Literawiki
Register
Advertisement
An instace of the fingerpost

Front cover of an edition of An Instance at the Fingerpost.

An Instance of the Fingerpost (ISBN 0-425-16772-0) is an historical mystery novel by Iain Pears which was first published in 1997. A murder in 17th Century (1633) Oxford is related from the contradictory points of view of four of the characters, all of them unreliable narrators. The four characters are: a Venetian medical student, a man intent on proving the innocence of his father, a cryptographer, and an archivist. The evidence appears to lead to Sarah Blundy who confesses to the crime and is sentenced to hang. The setting of the novel is just after the English Civil War, when the king's authority is not yet settled, and conspiracies abound.

Dedication[]

to Ruth

Characters[]

  • Marco Da Cola
  • Jack Prestcott
  • Sarah Blundy
Advertisement