Face Down Under The Wych Elm (2002) - Plot & Excerpts
This book is excellent! When I first started reading it, I thought it'd be a difficult one to get through: but naye, naye! In spite of Emerson's attempts to keep the English "old" (with me constantly reaching for the dictionary), she manages to keep the suspense high enough for you to desperately want to find out what happens next. She also manages to explain several historical practices that are unfamiliar to readers from the twentieth century. This being akin to a Carolyn Keene detective story (or "Murder she wrote"), we get to read about the ingredients of witches' potions and lovely descriptions of Chaucer's England which conjure up images of Nostradamus and the alchemists Jung studied. So even though the story seems to have taken place centuries ago, the reader is brought so close to Susanna (who reminded me of Elizabeth Fry) and her 'tiring maid', Jennet, that you experience the adventure with her - along with the spice of romance and intrigue!
What do You think about Face Down Under The Wych Elm (2002)?
Another baffling mystery solved by the clever Lady Appleton. I love mysteries (like this) where you get a lot of different ideas about who the murderer could be. It's no fun to guess too far ahead of time, but it's also not fun to be completely stumped. I like getting to guess along with the detective, and then to realize the truth at the same time as them (or just a paragraph or two before). What I didn't like about this book was how easy it was to get someone convicted of witchery; unfortunately, that part is drawn from sad and frightening facts about the time period. I'm very glad things aren't like that anymore.
—Beka
