I got 3/4 of the way through and gave up. It lacks historical detail, most of the story revolves around a small circle of characters with very simple predictable plot lines. The supporting characters are all stereotyped. In this particular novel there is a riverboat captain, with his southern bell daughter, a maverick firebrand and his aged sidekick....very boring. The dialog is simple and the background and historical context simpler yet. I don't know why I held out for 3/4 of they way through book 2 in the series. Perhaps it was because I was listening on audio and daydreamed through most of it. ( )