The Music of the Spheres

Written by Elizabeth Redfern

Narrated by Tim Curry

In the London of 1795, intrigue and death walk the dark streets. England is at war with its neighbor and nemesis, France, and espionage is rampant. It is the job of Jonathan Absey at the Home Office to catch these spies, but his mind is elsewhere, his dreams haunted by the still unsolved murder of his fifteen-year-old daughter on these same streets.
Desperately pursuing both investigations, he stumbles across a strange society of astronomers called the Company of Titius who are on a furious search of their own: to discover a long-lost star in the wide black sky. As he digs into their arcane world, their quest begins to merge with his own, and Absey finds himself discovering more than he had ever imagined -- not only about spies and murderers but also about celestial numbers and the making of codes; about passions as unnatural as they are obsessive; and about the bonds of family...and the lengths we will go to preserve them.
With The Music of the Spheres, Elizabeth Redfern emerges as an evocative and elegant writer of startling power, her gifts for characterization, atmosphere, narrative, and rich moral drama marking her as a new star in her own right.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jul 1, 2001
• ISBN: 9780743519878

Elizabeth Redfern

Elizabeth Redfern attended the University of Nottingham, where she earned a BA in English. She then earned a post graduate degree as a Chartered Librarian at Ealing College and a post-graduate certificate in teaching at the University of Derby.

Reviews for The Music of the Spheres

[moriquen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book has been a pleasure to read. At various stages I though I could predict the ending, but I was wrong every single time. Redfern kept the last little secrets hidden until the very end. I felt so very sorry for Jonathan and Alexander, they seemed truelly pityfull to me. Stargazing with a blind man.

[dghoul_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The volatile relationship between a government clerk and his gay brother, incest between a French noble refugee brother and sister, government conspiracy and cover-up, and the serial murders of prostitutes in late 18th century London make this an edgey read. However, the "tell-tale gold" is an extremely weak point in the plot if the reader gives it much thought.

[aapjebaapje · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

'Unputdownable' said The Guardian. Well they obviously didn't read it all! I put it down for a long spell only finished it out of a sense of tidiness - I couldn't bear the book accusing me of not having the constancy to read to the end.The idea for the book was excellent but for over 3/4 of the book I felt like I was wading through treacle. If you've got a pile of books to read, put it to the bottom.