Set in the post Cromwell 1600's, this is the story of the death of an Oxford don and and Sarah Blundy, the young woman who is accused of his murder. This historical fiction mystery tells a tale of deception and intrigue, told four times over, each time by a character with a radically different perspective. Each telling sheds a new light onto the story, but not until the last account is the full picture revealed.
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Links of Interest:

Penguin Putnam Reading Group Guide - thought provoking questions to spark some discussion of this book in your reading group.

See 15 sample pages from the book

The Mystery Reader - a review

Quotes from the book - from The Book Venue quotations collection.

Read more about it at Amazon.com

Available on Audio Cassette - I have also listened to the audio version... very well done.

Discussion (Let us know what you think at the discussion board): "An Instance of the Fingerpost" illustrates that there is never just one side to a story. As readers, however, we're conditioned to trust our narrator. Did you find one narrator inherently more trustworthy than another?

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Reader Reviews:

submitted Anonymously, August 20, 2000
I bought this book but did not finish it. The author has the same problem that many authors writing historical novels have; the inability to resist giving their characters the sensibilities and opinions of the present times. One example is that in a case of emergency, they do a blood transfusion. There is a lot of discussion leading up to how they stumble accross this idea, but too many of these things happen for the characters to be believable as who (when) they are supposed to be.

Sharon (August 2000) I found this book to be thouroughly enjoyable. If you have a taste for a mystery with an ever changing plot, and you enjoy historical fiction, then I highly recommend this book. Be warned, it is long (600+ pages) and relies heavily on the political and religious climate of the seventeenth century. It is not a light read, and at times you might be inclined to put it aside...but those who do finish it are rewarded with an ingeniously told story of intrigue and a detailed glimpse of life in the 1600's.