I am a great fan of any historical mystery, so I enjoyed this extract a lot. I am not familiar with this author, nor these characters, but having read this, I am keen to find out more about them. It seems to me that Nicholas and Bianca are both complex, interesting characters, and I would like to get to know them better. From this extract, I am particularly interested in Bianca, as she appears to be that comparative rarity in Elizabethan England (apart, of course, from the Virgin Queen herself) - a strong, independent-minded female character.
I am very fond of books set in this period, for example, C J Sansom’s excellent Shardlake series, and this seems equally gripping and well-researched in terms of setting, although I must say that I found the rather graphic descriptions in the Prologue of the poor doctor’s punishment rather unpleasant and gruesome - but such punishments existed, and those were gruesome times.
All in all, I cannot wait to see how Nicholas will extricate himself from the more than tricky situation in which the extract leaves him, and I would therefore love to receive a copy of the complete novel! The only reason I will not award five stars to this extract is due to the (very well described, but unpleasant) violence in the Prologue. This was quite understandable, I know, but just a little too graphic for my tastes.
I am very fond of books set in this period, for example, C J Sansom’s excellent Shardlake series, and this seems equally gripping and well-researched in terms of setting, although I must say that I found the rather graphic descriptions in the Prologue of the poor doctor’s punishment rather unpleasant and gruesome - but such punishments existed, and those were gruesome times.
All in all, I cannot wait to see how Nicholas will extricate himself from the more than tricky situation in which the extract leaves him, and I would therefore love to receive a copy of the complete novel! The only reason I will not award five stars to this extract is due to the (very well described, but unpleasant) violence in the Prologue. This was quite understandable, I know, but just a little too graphic for my tastes.