Chris Urquhart

3.5

I can't recommend this entire series (and Brack's Slonsky series) highly enough. All the plotlines are engaging and well planned. The narrative flows swiftly and is both engrossing and informative. Whilst this novel doesn't have quite the complexities of previous ones in the series, being more of an adventure than a mystery, Mercurius' self-deprecating humour (more prominent here than in previous tales) more than makes up for the lack of intrigue. My only gripe is that the novels are relatively short. I'd love to see Mercurius in a longer novel, entangled in multiple plotlines.

If you are a fan of CJ Sansom's Shardlake series, or indeed historical mysteries in general, then you really must add the Mercurius series to your reading list. Graham Brack (along with Caimh McDonnell) is my favourite new (to me) author so far this year and I look forward to reading his novels for many years to come.