The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne, Elsa Hart
The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne, Elsa Hart
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The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne
A Mystery

Author: Elsa Hart

Narrator: Barrie Kreinik

Unabridged: 9 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/04/2020


Synopsis

From the author of the acclaimed Li Du novels comes Elsa Hart's new atmospheric mystery series.

London, 1703. In a time when the old approaches to science coexist with the new, one elite community attempts to understand the world by collecting its wonders. Sir Barnaby Mayne, the most formidable of these collectors, has devoted his life to filling his cabinets. While the curious-minded vie for invitations to study the rare stones, bones, books, and artifacts he has amassed, some visitors come with a darker purpose.

For Cecily Kay, it is a passion for plants that brings her to the Mayne house. The only puzzle she expects to encounter is how to locate the specimens she needs within Sir Barnaby’s crowded cabinets. But when her host is stabbed to death, Cecily finds the confession of the supposed killer unconvincing. She pays attention to details—years of practice have taught her that the smallest particulars can distinguish a harmless herb from a deadly one—and in the case of Sir Barnaby’s murder, there are too many inconsistencies for her to ignore.

To discover the truth, Cecily must enter the world of the collectors, a realm where intellect is distorted by obsession and greed. As her pursuit of answers brings her closer to a killer, she risks being given a final resting place amid the bones that wait, silent and still, in the cabinets of Barnaby Mayne.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books

"Spectacular. An extraordinary time machine of a novel, transporting us three centuries into the past, when Stuart London roiled with color and clamored with the grinding of carriage wheels...And Cecily May, the supremely winning botanist-sleuth braving hidden dangers in The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne, is a hero for the ages — her and ours." --A. J. Finn, #1 NYT bestselling author

“Hart establishes herself as a versatile talent with this exceptional standalone set in 1703 London...She is bound to become a household name for readers who love clever and fair whodunits.” --Publishers Weekly, starred review

About Elsa Hart

Elsa Hart is the author of several acclaimed mystery novels set in eighteenth-century China, including City of Ink, one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2018. She was born in Rome, but her earliest memories are of Moscow, where her family lived until 1991. Since then she has lived in the Czech Republic, the U.S.A., and China. She earned a B.A. from Swarthmore College and a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader on August 07, 2020

Sir Barnaby Mayne, filling his cabinets with curious wonders of the world, is quite the character. It’s a time when old science and new science are merging in 1700s London. People love to visit his oddity collection, for viewing and for study. Cecily Kay is on one such visit when Sir Barnaby is stabb......more

Goodreads review by Julie on July 30, 2020

This story reads like a classic mystery. The pace is a bit slower....but the story is rich and well worth the wait. Set in London in 1703, this tale centers around Collectors. Collectors are an elite, wealthy group who pride themselves on collecting bits of science and history, then display cabinets......more

Goodreads review by Blaine on August 19, 2020

Thank you NetGalley and St, Martin's Press for this advance copy in return for my honest review. I feel that I should have liked this book a whole lot more than I did. The plot is pretty good, a private collector of museum type pieces back in the early 1700's is found murdered and his assistant quic......more

Goodreads review by Dana on July 27, 2020

A historical murder mystery set in 1703, a strong lead female character with an obsession for plants and a collector that has been stabbed to death ... and that's just a tiny part of this puzzle! Cecily Kays plant obsession takes her to the Mayne residence where she plans to locate the specimens she......more

Goodreads review by Mary on April 13, 2021

4.5/5 I was looking for something fun and unique, and boy did I find it in The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart. This author wasn't on my radar before, but she sure is now. This is my first book in the historical mystery genre, and I quite enjoyed it. I kept forgetting it was 1703 London, but I......more