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The Colour of Rubies by Toni Mount, Toni Mount

hmalagisi's review

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5.0

The year is 1480. Intrigue and murder lurk everywhere at the Palace of Westminister, where no one is safe. A mysterious letter and the men who want the letter back lead to the murder of one of the clerks from the Office of the King’s Secretary. Under the orders of powerful men at court, including King Edward IV himself, Seb Foxley must join his wayward brother Jude as one of Secretary Oliver’s clerks to uncover the truth of the conspiracy against the crown. Can the brothers work together to decode the truth and save the life of the king’s beloved heir in time? Seb Foxley’s latest adventure is told in book ten of Toni Mount’s Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder Mystery series, “The Colour of Rubies.”

I want to thank Toni Mount for sending me a copy of the latest Sebastian Foxley medieval murder mystery novel. I previously read books 8 and 9 in this series, “The Colour of Shadows” and “The Colour of Evil,” and I enjoyed both novels. When I heard that there would be a tenth novel, “The Colour of Rubies,” I was excited to read it.

We begin the new Seb Foxley adventure with Jude celebrating his birthday as he navigates his new life as a husband and a clerk at the Office of Secretary Oliver. There is trouble in paradise as Jude and Chesca disagree on how she was able to supply a bountiful feast for Jude on his birthday, which was far too extravagant for the salary of a lowly clerk. Seb decides to cheer his brother on the day after his birthday by bringing him a gift, and then Jude decides to show Seb where he works. The brothers discover the murder of one of Jude’s fellow clerks and a mysterious letter written in a foreign language.

Lord Hastings gives Seb the arduous task of finding the murderer of the clerk, who they believe is one of the clerks, by entering into the Office of Secretary Oliver and living like a clerk. Seb befriends several clerks while discovering there is more to this case than a simple murder of a clerk. It has to do with the life of King Edward IV’s heir and an international conspiracy to hurt the king. To add to the confusion, Jude and Chesca’s marriage spat and its connection to the king and work piling up at Seb’s workshop while he is away, and his feelings for dear Rose.

If you have read the other Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder Mystery books, “The Colour of Rubies” by Toni Mount is an absolute must-read. I loved every page of this novel. It was thrilling, from the new characters and interactions between Seb and his household to the danger and intrigue that Seb experiences at court. If you are a fan of this series, you will love how Mount evolves Seb’s relationships with Rose and Jude. When you think the case is solved, Mount throws in a couple of curveballs that make you wonder how Seb, Jude, and the rest of the Foxley household will survive.
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