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Fate & Fortune: A Hew Cullan Mystery (The Hew Cullan Mysteries Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Shirley McKay (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 340 ratings
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In the sixteenth century, a girl is found dead on the beach at St Andrews, Scotland, and a young scholar of the law must play sleuth.

1581: Young St Andrews academic Hew Cullan is unhappy with his life and disillusioned with the law. After his father’s death he is invited by the advocate Richard Cunningham to complete his legal education in Edinburgh as Richard’s pupil at the bar. Among his father’s things, Hew finds a manuscript entitled “In Defence of the Law,” directed to the Edinburgh printer Christian Hall. At first, he resists its influence, but when a young girl is found dead on the beach at St Andrews, he is left unsettled and confused.

He resolves to take the book to press and agrees to Richard’s offer. Embarking on his new life in the capital, he falls in love. His relationships are fraught with lies and secrets and lead to brutal murder on the borough muir. Hew suspects a link with the dead girl on the beach. As he begins his desperate search to find the killer, he finds that the truth lies closer to home, in this historical mystery by a Dagger Award finalist.
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  1. Book 2 of 5
    The Hew Cullan Mysteries
  2. Print length
    352 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Polygon
  6. Publication date
    June 1, 2011
  7. File size
    1582 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'Intoxicating mix of dramatic crime and repressed passion' --New Books

About the Author

Shirley McKay was born in Tynemouth but now lives with her family in Fife. At the age of fifteen she won the Young Observer playwriting competition, her play being performed at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. She went on to study English and Linguistics at the University of St Andrews before attending Durham University for postgraduate study in Romantic and seventeenth century prose. She was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger. Shirley works as a freelance proofreader.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08WHCBYZN
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Polygon (June 1, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 1, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1582 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 340 ratings

About the author

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Shirley McKay

Shirley McKay

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Shirley McKay was born in the North East of England, but moved to Scotland at the age of eight. Now lives on the east coast of Fife, in the picturesque village of Crail. Studied at St Andrews University, which provides the backdrop and the setting for her Hew Cullan stories, murder mysteries based in Scotland at the time of James VI. To find out more about the author and the books, please visit www.shirleymckay.co.uk

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
340 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

grammadunk
5.0 out of 5 stars fate and fortune
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
great read feels like you are in medieval times. having a doctor in it makes for interesting comparisons to today
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Bernard C. Persson
4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2022
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The novel is amusing, the mystery minor and the story a bit tedious. But we'll written. If mystery is primary, the reader should look elsewhere.
3 people found this helpful
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Discerning consumer
5.0 out of 5 stars Surpasses book one
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2022
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A complex tale built upon a foundation of formidable historical knowledge. The research was integral to the plot, mystery and character portraits.
4 people found this helpful
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James Dainis
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Historical Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2012
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I have read a few of the books in the Hew Cullen series by Shirley McKay and have enjoyed them all. It was nice to finally read the first book in the series. I enjoy historical novels that help me to get a real feel of the times and people of bygone eras. Ms McKay does an excellent job with that. The story itself moves along with interesting plots and sub plots, a very good historical mystery.
3 people found this helpful
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G. Mac
4.0 out of 5 stars Fate & Fortune
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2015
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Just getting into this series. I find I like it. It's rather different.
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Chelsea Vyse
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Scotland Lovers
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2019
I bought this book in an independent bookstore in Scotland. The book is far above the average for this genre. It is very well written and the dialogue rings true. I am going back to read the first in the series.
One person found this helpful
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Christopher F. Tilley
2.0 out of 5 stars Written well but not much of a mystery
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2011
Verified Purchase
The book is well written and engages the reader in the story. My issue is that there isn't that much of a mystery in it.

There's a section of the book dealing with crossing a river and the aftermath of that crossing. Why? It doesn't have anything to do with the main story.

Though out the book, there are issues with the sister's relationship with her husband that have nothing to do with the main story. There appears to be as much of the book talking about and dealing with sexually transmitted diseases as the murder.

It is an enjoyable read but as a novel that has a minor sub plot involving a murder rather than as a mystery book.
10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2012
Verified Purchase
Really enjoyed this, the second Hew Cullan book that I have read. Being familiar with the location makes it more fun, but the characters are engaging, storylines good, historical information interesting and subtly woven into the fabric of the book so that it doesn't feel like the reader is being given a lecture. Having read "Hue and Cry" beforehand helped, as it introduces the central characters, Hew, his sister and his friend, Dr Giles Locke and provides some background that makes more sense of some events or references. However "Fate and Fortune" would stand alone perfectly well and provides an interesting combination of mystery, various aspects of Scottish history, and makes for a thoroughly enjoyable and quite compelling read. I look forward to more from this author.
2 people found this helpful
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annegry
4.0 out of 5 stars love these books about Hew Cullen .
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2013
Verified Purchase
I found Shirley,s description of mid 16th centuary life in scotland fascinating,how they lived, ate and thought brought everything to life .she alway manages to introduce some humour into the telling.Well done, enjoyed both Hue and cry and Fate and fortune.
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Mrs. Jennifer M. Black
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing mystery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2012
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This is a thoughtful and well-written mystery rather than a crime of the thriller type. To be sure, there is a dead body, but that isn't the main focus of the story.Instead we learn about the printing trade of the day, the state of the law, and the callous ease with which businessmen dealth with their rivals in 1581. I love the Scottish dialect and don't find it hard - the sense percolates through - and the fact that the author really knows the settings of her story. I'm looking for more stories about this character and his friends.
6 people found this helpful
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Lynda Wilcox
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the first book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2013
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This second book of Hew Cullen stories has a great plot, but seems to drag in places, especially in the law discussions. Nice twist in the ending (though I'd pretty much guessed it by then).
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EUGENE HINES
4.0 out of 5 stars Characters are developing nicely. Like most initial novels in a series the ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
Series gradually improving. Characters are developing nicely.

Like most initial novels in a series the first was a bit wanting. However, with this book there are signs of improvement. Generally speaking a comfortable read.
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