Having read the other three books in this series I was glad to get my hands on a copy of book four. And it was no disappointment! Everything about this book was brilliant, from its splendid cover to the further adventures of Nicholas and Bianca. Nicholas is forced into exile after being accused of conspiring to poison Queen Elizabeth. This sees our erstwhile heroes fleeing Protestant London. where spies and agents seek to frame Nicholas. Fleeing they find themselves in deeply Catholic Italy. Nicholas a Protestant finds himself fleeing his brothers in faith and trying to pass himself off as Catholic. Bianca, Catholic herself is loyal to her husband and only seeks to clear his name. Throw into their company a young female named Hella who to put it mildly is a religious fanatic. This is a great series that blends intrigue, with a great portrait of Elizabethan England in a time of religious upheaval and uncertainty. A great book I would recommend highly.