Being a fan of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons I eagerly purchased The Rose Labyrinth and settled down for what I hoped would be a great read.  However, the overwhelming detail -- though informative in its own way -- managed to smother the plot development.  Reading was a laborous task and at several points I almost gave up the attempt to finish it.  Perhaps I am too impatient a reader, or maybe I was just having difficulty following Hardie's detailed background info, but I was reminded of the advice included in many books on writing: the plot should drive the story.  Though the subject matter intrigues me, I felt Hardie's knowledge and wanting to include so much of it in her novel caused her to lose sight of the plot far too often.