An intriguing and fascinating historical insight into the life of a disabled traveling minstrel

I will start by saying that this isn't my usual chosen genre but I'm an eclectic reader and happy to read most books. I must say that if you are the same as me and this is not the type of book that you would usually pick it up then it is definitely worth expanding your literary choices and giving it a read today!! I am very glad I did as I thoroughly enjoyed it and ended up devouring it in one sitting of a few hours!! In this book Keith transports his readers back to they years 1683 and up to the year 1767 and into Eckington. It is here that they will meet the Reverend Jeremiah Baxter. The Reverend tells the story of Robert Downes who he met when he was 52 years old and arrested for murdering a man. We are also told the story of Robert's mother and discover that Robert was born illegitimately and with celebral palsy (as it is now known). Robert was known as the village idiot due to the lack of understanding of his condition and ended up working as a traveling minstrel. When he is 52 years old man Robert loses his temper and kills a man, is arrested and tells his story to Reverend Jeremiah Baxter who we, as readers, discover it from. What will become of Robert and what led him to kill a man? Well, to discover this then you will have to grab your copy and find out for yourselves! I can promise that you will not regret it! With a fascinating storyline ram packed with history, society, crime, heartache and so much more what are you waiting for? Grab your copy and discover Roberts story for yourself today! Before I go any further I would like to thank Keith for including an Appendix at the back of this book with the explanations of Yorkshire and Old English terms which I found very useful to refer back to at times and which I wish more authors would include when it comes to historical books. I was completely immersed in this intriguing and fascinating story of what life would be like in the 18th century for not only somebody that is disabled but also when they commit a crime and how they are perceived. In these days we are lucky to have more understanding when it comes to mental and physical health but as many people know, many years ago people would have been institutionalised for showing signs of a disability as well as many other unjust reasons, e.g. if you are a woman and was reading a book! I was fascinated with the historical aspects of this book as I have always been intrigued by history. There is also the interesting attitudes of society which had me reflecting on the differences, and sometimes, sadly, lack of! I was absolutely gobsmacked when I came to the end of the book and read the 'About The Author' section to discover that this is actually Keith's debut book!! I mean, if this is what Keith comes up with for his debut I cannot wait toi see what he comes out with next!! There is also mention of a sequel of this book which is called 'The Day Of The Spider' and is hopefully going to be released this year!! I am definitely looking forward to reading that!!!

Keith's absolutely fantastic and evocative writing skills really do bring Reverend Jeremiah Baxter, Robert Downes and every other character that you meet to life. Not only does he bring the characters to life but it truly felt like I was being transported in to history at the turn of a page where I seen the surroundings come to life around me, seeing, feeling and hearing everything that the characters did. This book truly is an eye opening, immersive and unforgettable story that I truly believe that everybody should pick up and read and should be made available in all schools and educational settings. There are so many emotions and so much history throughout the book and Keith does a beautiful job of weaving them along with multiple timelines to create this fascinating historical page turner that will stay with many readers for a very long time after closing the last page. I attempted to tell myself 'one more chapter' a couple of times but very quickly realised that it was never going to happen and ended up devouring it in one sitting of several hours. I am definitely looking forward to reading more books from this extremely talented author and am looking forward to when 'The Day Of the Spider' come out so I hope Keith is busty writing it as I type this!

Grab your copy of this beautifully written, historical and thought provoking page turner today!