A rattling good yarn in the CJ Sansom idiom. England in the 1560s - not a good time to be a Catholic, but in this book, all the main characters are just that. Well researched both for its political history, and in its sense of time and place, this is a page-turning and exciting book. ( )

3.5 Stars ( )

This is the first of a trilogy so no wonder the ending did not make too much sense: quite frankly though, I didn't care. I thought Catholics and mysterious texts in cryptic diaries in Elizabethan England would be a good read. I was wrong. ( )

More of a 2.5. Happened to pick this one up while library browsing last week. As a former librarian, the mysterious book and its connection to a possible plot against Elizabeth I was intriguing. Tudor era novels generally do not interest me, but I felt this would be an exception. It was too long, wordy, and the author could have cut it in half and still had a good story.

Henry Makyn, a friend of the protagonist, William Harley, Clarenceaux, comes one night to his house and asks him to guard his chronicle. This spirals Clarenceaux into political intrigue. There's a plot afoot against the government [Elizabeth I]; what is the meaning of the dates in the chronicle and who are the 'knights of the round table'? Makyn is slain by Elizabeth's spymaster, Walsingham, and his henchman. Makyn's widow Rebecca and Clarenceaux puzzle out meanings and the last part of the book is a race between the 'goodies' and the 'baddies' to gain possession of the chronicle and unmask the plot. The denouement was completely unexpected.

The novel was slow and talky all the way through, and picked up only towards the last 1/3. It was a challenge to force myself to keep reading. I liked best how the meaning hidden in the chronicle was puzzled out. The characters were nothing outstanding; in fact the completely platonic relationship between Clarenceaux and Rebecca was very improbable. Their sleeping in the same bed and nothing happening? Come on, these two must have been saints.

Those folks who enjoy Elizabethan thrillers may enjoy this book, but it was not really up my alley. ( )

http://www.girllostinabook.com/2013/11/review-sacred-treason-by-james-forrester.... ( )