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The Bear Pit

The Seeker 4

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The Bear Pit

By: S.G. MacLean
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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Summary

 London, 1656: Captain Seeker is back in the city, on the trail of an assassin preparing to strike at the heart of Oliver Cromwell's Republic

The Commonwealth is balanced on a knife edge. Royalists and disillusioned former Parliamentarians have united against Oliver Cromwell, now a king in all but name. Three conspirators, representing these factions, plan to assassinate the Lord Protector, paving the way back to the throne for Charles Stuart once and for all.
Captain Damian Seeker, meanwhile, is preoccupied by the horrifying discovery in an illegal gambling den of the body of a man ravaged by what is unmistakably a bear. Yet the bears used for baiting were all shot when the sport was banned by Cromwell. So where did this fearsome creature come from, and why would someone use it for murder?

With Royalist-turned-Commonwealth-spy Thomas Faithly tracking the bear, Seeker investigates its victim. The trail leads from Kent's coffee house on Cornhill, to a German clockmaker in Clerkenwell, to the stews of Southwark, to the desolate Lambeth Marshes where no one should venture at night.

When the two threads of the investigation begin to join, Seeker realises just what - and who - he is up against. The Royalists in exile have sent to London their finest mind and greatest fighter, a man who will stop at nothing to ensure the Restoration. Has Seeker finally met his match?

(P)2019 Quercus Editions Limited Fiction Historical Thriller & Suspense England Exciting
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Before I started this audiobook I was wondering if Seeker had not overstayed his welcome. However his character continued to develop and become more engaging. I also enjoyed the reappearance of the cast of supporting characters. Thoroughly absorbed in this audiobook as I have been in its predecessors. A few minor quibbles about the number of amazing coincidences. I accept that London in the 17th century was smaller than it is now but really.... Once again we are indebted to the propensity of villains to deliver long expositions on how they committed their crimes but all is forgiven after the fantastic ending. I was on tenterhooks until the final few sentences. Is he? He can’t be? He is? Oh surely not? .... Just one small point I understand that the print edition had an afterword by the author explaining which of the events were historical and which were fictional. I’m pretty well acquainted with the period so I did know that certain things could not happen given that the author is not a proponent of alternative histories. It would have been nice if that afterword had been included in the audio version.

Damian Seeker has not overstayed his welcome

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The best yet! Full of twists and turns as usual and the human side of Seeker coming out intriguingly. Love the ending but was very glad I could tell where it was going......

Brilliant!

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Such a gripping story. I'm hooked on Damian Seekerv. I thought my enjoyment of this period in history had ended when I'd completed all tge Shardlake books....but then along came Damian Seeker....I'd not expected it! now for the next one.

so. many twists and turns

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One of the great joys of S G MacLean's novels in addition to the fine plotting and characterisations and pace and the occasional space in which the listener can draw breath are the observations, characters, descritpions found in the laybys. Before I listened to The Bear Pit I had never heard of Searchers before. Crumbs. A suitable job for a suitable (type of) woman. And buried deep in the narration lies a brief reminder to us in the second decade of the 21st century that while we might not agree with a holder's politcs, it does not follow that we need necessarily to despise the holder of those 'disagreeable' politics.

The narrator conveys the characters' stations in life superbly well.

Although I still pine for Alexander Seaton and therefore for a continuation of her other historical crime series, I eagerly look forward to the Seeker's fifth adventure. There's such an intriguing ending to The Bear Pit.

The Seeker meets a Searcher ...

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This marvellous series evokes a conflict in me. I cheer on the Royalists and despise Cromwell and his ilk while praying that no harm will come to Seeker, his family and friends. The writing and narration are superb.

My favourite anti-hero

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