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Susan Grossey
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Ostler (The Cambridge Hardiman Mysteries) Paperback – August 21, 2023

by Susan Grossey (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 74 ratings
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It’s the late Regency period in Cambridge, and fine wines and precious artworks are disappearing from St Clement’s College. But just who is responsible, and how far will they go to keep their secret?

* Shortlisted for the SELFIES BOOK AWARD 2024 *

Cambridge of the 1820s is not all lectures and prayers, as university constable Gregory Hardiman discovers in the pages of this intriguing Regency crime novel.

After the horrors of the Napoleonic Wars, ex-soldier Gregory Hardiman is enjoying the quiet life of an ostler at a Cambridge coaching inn. But when the inn’s cook is found drowned in the river in the spring of 1825 and his distraught widow pleads for help, Gregory finds himself caught up in the unexpectedly murky world of college life in the town. He navigates uneasily between the public world of the coaching inn and the hidden life behind the high walls of the college. And when a new law requires the university to create a cadre of constables, will Gregory take on the challenge?

If you're drawn to atmospheric Regency mysteries, you should make Gregory's acquaintance.

Buy “Ostler” to start your historical crime adventure today.

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    The Cambridge Hardiman Mysteries
  2. Print length
    275 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    August 21, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.69 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1916001998
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1916001992
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

For twenty-five years I ran my own anti-money laundering consultancy, which gave me almost limitless opportunity to write about my very favourite subject: money laundering. And the obsession with understanding the mechanics and motivations of financial crime has only grown.I have spent years haunting the streets of Regency London, in the company of magistrates' constable Sam Plank. He is the narrator of my series of seven historical financial crime novels set in consecutive years in the 1820s - just before Victoria came to the throne, and in the policing period after the Bow Street Runners and before the Metropolitan Police.The fourth Sam Plank novel - "Portraits of Pretence" - was given the "Book of the Year 2017" award by influential book review website Discovering Diamonds. And the fifth - "Faith, Hope and Trickery" - was shortlisted for the Selfies Award 2019.My new series is the Cambridge Hardiman Mysteries, set in Cambridge in the 1820s and narrated by a university constable called Gregory Hardiman.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Susan Grossey (August 21, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 275 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1916001998
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1916001992
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.69 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 74 ratings

About the author

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Susan Grossey

Susan Grossey

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I have been in love with words ever since I realised, at age three, that those squiggles on the page actually meant something. For twenty-five years I ran my own anti-money laundering consultancy, and my obsession with understanding the mechanics and motivations of financial crime has only grown.

I spent years haunting the streets of Regency London, in the company of magistrates’ constable Sam Plank. He is the narrator of my series of seven historical financial crime novels set in consecutive years in the 1820s – just before Victoria came to the throne, and in the policing period between the Bow Street Runners and the Met Police. The fourth Sam Plank novel – “Portraits of Pretence” – was given the “Book of the Year” award in 2017 by influential book review website Discovering Diamonds. And the fifth – “Faith, Hope and Trickery” – was shortlisted for the Selfies Award 2019.

I am now working on a series of five books set in my hometown of Cambridge (England) in the 1820s, this time narrated by a university constable called Gregory Hardiman. The first in the series – “Ostler” – was shortlisted for the Selfies Book Award in 2024, and the second – “Sizar” – for the same award in 2025. I am now writing the third in the series, unimaginatively called “Gregory 3”, which is due out in December 2025.

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4.3 out of 5 stars
74 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Cris5
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gregory Hardiman what a man
    Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Loved this first in what must promise an excellent series. Historical Fiction/Mysteries are mostly all I read these last few years. And this time frame was great in its characters and atmosphere!
    Can’t wait for the next!!!
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  • The Irresponsible Reader
    4.0 out of 5 stars An Unconventional Sleuth Kicks Off an Equally Unconventional Career
    Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2023
    An expanded version of this originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
    ---
    This succeeds on multiple fronts—as a mystery, as a piece of historical fiction, as a showcase for a unique (and potentially fascinating, time will tell) protagonist, and as a series start. I don't know that this book has it all (few do), but it certainly has enough to heartily recommend.

    The story is compelling, the pacing isn't quite what you'd want in a contemporary Crime Novel, but it fits for the time—which isn't to suggest it lags at all. You really do want to spend more time with most of these characters again (including most of them on the wrong side of the law)—few more so than Hardiman. The circumstances in his life undergo a significant change by the end of this book, and I'm eager to see how he adapts to them (his life seems to be a series of adaptations already, he'll do fine).

    As a slice of early 19th-century life, I found it most intriguing, and I wager most who at least dabble in historical fiction will as well. As with her Sam Plank series, Grossey is able to bring things to life in a way that gets even the uninformed 21st-century reader to see things and to immerse yourself in the period.

    Give this one a shot—at least one thing in this book will appeal to you, probably several.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Londonbusman
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Beginning of a long series?
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This is an exceptionally fine historical murder mystery In a crowded market it contains a fascinating story lots of historical detail and a brilliant leading character I shall be disappointed if a long series does not follow on
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  • Yvonne Thomas
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating detail
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 17, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I couldn't put the book down, fascinated by the characters, the story and the milieu. At the end of the book the author describes the research needed, which was considerable, and this no doubt is what makes it so realistic. But she doesn't let the research show - some authors seem to give mini-lectures, as if they don't want to waste their hard work.
    Report
  • Speedwriter
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great historical crime novel
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I love historical crime novels, and ever since I finished the last Sam Plank novel, I’ve been looking forward to a new series from this author. Ostler is set in the 1820s, a period which is post Austen and pre Dickens, and often ignored by authors. The setting is Cambridge, a town full of university colleges and coaching inns, which provides a plenty of opportunity for crime of various sorts, as well as some fascinating period detail.
    I immediately warmed to Gregory Hardiman ,an ostler at one of the inns, a former soldier who has guarded convicts in Australia and fought in the Napoleonic wars.. There’s a twisty plot, involving many interesting characters, but this book is also an introduction to Gregory and his world. I’m looking forward to hearing more of him and his friends in the future.
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  • JoeDoeBooks
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for either crime lovers or fans of crime fiction.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 14, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I loved Ostler by Susan Gregory. Gregory Hardiman is an admirable character and impossible not to like. His Regency era Cambridge is delightfully familiar and excitingly alien, and it’s inhabitants are still frighteningly relevant and relatable almost 200 years after the events depicted.
    This is a proper historical crime story, not historical fiction with a crime tacked on or shoehorned in. The puzzle is intriguing, the victims are real, and consequences are felt. Having said that, the prose avoids the sentimentality that can spoil so many books that deal with these earlier, more ‘brutal’ times.
    This is a great book for either crime lovers or fans of crime fiction.
    Customer image
    JoeDoeBooks
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    A great book for either crime lovers or fans of crime fiction.

    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 14, 2023
    I loved Ostler by Susan Gregory. Gregory Hardiman is an admirable character and impossible not to like. His Regency era Cambridge is delightfully familiar and excitingly alien, and it’s inhabitants are still frighteningly relevant and relatable almost 200 years after the events depicted.
    This is a proper historical crime story, not historical fiction with a crime tacked on or shoehorned in. The puzzle is intriguing, the victims are real, and consequences are felt. Having said that, the prose avoids the sentimentality that can spoil so many books that deal with these earlier, more ‘brutal’ times.
    This is a great book for either crime lovers or fans of crime fiction.
    Images in this review
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    Report
  • I. Picornell
    5.0 out of 5 stars A most enjoyable historical fiction read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 7, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Having read and loved Susan Grossey's Sam Plank London series, I eagerly anticipated reading her new Hardiman series, this time set in Cambridge. And I was not disappointed. I devoured 'Ostler' (the first of the series) in one sitting on a long-haul flight. I love the concept of an ex soldier with a love of horses, books, and learning new words getting embroiled in financial shenanigans of a Cambridge College, and I love Grossey's storytelling style. I will definitely be on to book 2.
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