This is a difficult book to get into, but anyone who makes it past the first 100 pages is usually hooked into the series. I literally could not put the book down. This is the first book written by the author, Dorothy Dunnett, and in my opinion has a little too much historical research showing, but that is the only negative thing I can say about it. If you like historical fiction that engages your mind and your emotions throughout, you will love this book.