Dissolution

This is a very good historical mystery. I feel like I learned a lot about the time period (the English Reformation). I stress “feel like” because I really don't know. But the book seemed to present different viewpoints fairly. The characterizations are excellent, and most characters are multi-dimensional. I cared about them, and I also felt immersed in the setting.

I do have a complaint, and it's the same thing I usually mention. There are two gay characters who both die, and one of them is pretty pathetic. This book was published in 2003, and I guess I expect all of that from older books. But I don't like it. At least they weren't evil, I guess.

I did not guess the mystery's solution until the main character started to figure it out, but I found it all satisfying. I had a strong emotional reaction to something that happened near the end, and I won't spoil it.

I look forward to continuing this series sometime soon.

Slow build up and a lot of learning but a rewarding tale

I know nothing about the 1500s and only remember Henry VIII and Oliver Cromwell as passing names from my high school history lessons. Therefore the religions and politics during this time had to be learnt almost from fresh so the first 200 pages were quite the slog for me.

The remainder of the book was a treat though and the pace really picked up which brought my score up from probably 3/5 to 4/5.

I loved the flawed main character(s) and look forward to reading the sequels to find out more about them.