An Instance of the Fingerpost
Iain Pears
'A fictional tour de force which combines erudition with mystery' PD James
Oxford in the 1660s. Sarah Blundy stands accused of the murder of Robert Grove, a fellow of New College.
Four witnesses describe the events surrounding his death: Marco da Cola, a Venetian Catholic intent on claiming credit for the invention of blood transfusion; Jack Prescott, the son of a supposed traitor to the Royalist cause, determined to vindicate his father; John Wallis, chief cryptographer to both Cromwell and Charles II, a mathematician, theologian and master spy; and Anthony Wood, the famous Oxford antiquary.
Each one tells their version of what happened but only one reveals the extraordinary truth. Brilliantly written and utterly convincing, An Instance of the Fingerpost is gripping from the first page to the last.
'A novel that combines the simple pleasures of Agatha Christie with the intellectual subtlety of Umberto Eco, don't let it pass by unread.' The Times
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About Iain Pears
Reviews for An Instance of the Fingerpost
Tom Holland The kind of book that has you reading it by torchlight under the bedclothes. An historical detective story set to rival The Name of the Rose, it provides the rare pleasure of combining an intricate plot with insight into the political intrigues of Restoration England
The Times
Pear's novel interweaves the grand narratives and the personal tragedies of history with a slippery thriller of audacious ingenuity
Independent on Sunday
A deeply scholarly thriller, but with the learning worn lightly and all the elements of the plot clicking together smoothly
Independent
The best fiction I have read in a long time
Times Literary Supplement,
Books of the Year
Anyone who reads this will want to tell their friends about it... This is a novel that combines the simple pleasures of Agatha Christie with the intellectual subtlety of Umberto Eco, don't let it pass by unread
Sunday Times
A fictional tour de force which combines erudition with mystery Brilliantly researched and imagined...a remarkable achievement
Sunday Telegraph