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The Grenadillo Box

by Janet Gleeson

Janet Gleeson has acquired comprehensive knowledge of the past, not only through her degrees in art history and English, but through her work in various auction houses and primarily through assiduous research. The Grenadillo Box is a wonderful story set in the eighteenth century with a number of famous names included – all based on historical fact. When you think of that old adage 'Truth is stranger than fiction' you might also think of Ms. Gleeson's non-fiction book, The Arcanum. But The Grenadillo Box is every bit its equal in the fictional field, a fascinating read which makes the 1700's come alive as vividly as our present-day surroundings.

Nathaniel Hopson is a journeyman to the famous cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale. Sent to Horseheath Hall to install an elaborate library created by his friend John Partridge, he's implored by the housekeeper-cook, Mrs. Cummings, to fill in as a footman in the absence of regular staff. So it's as a servant to the irascible Lord Montfort during a dinner (after which the completed library was to have been revealed in all its magnificence) that a gunshot is heard – followed by the discovery of Lord Montfort's body in that selfsame, darkened library. The body is found clutching a Grenadillo box.

Lord Foley was one of the guests at the dinner, and has followed Nathaniel to the library. It seems that Lord Foley won most of Montfort's estate from him in a gambling game – even though Lord Foley begged Montfort not to tempt fate in such a way. However, Lord Montfort's death, although meant to appear as a suicide, has several inconsistent factors which point to murder.

Nathaniel is enlisted by Lord Foley to discover the truth behind Lord Montfort's death. Engaged in this pursuit, Nathaniel finds another body – this one of his own friend John Partridge with four of his fingers brutally hacked off. The body is half submerged in the ice of a fountain – not only within the grounds of Horseheath Hall but in sight of the library. John had gone missing from Chippendale's employ for some days prior – which was the reason Thomas Chippendale sent Nathaniel in his place. This immediately raises more questions – why was John there before the library was to be made ready?

Alice Goodchild has taken over her father's wood merchant business and is running it successfully. And it's only through her that Nathaniel learns rare grenadillo wood also has another name, linking it to his former friend and colleague. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Nathaniel desires more from Alice Goodchild than her business.

Nathaniel's efforts to uncover the reasons behind the murders lead him to a famous actress and the silk-draped rooms of the gentry as well as the mean, grubby neighborhoods of the very poor. After Nathaniel visits the actress, Madame Trenti, she is also murdered. Then we learn that Thomas Chippendale was a jealous liar as well as being an expert with wood. We also learn a great deal more about the Montfort estate and its inhabitants, as well as the guests and constabulary present on the occasion of Lord Montfort's murder. When the grenadillo box itself, first deemed missing, then recovered, then frustratingly becoming a puzzle without a keyhole, finally offers up its contents – it proves to be even more incomprehensible.

There is a surfeit of suspects. Robert Montfort, the would-be heir to the Montfort estate, is certainly one, as are the other members of the Montfort household: Lady Elizabeth, Lord Montfort's young wife, and Margaret Alleyn, his spinster sister. Suspects also include all guests present during the fateful dinner - Lord Bradfield with his wife, Lord Montfort's attorney, a man named Wallace, and Lord Foley himself.

A letter from Dorothy Chippendale, Thomas' sister, partially explains who the murderer could be. Nathaniel rushes to save Alice from a deadly encounter - and when everything is put together and one
of Chippendale's most elaborate masterpieces is taken apart, a pair of initials finally makes sense along with what was found in the grenadillo box.

Janet Gleeson delivers an historical mystery novel backed with impressive research and a huge, informative impact. The Grenadillo Box demonstrates both the snobbery and compassion implicit in the social hierarchies of the period, as well as the innate skill of their craftsmen. Janet Gleeson's first novel is a stunner. More!


Alan Paul Curtis

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