Blog Tour: One False Step – Clive Woolliscroft

William Dunbar, the younger son of a Scottish nobleman, craves wealth, and marriage seems to be his simplest way to achieve it. His pursuit eventually leads him to Mercy Grundy, an old maid in the eyes of mid-1740s society who fears lifelong spinsterhood. Her father has offered a substantial dowry to the man who will take her hand in marriage. For William, marriage to Mercy would be a match made in heaven. But for Mercy, who has succumbed to William’s charms, would marrying him necessitate her taking one false step?

“One False Step is a historical novel prompted by an article I read about Mary Blandy – ‘the fair parricide’ who was hanged outside Oxford Castle for poisoning her father on the 6th of April 1752. I felt that Mary’s story would form the basis for a novel comprising a reimagining of the events leading to her execution – especially given the much-overlooked role played by William Henry Cranstoun, who duped Mary into poisoning her father.”

Now more than halfway through his eighth decade, Clive Woolliscroft is retired and lives in Cheshire with his wife, Sue, and Cocker Spaniel, Bonnie. 

 Before retiring, he served as an Army Officer in Germany, worked as an International Money Market Trader in London, was a Management Consultant in Prague and Riga and practised as a Solicitor in London, Hertfordshire and Staffordshire. 

 Ever since Clive was commissioned to write a book to demystify the derivative financial products that emerged in the 1980s, his ambition was to write a novel. That ambition was achieved more than thirty-five years later when Less Dreadful With Every Step was published in May 2023. 

 One False Step is Clive’s second novel.

 My thoughts: inspired by true events, this is a very clever tale of twisted love and a ruthless obsession with money.

William Dunbar is a soldier and a younger son, he’s not set to inherit and his stipend doesn’t stretch far, so he plans to marry wealth. He’s a monster, he marries one woman in Scotland, then heads off to England to find another, richer, mark. In the form of Mercy Grundy, who at almost thirty is headed for a life as an old maid, according to society.

Mercy falls head over heels for the soldier, and vows to do anything she can to marry him. Even after her father learns about his previous (and contested) marriage, and forbids it. Mercy isn’t particularly educated (as women weren’t) and is incredibly naive. William talks her into putting a “love philtre” into her father’s food and drink. Things then take a far darker turn.

William’s single-minded pursuit of money, his obsession with living the high life, brings about his downfall and destroys lives.

The writing is gripping and brings the period vividly to life, the story ramps up the horror of what William has caused to happen and what Mercy has become entangled in, to its shocking conclusion. An excellent example of historical crime fiction.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.