1662 and Charles II is on throne of England. Thomas Chaloner, a spy for the former Secretary of State, John Thurloe is in need of employment and goes to Thurloe for help. Who sends him to Sir Edward Hyde, the Earl of Clarendon, Lord Chancellor to King Charles II. But intrigue, plots and death are all around.
A very enjoyable, well-written mystery which I look forward to reading more of. Hopefully another good series from this author. ( )

Too much like C.J. Sansom's Mathew Shardlake series. Unsympathetic characters. If I could have, I would only give her other series 0.5 stars. ( )

Genre:  Historical Mystery
Rating: Very Good
A complexly woven mystery set in the aftermath of the Restoration. Tomas Chaloner was a spy for Therloe, the spymaster for the now dead and not missed Cromwell. Charles II is firmly in place but there is still much thoughts of revenge and suspicion regarding those who were seen as helping Cromwell and killing the King when he took power.
Chaloner is newly returned from Holland where he’d been spying on the Dutch, and is now penniless and masterless.  He becomes sucked into conspiracies, or at least perceived conspiracies and finds himself unable to trust anyone but his Dutch lover.
Then things get even more complicated.
Colorful and detailed settings, well developed characters and a mystery that keeps one guessing throughout most of the book. ( )

England at last has a monarch back on throne, Charles II is ensconced in his Whitehall Palace and the dreary, drab days of Oliver Cromwell are fast fading to a distant memory. The capital is starting to breathe again after the stifling days of the Protectorate. But those difficult days have left their mark on the Londoners, as many have lost their means of employment. One such man, Thomas Chaloner, has become a spy for John Thurloe, the feared Secretary of State.

Thomas has recently returned from the Low Countries and is in desperate need of employment. Thurloe has many enemies at court and recommends Thomas for a post with Lord Clarendon. In return, he expects to be kept informed of any plots against himself.

I found the story compelling, though the plot was a little convoluted and would have benefited from some better editing. Additionally, there are a lot of characters, not all of whom are particularly well defined or distinguishable. Despite this, the lead character Thomas Chaloner is well presented, as is the romantic interest.

I started this series after reading her previous series, The Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles. After 18 books, Matthew and his partner, the fat greedy priest Michael, have become like old friends. I guess that Thomas suffered a little in comparison – the partnership of Matthew and Michael anchored the other series; but is missing here. Having said that, Matthew and Thomas have many things in common – they are both likeable, frustrating and sometimes annoying; and their relationships with women leave much to be desired.

Susanna Gregory has once again delivered a carefully woven and realistic picture of the time. I’m sure that Thomas and his friends will grow on me. ( )

A historical espionage mystery, with plenty of twists and turns, especially in its final hundred pages. It was entertaining, but I have reservations about using real historical people in events that are entirely contrived. The main character Challoner is fictional, but others share the names and positions of real people from Commonwealth and Restoration England. I prefer it when historical novelists either use their imagination to plausibly fill gaps in the factual record, or invent characters to act out their fictional narrative. ( )