D'Almeida is not Dumas, and she takes some liberties with the material so we have a mystery trying to live within another's world. It is quite successful however. We have a body from the very beginning, though some of the liberties that are taken, this body is Aramis' lover, and Aramis is immediately implicated in her death. The Cardinal seemingly wanting to arrest him, but later, with Cardinal's Guard as per usual, it seem wanting to eradicate him and our three other heroes.

We get a glimpse more of who our four musketeers are as D'Almeida adds to the canon by telling us details as to Athos and his best friend, the backgrounds of the servants, the inner workings of Monsieur Treville's Hotel. All these would be welcome but these background additions seem to serve this one story, rather than the entire canon. Where will we be as the series further developes?

As to the body, we have very lite red herrings, but the ending, with part of the puzzle decipherable as we have some small clues given our way, is satisfactory. The last twist seems a stretch, but in all it is well worth a read for the period and for the flavor ( )