The Chrysanthemum Tiger

by Alys Clare

Overview

March, 1605. Country doctor and former ship's surgeon Gabriel Taverner is ready for his next adventure. He can't wait to leave Devon and tend to the crew of the LUIPAARD while sailing the Eastern seas. As years pass by, Gabriel's family and friends back home are struggling with his substitute physician. Doctor Maudsley Cheverell turned out to be as incompetent as they come and unpleasant at best. So when he is found dead in a ditch one day, no one seems to be too surprised. Only, when examining the body, it seems like Cheverell was tortured using a specific method from the East... Is there a connection to Gabriel and his time in Asia? Where is he now? And how did the quiet English town of Tavy Valley suddenly get involved in a dangerous plot?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781444856347
Publisher:	Ulverscroft Large Print Books, Ltd.
Publication date:	08/01/2025
Edition description:	Large Print
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.13(h) x (d)

About the Author

Alys Clare lives in the English countryside where her novels are set. She went to school in Tonbridge and later studied English and psychology at the University of Keele and archaeology at the University of Kent. She is the author of the Aelf Fen, Hawkenlye, World’s End Bureau and Gabriel Taverner historical mystery series.

Editorial Reviews

Excellent . . . the most gripping, intense, cryptic, and satisfying yet

Booklist

A historically detailed mystery full of action and philosophizing

Kirkus Reviews on The Cargo From Neira

Excellent . . . Clare matches well-drawn characters, in particular the charismatic lead, with a head-scratching puzzle and creepy atmospherics. Imogen Robertson fans will be pleased

Publishers Weekly Starred Review of The Indigo Ghosts

Fans of period intrigue will delight in this highly adventurous tale

Kirkus Reviews

An intricate puzzle worthy of Shakespeare himself

The Historical Novels Review on Magic in the Weave

A complex, exciting mystery whose rich historical background is disturbed by some truly chilling events

Kirkus Reviews on Magic in the Weave

Plausible period detail and characters who feel real bolster the involving plot, and the prose and pacing are both top-notch. The prolific Clare shows no sign of running out of steam

Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Magic in the Weave

A haunting, eerie tale with otherworldly twists, a multilayered plot, and Clare’s excellent period details make this a fine choice for historical-mystery fans

Booklist on Magic in the Weave

Clare is a master at combining fascinating period details with spellbinding, adventure-filled stories. A must for historical mystery readers

Booklist on The Cargo From Neira

A gripping and unique page-turner that juxtaposes brutal realism with an astonishing, otherworldly, magical adventure . . . A real standout

Booklist on The Indigo Ghosts

Wonderfully authentic period details, larger-than-life characters, a thought-provoking plot, and an affecting and powerful conclusion make this one of Clare's best

Booklist Starred Review of The Angel in the Glass

2024-10-11
In 1605, an English physician’s trip to the Far East has unforeseen repercussions.

Dr. Gabriel Taverner, who can’t resist the lure of the sea, sets sail on the merchant shipLuipaard. The trip could make him wealthy, but adventure is what he craves, and he gets that adventure when he finds out that the ship is headed for Japan, which has been visited by hardly any Europeans except the Portuguese. The ever-curious Gabriel is both fascinated and dismayed when he realizes the ship will stay in Japan a year or more. Romeu Silvestre, the Portuguese merchant they’re dealing with in a port town near Nagasaki, was married to the daughter of Aroto Tagauchi, a powerful man who’s whispered to own a magical tiger—perhaps made of gold—whose claws can turn into chrysanthemums. Silvestre’s wife died young, and their adult daughter, Chiyo, is unhappy with her grandfather’s plans for her; she secretly slips into Gabriel’s bed at night with plans of her own. Gabriel spends his days learning about Japan, and is entranced by the beauty of the land. The night before the Europeans finally depart, Natsu, one of Romeu’s servants, brings Gabriel a small wooden crate with urgent instructions to keep it secret and open it on board. The next day, as the ship is about to leave, Natsu delivers another bundle—and then the ship is attacked, and she’s killed. The speedyLuipaard escapes, but is dogged all the way back to England by Japanese ships, and Gabriel realizes why when he opens the packages. Things are also going badly back in England, where the doctor taking Gabriel’s place, who’s widely despised, is found murdered in a ditch. Slipping back into his native land, Gabriel relies on a friend to get safely home, and on his family and friends to protect him from ruthless opponents.

Fans of period intrigue will delight in this highly adventurous tale.

Kirkus Reviews