The Great Game

The first two books in this series were published in 1978 and 1982, when the author was about 40 and 44 respectively. But this third volume came out in 2001, by which time he was about 63, and I think he was past his prime.

It's an amiable and mildly entertaining story of various parts, but more rambling and less gripping than volumes 1 and 2. There are some minor surprises along the way, but a lack of major surprises and neat plot twists.

There's a change of scene: this one ventures out of England to Austria (the Austro-Hungarian Empire, at the time), though it still seems well researched.

I can still give it three stars, because I'm willing to reread it occasionally; but not all three-star books are equal, and this is the weakest of the series so far. There are more books in the series, but I haven't read them (yet?).