It’s 1605, and Devon’s Tavy valley is where sleuth and country doctor, Gabriel Taverner puts himself and his household in danger, when he takes in and cares for a young woman who has attempted suicide in a nearby lake. Suicide is illegal, and if it were discovered that Gabriel had tried to hide that fact he would be in serious trouble. Additionally, the woman appears to have been terrified of something and was trying to escape from that something or someone, which in itself brings danger to this quiet idyllic spot.

The woman appears to be connected to a man found dead in a drainage ditch and a mysterious figure who is seen in the middle of the night peering through the window of Gabriel’s home.

Gabriel begins to uncover clues to these links, and finds that the spice nutmeg seems to be a recurring and connecting theme. Nutmeg is becoming more valuable by the day, not least because it’s thought to be a cure for the plague.

Further clues lead Gabriel into much danger when other murders appear to be connected with the man in the drainage ditch, and therefore the woman he has nursed back to health.

With authentic period detail, skilful writing, and characters who compliment the plot, ‘The Cargo from Neira’ engrossed me right from the start.