The Saturday Morning Post (No. 190)

 

We return once more to Holland...

My reviewer criteria. I like light, entertaining novels. I like smaller scale stories rather than epics. I like character focused novels featuring pleasant characters, with a minimum number of unpleasant ones. I greatly value clever and witty writing. I like first person, or close third person narratives. I dislike a lot of "head jumping" between POVs and flashbacks. I want a story, not a puzzle. While I am not opposed to violence, I dislike gore for the sake of gore. I find long and elaborate fight, action, and battle sequences tedious. Plot holes and things that happen for the convenience of the author annoy me. And I fear I'm a born critic in that I don't mind pointing out what I don't like in a story. However, I lay no claim to be the final arbitrator of style and taste, you need to decide for yourself what you like or dislike in a book.

Your opinions are always welcome. Comment below.

Dishonour and Obey by Graham Brack  A

William of Orange (later to be come King William of England) sends for Mercurius, as a Protestant minister, and asks (i.e. commands) him to travel to England to interview his cousin, Mary, the eldest (15 years old) daughter of James, the brother of King Charles ll of England. He is part of a delegation exploring the possibility of Mary marrying William to hopefully cement an anti-French alliance with England. He is to evaluate just how Protestant Mary is, since her father is a Catholic, and Catholics are just barely tolerated in the Netherlands, as in England, for that matter. And William feels that, as the nominal leader of the Dutch nation, he could not marry a Catholic. However, there is a pro-France faction in England, and the court of Charles, who are attempting to shove a stick into the wheels of this plan. On arrival in England, not a day goes by before one of the Dutch delegation is found murdered. King Charles, having heard of Mercurius' past success in solving mysteries, asks (i.e. commands) him to solve this murder as well. 

This story takes us to London and the court of Charles ll, where we get to meet various historical figures of that place and time. Again, it is an elaborate mystery told with wit and humor. If you enjoyed the first two, you'll like this one as well.