Blood on the Stone by Jake Lynch #AuthorGuestPOst

 I am delighted to welcome Jake Lynch to the blog today to talk about his latest historical detective novel, Blood in the Stone. Before we hear from Jake, here's a little about the book:

March 1681. Oxford is hosting the English Parliament under the ‘merry monarch’, King Charles II. As politicians and their hangers-on converge on the divided city, an MP is found murdered, triggering tensions that threaten mayhem on the streets. 

Luke Sandys, Chief Officer of the Oxford Bailiffs, must solve the crime and thwart the plot. On his side is the respect for evidence and logic he absorbed in his student days, as a follower of the new science. On the other, a group of political conspirators are stirring up sectarian hatreds in their scheme to overthrow the Crown.
Struggling to protect all he holds dear, Luke leans heavily on his cavalry officer brother, his friends, and his faithful deputy, Robshaw. But he has a secret, which may be clouding his judgement. At the moment of truth, will he choose love or duty?

 Welcome to Books, Life and Everything, Jake- over to you!

Jake: 

A classically trained Oxford detective misses his scholarly vocation and nurses his aching heart. Ably assisted by his down-to-earth deputy, he must catch a killer in time to soothe the political anxieties of his overwrought (and overweight) boss. The case takes him back through his old University connections, into an investigation layered with conspiracy and intrigue.

Sound familiar? But no – this is not Inspector Morse, and these are not modern times but early modern: the late 17th Century to be precise, as the English Parliament descends on Oxford. At the time, sectarian tensions were being fomented and exploited for advantage, with the so-called ‘Popish Plot’ – supposedly a Jesuit campaign against the Crown – putting Roman Catholics in the firing line. In Blood on the Stone, those tensions are ratcheted up still further when William Harbord, an MP and the leader of a Protestant extremist group, is found stabbed to death.

Luke Sandys, Chief Officer of the Oxford Bailiffs, must solve the case before it leads to mayhem on the streets. The search for evidence draws on his familiarity with the new science of the period, and his knowledge of Greek from bachelor days. Luke’s trusty sidekick, Robshaw, keeps him supplied with worldly common sense. The pair begin their inquiries by calling on the Parliamentary Clerks, who have set up temporary HQ in the Bodleian library. Their visit, in search of any political grudge that may explain the murder, is recounted in Chapter 12:

“From behind the stacks, a head popped out, the pink plumpish face bearing a determinedly jolly expression, surmounted by a grey periwig.

‘Robert Timpson, sirs, at your service.’ At this, a second face, thinner and comparatively sallow, though under an identical wig, just as suddenly materialised in the gap on the opposite side of the tallest stack from the first.

‘Robert Simkins, at your service, sirs,’ this one said.

‘Good day to you gentlemen,’ Luke replied, presenting their credentials once again. ‘We are interested in any records you may have pertaining to the late William Harbord, MP. We’re investigating his murder, last night here in Oxford.’

‘Yes sir, we received your note...’ Timpson began, but Simkins cut in to finish his sentence:

‘...and we’ve been hunting high and low ever since.’ Luke began to realise why the Guards had chuckled at the mention of the two clerks.

‘Yes, we’re just settling in to our new office...’

‘...but it’s rather small. If we didn’t know better we’d say this was some kind of...’

‘Cleaners’ cupboard!’ Bob Tim and Bob Sim cried in unison.

‘Well, I daresay it was the best that could be done in the circumstances,’ Luke said. ‘Now, if you’d be good enough to let me have that file on Harbord...’

‘Yes, we’ve found it, sir,’ Bob Tim said perkily.

‘Ah, good.’ Luke waited, but nothing happened.

‘There’s just one problem.’

‘A problem, sir,’ Bob Sim concurred. ‘When they moved us in here, the files were all brought up by the Bodleian porters.’ ‘Great, big, tall men sir,’ Bob Tim added helpfully. ‘And the

member files, sir – are up there...’

‘...on that shelf.’ Bob Sim once more completed the sentence.

Only now he had picked his way into the room did Luke notice that the Bobs were standing on either end of a long wooden box marked Committees, T-Z, 1679. As they stepped down to point out the high shelf, they revealed themselves to be not only attired in identical grey suits, but also both around the five-foot mark in height. All eyes turned to the strapping Robshaw, who pulled a chair over to the wall beneath the shelf, mounted it with a grunt and – under the Bobs’ direction – located and took down the file on William Harbord MP.

‘Educated at Leiden, it says here,’ Luke remarked as he started to read.

‘The University of Leiden, sir, yes,’ Bob Tim confirmed.

‘In Holland, sir,’ his colleague added. The Bobs, Luke realised, were not going to let him peruse the file in peace, but instead stood vigilant, heads slightly tilted like mistle-thrushes sighting a worm, ready to enlighten him on any point of parliamentary procedure. The further he read, the longer the list grew of men whom Harbord had attacked or antagonised.”

About me

Just over twelve years ago, I emigrated with my family from Oxford to Australia, to take up a post as Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Sydney University. It’s a grand place to settle – but, as time went on, we missed home. Watching reruns of Morse and Lewis on Australian television, we would sit keening over sumptuous shots of the dreaming spires and green spaces of Oxford and the countryside round about.

So I seized the opportunity of a Sabbatical, in 2013, to move back – since when I’ve divided my time between the two places. And on the next Sabbatical, in 2017, I wrote the first draft of Blood on the Stone.

Why an Oxford historical detective story? Scientific advances of the time – pioneered by Oxford scholars – brought standards of evidence and logic to bear in the laboratory, which spread to other domains including political process and criminal justice. A fictional sleuth must sometimes defend those standards against powerful interests. Which might resonate with some readers as a lesson for our own times as well.

About the Author

Jake Lynch is Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney, and the author of seven books and over 50 refereed articles and book chapters. Over 20 years, he has pioneered both research and practice in the field of Peace Journalism, for which he was recognised with the 2017 Luxembourg Peace Prize, awarded by the Schengen Peace Foundation. 

He has held Fellowships at the Universities of Johannesburg, Bristol and Cardiff, where he read English Literature and got a Diploma in Journalism Studies. His PhD was from City University, London. 

Before taking up an academic post, Jake enjoyed a successful career in journalism, with spells as a Political Correspondent for Sky News at Westminster and the Sydney correspondent for the Independent newspaper, culminating in a role as a presenter (anchor) for BBC World Television News. 

Jake divides his time between Australia and Oxford, where he performs in amateur dramatic productions and runs a local book group. He is married with a teenaged son.

You can follow Jake here: Website   |  Facebook   |  Twitter

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Jake Lynch and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for a place on the tour

                                                         Check out the rest of the tour!