The Redemption of Alexander Seaton by SG MacLean

 

When The Redemption of Alexander Seaton begins the eponymous hero is a disgraced former divinity student, now an unhappy school teacher, although we do not yet know the cause of his disgrace. He is beset principally, it seems, by his own conscience and already we sense this is a man too hard on himself.

In Banff, on a stormy evening in 1626, apothecary’s assistant Patrick Davidson staggers in the street and falls to the ground, apparently drunk. Alexander Seaton witnesses the event but does not intervene, assuming he will be fine. Also witnessing the scene are two town prostitutes and they, in an attempt to help Patrick, leave him in Seaton’s schoolroom. By morning, he is dead, poisoned.

Thus begins SG MacLean’s atmospheric historical crime novel. The tale that unfolds takes in a possible popish conspiracy and perhaps even an invasion of Scotland, witch trials and witch-burning, the banishment of women for crimes committed by men, love and loss, virtue and dishonour and, of course, the gradual, reluctant redemption of Alexander Seaton himself, a good man who cannot forget or forgive his one misadventure.

Suspicion falls on Charles Thom, a music teacher and friend of Seaton’s. He is arrested and seems likely to be charged, but Seaton is convinced of his innocence, as is Doctor Jaffray, another friend of Seaton’s and another good and honourable man. They endeavour to help Thom.

A discovery among the possessions of the dead man, meanwhile, point to a possible alternative solution, with apparent evidence of a popish plot to invade Scotland. Seaton is sent by the Banff authorities to Aberdeen to seek the assistance of men whose expert knowledge might throw light on proceedings.

Or so he thinks.

The novel rattles along and the character of Alexander Seaton increasingly develops depth and credibility. He is a man at odds with his surroundings and with himself. Although he cannot forgive himself for the actions which brought an end to his ministerial ambitions, his several acts of kindness and decency in the course of the novel mark him out for us as a good man and we wish, simultaneously, for him to solve the crime and to seek an accommodation with himself.

Shona MacLean has a PhD in the history of Aberdeenshire in the seventeenth century and it shows, although she wears her knowledge lightly. There is a tremendous sense of place and time here, without any of the detail ever overwhelming the narrative. It is a complex novel with a satisfyingly confusing plot and characters who all feel well rounded and not just making up the numbers. This is highly recommended.