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The problem with this historical is that there's just too much: too much travel, too much description, too many people willing to talk to someone who is, in fact, a nobody in a 16th-century royal court. That doesn't make it less entertaining, just a bit of a quagmire to muddle through, and a novel that also leaves the reader thinking: "Why is everyone willing to talk to this person?" Still, fans of this period of English history and readers who enjoyed the first two books might consider this title.
In this 17th series installment (after Hard Going), DI Bill Slider is savoring the post-Christmas quiet in his London police station, until a call comes in, alerting the team to the murder of famed daytime TV personality Rowland Egerton...
Purchasing a copy ensures that readers can complete Weir's series, but don't be surprised if it gathers more dust than the first installment. [See Prepub Alert, 8/11/14.]
Dunn's (The Confession of Katherine Howard) novel shines like a bright, welcome star in the deluge of Tudor historical fiction, giving readers a glimpse into a little-known scandal that rocked the Seymour family and may have shaped the character of the future third wife of Henry VIII. Tudor fiction fans will enjoy a fresh take on a well-trod period of English history in which the author, like Philippa Gregory, focuses on the life of a notable figure before she became famous, looking at the whole woman and not just as she relates to Henry VIII. [See "Editors' Fall Picks," LJ 9/1/14, p. 27.]
Once again, the author draws on her own family history to write about lesser-known figures at the Tudor court. Unfortunately, the plot takes too long to get going and, once under way, falls short of enthralling. Lovers of historical fiction will be underwhelmed. [Library marketing; for libraries that prefer hardcover editions, the publisher is issuing a limited-run two-volume hardcover version, ISBN 9781250043795.—Ed.]
Every page of Turner's engrossing and fascinating work is better than the last. Not only historical fiction fans will love this beautifully written and compelling novel.
Jefferson's first novel focuses on a woman and time that recent historical novelists have overlooked: Restoration England. Unfortunately, aside from that novelty, the book fails to create any sense of urgency, turmoil, or tumult that courtiers of the time faced—and that historical fiction fans demand in their novels. Jefferson's work is good, but don't be surprised if readers lose interest after a while; one copy should do the trick for libraries with large historical fiction fan bases.