مرگ در درهٔ سایه‌ها (معماهای جان رولینگز)

Eighteenth-century Georgian England. The apothecary John Rawlings is working in his Piccadilly shop when a panic-stricken man rushes in seeking a place to hide.John agrees to conceal the man from whoever is pursuing him and, soon after, an angry woman arrives demanding if the Apothecary has seen him.John covers for the terrified man and sends the formidable woman on her way.The stranger is Aidan Fenchurch, importer of fine wines, and the rude woman is Ariadne Bussell, his married ex-mistress.Aidan reveals to John that he ended his affair with Mrs Bussell after he met a widow called Mrs Trewellan whom he had intended to marry.But Ariadne is reluctant to give up the chase. So reluctant, in fact, that she has been shadowing the poor man for years.Aidan thinks that Ariadne wants him dead. Believing he is soon to be killed, he asks the Apothecary to be custodian of some sealed documents which detail Mrs Bussell’s obsession with him.That evening, Aidan is bludgeoned to death outside his home in Bloomsbury Square. He leaves behind three daughters: Evalina, who is in hysterics over her father’s death; the recently widowed Jocasta; and Louisa, who has eloped with a soldier.Also in mourning is the sisters’ unmarried cousin Millicent, a sad figure whom their father had taken under his wing.The Apothecary seeks out the famous magistrate Sir John Fielding — known as the Blind Beak.Aidan’s damning documents against Mrs Bussell suggest that she was behind his death.But the killing appears to have been the work of two men.Could Aidan’s killers have been assassins hired by Mrs Bussell?... Preparing to become a father for the very first time, Apothecary John Rawlings leaves the heavily pregnant Emilia occupied with maternal matters and turns his attention to his business, rather neglected of late. Working in the shop one early afternoon, John is taken aback when a middle-aged stranger rushes in through the door looking panic-stricken. The man is not seeking a cure for a terrible ailment, however, but a place to hide. John agrees and a moment or two later a formidable woman comes to the counter enquiring if the Apothecary has seen anyone answering the description of the stranger he has in his back room. Honouring his promise to the man, John sends her on her way and, intrigued, goes to question the fellow. It transpires that the man's name is Aidan Fenchurch and his pursuer Mrs. Ariadne Bussell, a former lover who is reluctant to give up the chase. So reluctant, in fact, that she has been shadowing him for years. Feeling sympathy for Aidan, John agrees to do him a good turn but is shocked when a few days later the man is dead, ostensibly the result of a street robbery. Suspicious, Sir John Fielding sends the Flying Runners to arrest Mrs Bussell. However, the lady is taken ill in the coach and before she can be thoroughly questioned she dies. The Apothecary recognises the signs of fatal poisoning. Soon there are more victims, some poisoned and some killed by less subtle methods. John Rawlings embarks on a journey that leads him to the Surrey countryside in search of answers to be greeted by some familiar faces... Apothecary John Rawlings assists a stranger, but a few days later the man is found dead, and his former lover is taken ill also. The Apothecary recognises the signs of fatal poisoning. As the victims pile up, Rawlings embarks on a journey that leads him to the Surrey countryside in search of answers.