Necessary Things

1678. London. And down these mean streets a diarist must walk ...

A complex historical thriller tipping its hat to the noir fiction of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, Anthony Fowles' recreation of Restoration London centres on the brutal slaying of a London magistrate.

Enter one Samuel Pepys, acting on behalf of his client, Charles II. And, like any good gumshoe, he is soon drawn into a shadowy world of lies and deception. Religious fanaticism, show trials, corruption in high places and political assassination ... nothing is ever what it seems.

Thankfully, being a literary man, Pepys left behind a hitherto unknown journal ...

But Fowles' wonderful confection isn't just a blending of 'whodunnit' and 'what if'. Based firmly in historical fact and on careful research, he offers a fascinating and vivid portrait of a venial and deeply corrupt society.

A delight for all Pepys aficionados, Necessary Things is a riveting study of the shortfalls and personal costs of political compromise and, as such, is as compelling today as it was in the great diarist's time.

About the author:

Anthony Fowles was born in London and educated at the Universities of Oxford and Southern California. He began his artistic career as filmmaker but in time sharpened his focus to concentrate on writing. The success of his first thriller, Dupe Negative, allowed him an eclectic career embracing novels, biography and literary criticism. For Greenwich Exchange he has written studies on John Dryden, Ford Madox Ford, Joseph Heller and Jean Rhys.

516  pages

ISBN: 978-1-906075-31-6