Title: Concur With the Poor Reviews
Product review: A disaster when measured against the hype and six pages of glowing reviews (not to mention a surplus of 5 star reviews by Amazon browsers). A dearth of rich characters. Uncompelling narrative that stalled all too frequently. Better historical fiction exists by writers such as Murdoch, Eco, Du Maurier, and nearly everyone else touted in high school and college literature courses. For reviewers who rate this as the "best historical mystery ever," go easy on the superlatives. Of the greatest historical suspense novels, this does not rate. For an example of what a powerful narrative can do -- and to feel what it's like to be shot out of a gun based on the power of word alone -- I direct all admirers of Pears' work to read Pallisner's The Quincunx. This is a modern miracle of historical mystery.
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