The King's Spy

I was immediately reminded of Cornwell and Forrester in reading this– Hornblower's interest in Whist and Cornwell's amazing ability to set the scene are clearly influences on this novel. However, I found it largely a disappointment; so much of the narrative is tied up in the main character, Thomas Hill, and the problem with Thomas Hill is that he has no flaws. He faces consequences, yes, but all his victories come to him easily, through luck, chance, or skill. The longest struggle he faces is decoding a cipher that, in real history, wouldn't have been decoded for another couple hundred years. In the face of that, struggling with it for a few weeks is negligible. Well written, but ultimately forgettable, with a disappointing lack of any meaningful character development.