Well, this book was interesting. I should seriously stop judging books solely by covers and buying them because it's pretty.

The characters were possibly the only saving grace. They were pretty well-rounded and well-thought through characters, with the exception of maybe one or two minor characters.
The writing style was pretty bland, it reminded me at times of someone telling you a story in a pub. Often the grammar was off and the paragraph structure was abismal. I'm not even sure if it was even necessary for the story to be set in the 17th Century, those characters could have fallen into any century and adapted well - though the archtectural employment of the protagonist fits in well.

Not much else to say, the plot wasn't exactly guessable but it wasn't specifically enticing, either. All in all, a bit of a disappointment. ( )

A very quick read for me. Henry Redmayne, Christopher's brother is blackmailed along with others in his social circle. The tale itself moves very quickly and somehow you feel compelled to turn page after page. But it is not with gripping excitement. I sit down to read a bit and look up and 50 pages flash by in what seems a heartbeat. Marston has developed the characters quite well though now that I have read 4 of this series I don't find much in the way of additional enhancements to the main characters. I also find that the story reveals itself very quickly.

The dialogs are what I find the best in Marston's books, I find myself feeling that I am in the room listening to them. The relationship between Christopher and John Bale is satisfying too. I wish though that Marston would paint a comprehensive scene of the life in London during this time...you get snippets but I would like to sense more.

This series of books should not be read one after another. I think they would get boring after a while were that done....rather I find that reading a Marston book to be a palate cleansing experience between other novels. ( )