©2025 Fable Group Inc.
3.5 

A Cruel Necessity

By L.C. Tyler
A Cruel Necessity by L.C. Tyler digital book - Fable

Why read on Fable?

Discover social reading

Chat inside the ebook with emojis, comments and more

Annotate with notes, tabs, and highlights

Share or keep your notes private with our annotation features

Support the World Literacy Foundation

We donate 20% of every book sale to help children learn to read

Publisher Description

For fans of Lindsey Davis and Iain Pears—A lawyer stands accused of murder in this historical mystery series opener set in Cromwell’s England.

Two-time Edgar nominee L. C. Tyler is best known for his series featuring Ethelred and Elsie— a third-rate novelist and his gloriously vulgar agent, respectively. And so he should be: He’s twice won Britain’s “Last Laugh” award for the Best Humorous Mystery of the Year.

But with A Cruel Necessity, the first in the John Grey series, Tyler takes a sharp turn into the shadows. There are still some chuckles to be had, but not many . . .

This is England in the year 1657, Oliver Cromwell is in power, and joy has essentially been outlawed. A young lawyer with a taste for beer and pretty women, Grey finds pleasures enough, even in this backwater Essex town, but he’d be wise to keep his amusement to himself: A Royalist spy has been found dead in a local ditch, and Cromwell’s agents are eager—distressingly eager—to explain to Grey that this is nothing to laugh about.

Praise for A Cruel Necessity

“Tyler juggles his characters, story, wit and clever one-liners with perfect balance.” —The Times (UK)

“The characterization is good, it is well-paced, and the plot fits in beautifully with the historical events of the day. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will look out for this author again.” —Historical Novel Society

5 Reviews

3.5
“Can't get enough of L. C. Tylers books. Loved all the Herring series. I hope this is the start of a new one. I'll look forward to catching up with some more John Grey historical mysteries”

About L.C. Tyler

LC (Len) Tyler is a British writer best known for the "Ethelred & Elsie" series, for which he has received two Edgar nominations and the UK's Last Laugh award for best humorous mystery of the year. He lives in London.

Start a Book Club

Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!

FAQ

Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?

Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?

How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?

Do you sell physical books too?

Are book clubs free to join on Fable?

How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?

Error Icon
Save to a list
0
/
30
0
/
100
Private List
Private lists are not visible to other Fable users on your public profile.
Notification Icon
Fable uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB