Dissolution

The main thing I enjoyed about this book was the historical setting of Tudor England, when Henry VIII was dissolving the monasteries through his henchman, Thomas Cromwell. As a mystery, it didn't do much for me.

This is a very good historical mystery. I feel like I learned a lot about the time period (the English Reformation). I stress “feel like” because I really don't know. But the book seemed to present different viewpoints fairly. The characterizations are excellent, and most characters are multi-dimensional. I cared about them, and I also felt immersed in the setting.

I do have a complaint, and it's the same thing I usually mention. There are two gay characters who both die, and one of them is pretty pathetic. This book was published in 2003, and I guess I expect all of that from older books. But I don't like it. At least they weren't evil, I guess.

I did not guess the mystery's solution until the main character started to figure it out, but I found it all satisfying. I had a strong emotional reaction to something that happened near the end, and I won't spoil it.

I look forward to continuing this series sometime soon.

Much more fun than I expected. Historical aspect is built into rather than bolted onto this mystery. Fun