A Conspiracy of Violence

England at last has a monarch back on throne, Charles II is ensconced in his Whitehall Palace and the dreary, drab days of Oliver Cromwell are fast fading to a distant memory. The capital is starting to breathe again after the stifling days of the Protectorate. But those difficult days have left their mark on the Londoners, as many have lost their means of employment. One such man, Thomas Chaloner, has become a spy for John Thurloe, the feared Secretary of State.

Thomas has recently returned from the Low Countries and is in desperate need of employment. Thurloe has many enemies at court and recommends Thomas for a post with Lord Clarendon. In return, he expects to be kept informed of any plots against himself.

I found the story show more compelling, though the plot was a little convoluted and would have benefited from some better editing. Additionally, there are a lot of characters, not all of whom are particularly well defined or distinguishable. Despite this, the lead character Thomas Chaloner is well presented, as is the romantic interest.

I started this series after reading her previous series, The Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles. After 18 books, Matthew and his partner, the fat greedy priest Michael, have become like old friends. I guess that Thomas suffered a little in comparison – the partnership of Matthew and Michael anchored the other series; but is missing here. Having said that, Matthew and Thomas have many things in common – they are both likeable, frustrating and sometimes annoying; and their relationships with women leave much to be desired.

Susanna Gregory has once again delivered a carefully woven and realistic picture of the time. I’m sure that Thomas and his friends will grow on me. show less

Genre:  Historical Mystery
Rating: Very Good
A complexly woven mystery set in the aftermath of the Restoration. Tomas Chaloner was a spy for Therloe, the spymaster for the now dead and not missed Cromwell. Charles II is firmly in place but there is still much thoughts of revenge and suspicion regarding those who were seen as helping Cromwell and killing the King when he took power.
Chaloner is newly returned from Holland where he’d been spying on the Dutch, and is now penniless and masterless.  He becomes sucked into conspiracies, or at least perceived conspiracies and finds himself unable to trust anyone but his Dutch lover.
Then things get even more complicated.
Colorful and detailed settings, well developed characters and a mystery show more that keeps one guessing throughout most of the book. show less

A new character in a competely different period and setting from her other detective series. An interesting character to choose - a bit of an outsider. A bit convoluted and it started quite slowly. But certainly interesting enough that I'm looking out for the second book in the series.

1662 and Charles II is on throne of England. Thomas Chaloner, a spy for the former Secretary of State, John Thurloe is in need of employment and goes to Thurloe for help. Who sends him to Sir Edward Hyde, the Earl of Clarendon, Lord Chancellor to King Charles II. But intrigue, plots and death are all around.
A very enjoyable, well-written mystery which I look forward to reading more of. Hopefully another good series from this author.

Fun tale of a former operative in Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate attempting to adjust (and get a job in the spy biz) under the new Royal regime of King Charles II. Nothing too heavy, but well-written and engaging from the start. Features real people from history--George Downing was Samuel Pepys' boss, etc.

This book was an enjoyable read however the characters were a bit too stereotypical for my tastes. I would read other books by this author. There is one character who has a love for animals but it became comical by the end. While this may have been intentional the comical aspect did not seem to fit well with the flow of the plot. I would put this as a decent book but if you are into mystery I prefer Rollins or Reichs.

Too much like C.J. Sansom's Mathew Shardlake series. Unsympathetic characters. If I could have, I would only give her other series 0.5 stars.