And By Fire by Evie Hawtrey

I got a mini history lesson reading this book. London is divided into two - the Metropolitan London and then the old City of London established by the Romans (?) and governed by the London Police Force. Nigella Parker is the Detective on the scene when a charred body is found beside one of the famed Wren monuments. Closer inspection reveals that it is a sculpture made of wood and Nigella realises that they are dealing with a person who will increase the tension of the case becoming more and more daring till he actually starts burning bodies. She is not far wrong and the cases escalate. No clues left behind other than the fact that the person is an artist of high skills and little by little it points out that he has a hatred of anything that Wren built. Detectives have to go back in history to the 17th century - to the Great Fire of London and its widespread destruction with the huge loss of life and then to the rebuilding of it under the supervision of Wren and this is where the first clues emerge. Spanning the centuries, the story is similar and parallels are drawn. The present day murders however have to be solved as quickly as possible since the escalation begins at a rapid pace. Very unusual story in a beautiful backdrop. Sent by Crooked Lane Books for a unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.