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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
less gripping and less engaging than usual - not the best mystery by Paul Doherty,
By
This review is from: The Darkening Glass (Mathilde of Westminster 3) (Hardcover)
I suppose this is 35 book by Paul Doherty I have read. So you gather that I am quite a fan of him.
This is the number 3 in the Mathilde of Westminsiter series. He combines here his interest in the reign of Edward II and the Templars. Eventough this new mystery is a part of a series it can stand alone and the reader does not have to read book one and two in order to follow the story. The story is set in 1312: a year of high drama at the royal court of England. The leading barons are in rebellion against King Edward II and his great favorite (or lover) Gaveston, the Earl of Cornwall. The year ends with the excecution of Gaveston. At the same time the prosecution of the Templars by the King of France is in full swing. Mathilde is the trusted servant of Queen Isabella of England, Princess of France. It is a dark period, glumy and full on intrigue. Indeed a period when the glass is darkening for the royal court. As usual Paul Doherty re-creates the period and times to perfection. He indeed creates this dark, gloomy atmosphere. But he spends more time on descriptions than usual. This however leads to less action and often a action is interrupted by descriptions. This I found partly boring, party annoying. Sometimes he wanders off to areas which he obviously wants to show to the reader, but they do not really fit into the story and actually disrupt the narrative. The whole effect is that this new mystery by Paul Doherty is less gripping and less engaging. Only in the last chapters he catches up and it gets very interesting. However, one has to get there first and this is a bit of a struggle. On a positive note the personality of Mathilde develops more and more. She gains more layers. In sharp contrast to most other books by Doherty this is not a page-turner, not a book one can not put down before the end. Indeed one can quite easily. I sometimes wonder whether Paul Doherty simply writes too much and too many different series. All in all,this is not a bad book, but it is not the best on offer by Dr. Paul Doherty.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The 3rd Mathilde and arguably the best,
By
This review is from: The Darkening Glass (Mathilde of Westminster 3) (Hardcover)
Despite the apparent lukewarm reviews it seems this book is still rated pretty pretty highly. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it difficult to put down. I thought the plot was effective and building up into what will clearly be a long lived character and series (I hope), the mood is atmospheric and conjures up many visions of life in that period, short, nasty and brutish. Having a woman as a central character is slightly unusual for Doherty and, generally, for most novelists writing about this period, Jecks, Gregory et al but works well for me. Mathilde and Isabel come across as strong but still feminine - the next one is on pre-order but, just a warning, where some series novels (Lee Childs and Reacher) can be read as stand alone, I don't think this one can - go on, be devils, order all three - you won't regret it!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Turbulence surrounding Edward II and his court,
By
This review is from: The Darkening Glass (Mathilde of Westminster 3) (Paperback)
What is most apparent is the amount of historical research which Paul Doherty carried out, and it is not surprising that he obtained a doctorate degree for analysing this turbulent period in English history and inspired him to write this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone having an interest in the reign of Edward II.
It is well-written mystery and I found it difficult to put down as I eagerly awaited Mathilde's conclusion to the complexities and dangers that she and her companions faced.
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