Thomas Berrington Series #5
Fictional Saga / mystery
1500s
Seville, Spain
Seville, Spain
This is the second novel about Thomas Berrington, physician by
profession and a sleuth by virtue of a rabid curiosity. The setting is Spain in
the reigns of Ferdinand and Isabella. Thomas arrives in Seville to treat the
queen who is pregnant and bleeding. Within the first hours, he meets old
friends and enemies and some who could be either one. He is also caught up in
the mystery surrounding a terrifying figure called The Ghost, who kills his
victims by opening their chests and taking out their hearts. Thomas’s fiancé
arrives with some other interesting characters, I presume from the first book.
Oh, and plague is on the rise in the city. There is more than enough to keep
Thomas occupied and the reader interested.
Aside from these elements, the new characters flesh out the story with a
love affair and a kidnapping. This is not a
standard who-done-it. Why The Ghost has committed such bizarre murders and when
he will be caught provide the suspense. I particularly enjoyed the banter
between Thomas and his friend Jorge, who is, apparently, an incorrigible and
gifted lover of women.
The plot was simple and easy to follow and the sub-plots were interesting, however, I had some, perhaps nit-pick, issues: first, the title. None of the characters
was an Inquisitor, nor was the Inquisition involved except peripherally, or
perhaps I missed something? There was some unnecessary dialogue that
neither advanced the story nor said anything about the character: without it the book would have been shorter
and I think a bit snappier. Was the ‘twist’ at the end entirely credible? I'm not sure, but then, this is fiction.
That said, a most entertaining read, and something a little different to the
usual mystery tales.
© Susan
Appleyard
No comments:
Post a Comment
We do not accept comments. If you need to contact Discovering Diamonds go to the CONTACT facility
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.