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M J Logue
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An Abiding Fire: Murder and Mystery in Restoration London (Thomazine and Major Russell Thrillers Book 1) Kindle Edition

by M. J. Logue (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 158 ratings
Murder and mystery in Restoration England! Perfect for fans of C. S. Quinn, S. G. MacLean and Alison Weir.

How do you solve a murder when you are one of the suspects…?


1664, London



Life should be good for Major Thankful Russell and his new bride, Thomazine. Russell, middle-aged and battle-scarred, isn’t everyone’s idea of the perfect husband for an eligible young woman but the moment Thomazine set eyes on her childhood hero, she knew they were destined for one another.

But Russell, a former Roundhead, now working for the King’s intelligence service, was never going to have a simple life in Restoration London.

Unable to shake suspicions of his Parliamentarian past, someone seems hell-bent on ruining his reputation – and his life.

Whispers about his sister’s violent murder follow him and accusations of treason abound.

When more deaths occur Russell finds himself under suspicion.

He is ready to escape from the capital, but Thomazine is determined to find the truth and clear the name of the man she loves.

But who is the real killer and why are they so keen to frame Russell? More importantly, will they succeed?

And has Thomazine’s quest put them all in mortal danger?

An Abiding Fire is the first book in the Thomazine and Major Russell Thriller series, compelling historical mysteries with a dash of romance, set in seventeenth century England.

‘written in a deceptively light, easy style that draws the reader in, until you’re frantically turning the pages to find out what happens, and the flavour, sights, sounds and smells of Restoration London, in all its crowded, often squalid vitality, leap into life. Highly recommended’ – Pamela Belle

‘everything in this book is utterly believable and solidly historical, right down to the gloriously funny dialogue and rather personal details…’ – P F Chisholm

‘a suspenseful read peppered with humour, and earthy language enough to lighten and lift the reader in between the more sinister elements as they unfold’ – Romance Reviews Magazine

‘London is brought vividly to life, the historical setting is impeccable, the plot is well-constructed, but it is the characters that make this book. Both Thomazine and Thankful step out of the pages to become real, believable, people. M. J. Logue has delivered an excellent read and I hope there will be many more books about Thomazine and Thankful – preferably sooner than later’ – Discovering Diamonds

THE THOMAZINE AND MAJOR RUSSELL THRILLER SERIES:
BOOK ONE: An Abiding Fire
BOOK TWO: A Deceitful Subtlety
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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Thomazine and Major Russell Thrillers
  2. Print length
    288 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    January 3, 2019
  6. File size
    1.4 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Shop this series

 See full series
There are 2 books in this series.
This option includes 2 books.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07JHSZG7B
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 3, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.4 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1912786800
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 2 ‏ : ‎ Thomazine and Major Russell Thrillers
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 158 ratings

About the author

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M J Logue

M J Logue

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Writer, mad cake lady, re-enactor, historian.

Been slightly potty about the clankier side of Ironside for around 20 years, and lists amongst my heroes in this unworthy world Sir Thomas Fairfax, Elizabeth Cromwell and John Webster (for his sense of humour.)

When not purveying historically-accurate cake to various re-enactment groups across the country, M.J. Logue can usually be discovered practising in her garden with a cavalry backsword.

Often to be found loitering, in an ill-tempered manner, at A Sweet Disorder ((www.asweetdisorder.com) - dp along and pass unhelpful remarks!

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
158 global ratings

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A Discovered Diamond
5 out of 5 stars
A Discovered Diamond
This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review: Helen Hollick founder #DDRevs "I have been a fan of M. J. Logue’s excellent books about the English Civil War, featuring Colonel Hollie Babbitt and his motley collection of men who range from the very young and damaged to the rather scruffy and battle-hardened. It was therefore with a squeak of delight I came across An Abiding Fire which features Thankful Russell—but twenty years later. "
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Top reviews from the United States

  • eyes.2c
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Restoration mystery!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2019
    Format: Kindle
    Fascinating mystery set during the Restoration times of 1663. Charles II is on the throne and expectations are somewhat murky for all parties.
    The two leading characters are unusual. The battle scarred Major Thankful Russell and his newly wedded younger wife, Thomazine Babbitt.
    Thankful is an ex-Roundhead and now a King's Intellegencer. The time has come for him to marry and he casts his hopes on the girl he knew as a young child. Many years his junior, Thomazine (Tibby) has loved Thankful since she was a child and sees only the Thankful she's grown up with, not his scars. "She’d considered him her especial property since she was two years old and he twenty-one."
    Thankful has decided they will make their home in the manor house of Four Ashes, Buckinghamshire, where he grew up with his sister, a nasty piece of work, rigorously Puritan, married to the idea of works and punishment. Grace is not a concept she even understood.
    Fly-Fornication Coventry had died in a house fire and Thankful has decided to rebuild the manor for himself and Thomazine. What he doesn't know is that Fly was murdered. And that first killing was only the beginning.
    Thankful and Thomazine find themselves shunned by polite society in Buckinghamshire, (rumors of Thankful having somehow started the fire seem to have spread) and so return to London.
    It's here, on the less salubrious edges of Charles II's court that Thankful and Thomazine find themselves in even more danger.
    Logue has given us a fascinating insight into Restoration times, the day-to-day rigors of life, the political undercurrents, and the beginnings of the wars with the Low Countries. I recommend her Historical Notes for more and pertinent comments on the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
    I really enjoyed Thankful and Thomazine as characters. Thankful with his understated strengths, a soldier turned Intellegencer-courtier, where the soldier is not far below the surface, and Thomazine, with her willingness to dangerously rush into things, her red hair and her temper that sometimes will just 'out'.
    I'm looking forward to their future.

    A Sapere ARC via NetGalley
    2 people found this helpful
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  • CJ-MO
    4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing historical mystery featuring two unique, likable main characters
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2019
    Format: Kindle
    In October 1664, Major Thankful Russell, who was on the side of Parliament against the King during the English Civil War is ready to make a new start. He has retired from his service in the current King's intelligence service and is excited to bring his beautiful young bride Thomazine home. However, Thankful finds old friends and neighbors snubbing him and learns rumors are going around that he is the main suspect in the recent murder of his sister.

    I enjoy historical mysteries, but I'm unfamiliar with this period of history so I was a bit intimated when I started the book. I was pleased the author included historical notes at the back of the book, so I actually read that part first so I would have a better context for the story. This helped give me background information about the Restoration period in England and was a great supplement to the background information that was included in the story. When reading the book, I found many themes to which modern readers can easily relate, such as love, jealousy, insecurity, and pride. This makes the book much more accessible than I thought it would be.

    The best part of this book is the love between Thankful and Thomazine. I loved the scenes of their wedding and am glad the readers were treated to see them at such a joyous occasion and see the love between the two. This is especially important when later learning about the cruel things Thankful's sister did to him when he was a child, which makes him a prime suspect in her murder.

    I liked the beginning of the book and enjoyed the exciting ending. There were parts in the middle that left me confused and I was unclear how Thankful and Thomazine's actions were doing anything to find the real murderer. This part of the book drug a little for me, but then things soon got back on track and the story was again more interesting. I was surprised by the identity of the murderer. I liked the book because it was something different. Something happens at the end that creates the perfect set-up for future books in the series and promises more adventures for newlyweds Thankful and Thomazine.

    I received this book through the courtesy of Sapere Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Helen Hollick
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Discovered Diamond
    Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2019
    Format: Kindle
    This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
    Helen Hollick
    founder #DDRevs
    "I have been a fan of M. J. Logue’s excellent books about the English Civil War, featuring Colonel Hollie Babbitt and his motley collection of men who range from the very young and damaged to the rather scruffy and battle-hardened. It was therefore with a squeak of delight I came across An Abiding Fire which features Thankful Russell—but twenty years later. "
    Customer image
    Helen Hollick
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    A Discovered Diamond

    Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2019
    This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
    Helen Hollick
    founder #DDRevs
    "I have been a fan of M. J. Logue’s excellent books about the English Civil War, featuring Colonel Hollie Babbitt and his motley collection of men who range from the very young and damaged to the rather scruffy and battle-hardened. It was therefore with a squeak of delight I came across An Abiding Fire which features Thankful Russell—but twenty years later. "
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    One person found this helpful
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  • S. Craig
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good story & period detail
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is a good beginning to a series. The characters are likeable and the period details are interesting. I had some trouble with the writing style. Her sentences are long, and sometimes the pronouns are confusing. When you use "he" in the middle or end of a long sentence involving two men, it can be hard to tell who the "he" is. I knew who the murderer was in the beginning, but the journey was worth the read.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • fictionreader
    5.0 out of 5 stars You'll love the characters - great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I loved this book, but I wouldn't call it a thriller, so don't expect non-stop action. To me it was a beautifully rendered portrait of a couple in love, and their attempt to put the legacy of the late English Civil Wars behind them and to solve the hurts of the past. A murder happens in the first few pages, but after that it quietens down to focus on the characters. M J Logue has a hugely engaging writing style that sucks you into the narrative, with much of the action conveyed by dialogue between the main players, Thankful and Thomazine. Because of this I got really invested in the pair of them, so when the action came, near the end, I was really rooting for them. The historical detail is woven seamlessly into the narrative and never holds up the story. Fans of the historical period will recognize well-known figures such as Pepys and The Duke of Buckingham making an appearance, all adding to the fun.
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  • avidreader
    4.0 out of 5 stars Restoration history, romance and dark deeds
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 29, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is the first book in the Major Russell/Thomazine Russell series - I have read both books and the novellas, and found them very entertaining. The author has a quirky style of writing, and the central couple are absolutely delightful - both have their insecurities, but they complement each other perfectly and obviously love each other in a soul-deep sense. Thoroughly recommended. I look forward to more in this series.
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  • LynnBryant1803
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, entertaining, well researched and funny.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Thankful Russell was one of my favourite characters from the Uncivil Wars series, and it appears he’s getting a series of his own, accompanied by his new wife, the down-to-earth daughter of his former commanding officer. Yippee!
    When I say he was one of my favourite characters, that doesn’t mean he was the most likeable or the easiest. Fans of those books must all, I suspect, have wanted to land one on Hapless Russell from time to time. What I loved about him was that we watched him grow up before our eyes. In this book he’s fully grown, a middle aged newly-wed and out of place in Restoration society. Life should be good for Russell who has finally found his happy ending, but somehow you just know that it’s never going to be as easy as that for him - and it isn’t. A historical whodunnit which is full of the author’s usual brand of meticulous research, clever plotting and hilarious and touching characterisation, I hope we see a lot more of Thankful Russell in the future.
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  • Jill T
    1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother.
    Reviewed in Australia on May 30, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Didn't finish this book and deleted from kindle. Very strange writing style, not at all enjoyable. There are so many good books waiting to be read and life's too short to continue with one you don't like.
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  • Francine Howarth
    5.0 out of 5 stars A suspenseful and thrilling read!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Written in M. J. Logue’s inimitable style, “Abiding Fire” edges toward the realms of a psychological suspense novel, as opposed to crime thriller. The author wields a mind-bending analogy to that of a deeply troubled and tortured mind: almost in the format of a journal, as though the main character is secretly confessing to revenge enacted without any sense of guilt. Thus deceit, rumour, and inference enough to ruin any man’s chances of elevation in favoured social circles prevails amidst the ambitious, the dubious, and the worst of the notoriously real-time debauched courtiers of their day.

    Initially it is the year of 1663, three years since the Restoration of Charles II to the throne of England. A dreadful murder sets the scene for a mystery that will linger akin to smoke-laden miasma drifting throughout this novel. By 1665 the once Parliamentarian officer, Thankful Russell, who despised all that the Royalists ever stood for during the years of the English Civil Wars, is now gracing the corridors, and the drawing rooms of the great and not so good Royalists. Not only is he newly married and revelling in the glory of having one of the youngest brides on the royal campus, old fears of rejection, fears of failing Thomazina, fears of failing others, and most of all, fear of failing his old commander; Russell is under pressure as a maze of seeming madness surrounds him. And all whilst some unknown person is hell-bent on putting his neck in a noose! All told, this is a suspenseful read peppered with humour, and earthy language enough to lighten and lift the reader in between the more sinister elements as they unfold. All told it's a stand-alone novel, but is nonetheless intricately a part of a greater series of ECW novels by the same author, and of course well-known characters grace the pages.
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