomy works for Lord Lamford, a singularly distasteful individual wealthy enough to own Pegasus and be Deuteronomy's boss as the jockey who rides him. Pegasus is a marvelous horse who wins against great odds at Newmarket. Jeremy was advised by Deuteronomy to bet on him, and he did, winning a very large amount.

At the end of The Price of Murder, it all comes together of course. Mother Jeffers is exonerated and Elizabeth shown to be
the liar she is. Maggie's murderer is not only found out, but killed himself. Mr. Marsden dies, leaving an amount to Jeremy, which, with the Newmarket winnings, will underwrite marriage to Clarissa – especially now that Clarissa has become Sir John and his Lady's cook, and Jeremy will be Sir John's clerk.

Bruce Alexander, a pseudonym of the writer Bruce Cook, died in 2003. Although justly famous for his Sir John Fielding series, Mr. Cook also wrote four Chico Cervantes books – fast-paced thrillers set in USA's western areas. Bruce Cook was married to the violinist Judith Aller, and has lived in a number of hideaways abroad. His last home was in Los Angeles, California, in sight of the famed Hollywood sign.

Alan Paul Curtis

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