FICTION

The House at Bishopsgate

by Katie Hickman
Bloomsbury USA. May 2017. 448p. ISBN 9781608199457. $27; ebk. ISBN 9781608197590. F
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In 1611, married couple Celia and Paul Pindar return to London from Aleppo, Syria, where Celia had been kidnapped and forced into the Great Turk's harem. Weakened by her experience and with her marriage strained, Celia relies increasingly upon their beguiling companion, widow Frances Sydenham. Celia's old friend Annetta arrives at the house at Bishopsgate to find the couple under Frances's sway, and all of London clamoring to see the mysterious diamond Celia and Paul brought back from Syria: the Sultan's Blue. The jewel is highly sought despite the dark properties it is rumored to possess. Nothing is quite what it seems, and secrets abound.
VERDICT Transporting readers back to 17th-century England, this exceptionally engaging third entry in Hickman's "Aviary Gate" series (The Aviary Gate; The Pindar Diamond) can be read and enjoyed on its own. Historical fiction fans and readers looking for a riveting tale with an aura of mystery will be enthralled.
Reviewed by Laurel Tacoma, Strayer Univ. Lib., Washington, DC , Jan 01, 2017
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