Matthew Guinn incorporates all of the elements of a successful murder mystery in his latest novel, The Scribe. Set in 1881 Atlanta, during the International Cotton Exposition, detective Thomas Canby gets a chance to prove his abilities after being disgraced three years earlier.
The case Canby is assigned to is a serial murderer whose method is both gruesome and strange. The mutilated bodies of each victim have inscribed on their foreheads a letter of the alphabet beginning with “M.”
Throughout the story we are given glimpses of Canby’s early life. His childhood of being raised by an Irish minister. His two closest childhood friends. His father’s death during the siege of Atlanta. His joining the army of the North to seek vengeance on his father’s death.
This dark, diabolical story becomes more and more intriguing as the deaths mount up. Mr. Guinn does not disappoint with his limitless grim and gory details of each murder. The reader begins to wonder if there will be any characters left alive at the conclusion of the story.
The Scribe is not typical of my reading choice. A very well-written historical novel, I enjoyed the descriptions of people and places in 1880’s Atlanta. Those with squeamish dispositions may want to pass on reading this book. It certainly is not for the faint of heart.