This is one of those series which I believe it is best to read all the previous books. It seems there are too many story lines from the previous books so I found it difficult to engage with the characters and the story, and to rate it, as I have only ever read Book one and that was many years ago. Though I do remember enjoying reading the book.
A NetGalley Book ( )

Following on from The Elizabethan Noir Trilogy, we follow the career of Sir Robert Carey, youngest son of Lord Hunsdon (who was possibly an illegitimate son of Henry VIII but was certainly Elizabeth I's first cousin - his mother was Mary Boleyn). Sir Robert (who was an historical figure) wrote one of the first autobiographies - https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1086726W/The_memoirs_of_Robert_Carey?edition=mem.... Finney's series follows the events described in the Memoirs.

I have the 3 omnibuses:

Guns in the North - which contains A Famine of Horses, A Season of Knives, and A Surfeit of Guns
Knives in the South - which contains A Plague of Angels, A Murder of Crows, and An Air of Treason
Swords in the East - which contains A Chorus of Innocents and A Clash of Spheres

plus the 9th in the series - A Suspicion of Silver. (I presume at some point this will be included in the 3rd omnibus.)

One character from the earlier series - Simon Ames - is a minor character in this series, and David Beckett is alluded to. These are less mystical than the earlier series and are a rollicking good read.

Mostly set on the Scottish Borders in the later years of Elizabeth's reign, Sir Robert is appointed as Deputy Warden of the West March by his brother-in-law, Thomas Scrope. This did not go down well with the man who was de-facto Deputy Warden under Scrope's predecessor, and the two became rivals and covert enemies.

The first omnibus deals with Carey's arrival in the West March, the second deals with a journey south to the Court, and the last 3 return to the Borders and Northern England. I enjoyed them very much, and these along with the earlier trilogy could form a good source for The Dee Sanction, especially for political background. Where else would you find assassination attempts by means of a car - er, coach bomb, or a globe of vitriol in a masque?

Recommended