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secre's review
3.0
I found this slightly more engaging than the previous novel, but unlike Crisholm's first three novels which were set in Carlisle, I still felt that there was something missing here. I think the mystery kind of disappointed me as well as the setting, as it was one of those where you can't really look back and see the clues. Convulting and twisting but somehow now all that brilliant, as it relies entirely on things that you could not have known to make the finale work. I enjoyed the characterisations though and the writing style was of a typically high standard.
bookwyrm_lark's review against another edition
3.0
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
P. F. Chilsolm offers a well-written historical mystery which takes a look at the death of Amy Dudley (nee Dudley.) Chisolm's eye for historical detail is excellent, as is her portrayal of the politics and major players of the age: Queen Elizabeth, Lord Burghley (William Cecil), Lord Hunsdon (Henry Carey, father of the protagonist), and others. Unusually for a historical mystery, even the main character, Sir Robert Carey, actually existed in real life: the eighth son of Henry Carey, he eventually became Earl of Monmouth.
I was fascinated by Carey's investigation of Amy Robsart's death, but he doesn't really get going on it until well into the book. For that reason, and because of POV issues which I'll talk about below, it took me a while to really get invested in the characters and in the story as a whole. To be fair, there's a reason Carey can't start investigating right away: someone poisons him with belladonna, which nearly kills him. But even before that, there's a long period of scene-setting as Carey arrives in Oxford, where the Queen is on progress. Again, the historical detail is extremely accurate (to the best of my knowledge), and Chisolm brings to life the splendour and squalor of Elizabethan life as well as the convoluted political maneuvering of Elizabeth's court. Still, I found the beginning a bit of a slog.
Robert Carey is a flawed but engaging main character: a gambler and risk-taker, always in debt, but both charming and clever, with a mind that leaps immediately past surface appearances to the implications of whatever he is focused on. Even half-blind and recovering from the poisoning, he picks up more than most people would, and usually draws the right conclusions.
The POV changes frequently, alternating primarily between Robert and the irascible Sergeant Dodd, his man, who is separated from him for most of the book. That didn't really bother me, except that I couldn't see for quite some time what Sergeant Dodd's story had to do with the main plot. (It intersects eventually, in a way I hadn't anticipated at all.) I was, however, disconcerted whenever the POV shifted to other characters, as it does occasionally and without warning, even mid-scene. There's also a section at the beginning from the perspective of a character I assumed would be important, but who diminished rapidly once the Robsart investigation was underway.
Once the investigation really got going, the whole book seemed to take off, and I found myself turning the pages as fast as I could, eager to know both the results of Carey's investigation and Sergeant Dodd's eventual fate. There are more than a few surprises and a satisfyingly suspenseful section toward the end of the novel. The mystery itself is complex, and does rely in part on the murderer's confession, something that in this context actually worked well. While I doubt Chisolm has hit upon the true solution, her explanation of Amy's death fits the known facts as well as the character and motivations of many of the main players, and only part of it feels a little contrived -- from a historical viewpoint but definitely not from a fictional one.
Carey makes a good investigator, and the Elizabethan period has always fascinated me. Taking the book as a whole, I enjoyed it despite the slow beginning, and will probably seek out the rest of the series.
NOTE: I rated this book a 3.5 on my blog, The Bookwyrm’s Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received an advance review e-copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
P. F. Chilsolm offers a well-written historical mystery which takes a look at the death of Amy Dudley (nee Dudley.) Chisolm's eye for historical detail is excellent, as is her portrayal of the politics and major players of the age: Queen Elizabeth, Lord Burghley (William Cecil), Lord Hunsdon (Henry Carey, father of the protagonist), and others. Unusually for a historical mystery, even the main character, Sir Robert Carey, actually existed in real life: the eighth son of Henry Carey, he eventually became Earl of Monmouth.
I was fascinated by Carey's investigation of Amy Robsart's death, but he doesn't really get going on it until well into the book. For that reason, and because of POV issues which I'll talk about below, it took me a while to really get invested in the characters and in the story as a whole. To be fair, there's a reason Carey can't start investigating right away: someone poisons him with belladonna, which nearly kills him. But even before that, there's a long period of scene-setting as Carey arrives in Oxford, where the Queen is on progress. Again, the historical detail is extremely accurate (to the best of my knowledge), and Chisolm brings to life the splendour and squalor of Elizabethan life as well as the convoluted political maneuvering of Elizabeth's court. Still, I found the beginning a bit of a slog.
Robert Carey is a flawed but engaging main character: a gambler and risk-taker, always in debt, but both charming and clever, with a mind that leaps immediately past surface appearances to the implications of whatever he is focused on. Even half-blind and recovering from the poisoning, he picks up more than most people would, and usually draws the right conclusions.
The POV changes frequently, alternating primarily between Robert and the irascible Sergeant Dodd, his man, who is separated from him for most of the book. That didn't really bother me, except that I couldn't see for quite some time what Sergeant Dodd's story had to do with the main plot. (It intersects eventually, in a way I hadn't anticipated at all.) I was, however, disconcerted whenever the POV shifted to other characters, as it does occasionally and without warning, even mid-scene. There's also a section at the beginning from the perspective of a character I assumed would be important, but who diminished rapidly once the Robsart investigation was underway.
Once the investigation really got going, the whole book seemed to take off, and I found myself turning the pages as fast as I could, eager to know both the results of Carey's investigation and Sergeant Dodd's eventual fate. There are more than a few surprises and a satisfyingly suspenseful section toward the end of the novel. The mystery itself is complex, and does rely in part on the murderer's confession, something that in this context actually worked well. While I doubt Chisolm has hit upon the true solution, her explanation of Amy's death fits the known facts as well as the character and motivations of many of the main players, and only part of it feels a little contrived -- from a historical viewpoint but definitely not from a fictional one.
Carey makes a good investigator, and the Elizabethan period has always fascinated me. Taking the book as a whole, I enjoyed it despite the slow beginning, and will probably seek out the rest of the series.
NOTE: I rated this book a 3.5 on my blog, The Bookwyrm’s Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received an advance review e-copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
archytas's review
4.0
Chisholm clearly resist taking on the death of Amy Dudley, and the novel is fuelled by her imaginative and freed-from-historical-responsibility tale of derring do. Carey shines, as always, and her portrayal of Liz One is a believable delight, so I'll forgive the plot holes.
nigellicus's review
5.0
Carey's in Oxford and the Queen's on her way on a royal Progress to get out of plague season in London. Dodd's following along behind, but runs into trouble, while Carey is given the job of solving a thirty year old murder. Poisonings and stabbings and beatings follow amidst some solid detecting and tricky politics. Terrifically entertaining.
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