Knowing this is the second book in the ongoing series can put some people off, luckily i was fortunate enough to have read the first book already thanks to this site. The opener of the extract sets up the murder mystery to follow - with an amputated hand being found in a river barrier, then it moves into a character piece re-introducing us to our medical hero. It also does a good job of briefly mentioning the happenings from the first book in the series, to whet your appetite if this happens to be your first encounter - it lets you know there's more for you to enjoy. I am intrigued to find out where the treason part will come into it, and getting deeper into the grime of the murderous setting in the backstreets of Elizabethan London