Madrigal: A Closely Guarded Secret by Christophe Medler
| Madrigal: A Closely Guarded Secret by Christophe Medler | |
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| Category: Historical Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Amber Wells
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| Summary: An entertaining adventure that uncovers one of the most guarded secrets in history. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 425 | Date: May 2021 |
| Publisher: Independently published | |
| ISBN: 979-8505741214 | |
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Set against the backdrop of the English Civil War, a secret plan (code-named Madrigal) is discovered by Sir Robert Douse in the summer of 1642. As a loyal servant of the King, and Head of the Secret Service, it is Robert's duty to uncover the details of the plan and follow the clues to uncover one of the most guarded secrets in history—especially since the plot could affect the King.
What follows is a story of love, betrayal and retribution, set in the tumultuous time of the Cavaliers against the Roundheads. It makes for an exciting and action-packed plot that often felt like a tightly woven thriller. I particularly enjoyed watching Sir Robert Douse and his son navigate the twists and turns of the story as more and more secrets were revealed.
One of the novel's strengths is how well researched it is. Everything about the time is so thoroughly explained that you can clearly see just how much the author cares about the historical period he's writing in. It's not just a random time that he has chosen to set his story in; he has chosen it with purpose. The attention to detail on minor things that most authors wouldn't even consider are demonstrations of just how much research Medler has put into writing this book, and his enthusiasm for it has made me want to do some of my own research into that time period because he's made it seem so interesting.
But in this strength, there was a weakness. Sometimes Medler became overly descriptive: There were instances where the plot was pushed aside in order to give more descriptions about a certain detail. As someone that easily gets sidetracked when talking about the things I'm passionate about, I can understand why Medler would have this issue—you would never get bored discussing the things you love. But in this instance, the extra information on minor details like the backstory of a random innkeeper we would only see once started to bog down the story and slow the pacing. My eyes began to skim over parts that didn't seem important to the plot as a whole because it became a recurring issue that I could spot in advance.
Overall, this was still an enjoyable read and I would recommend it if you are interested in historical fiction set in this time period. I would also recommend checking out The Silvered Heart by Katherine Clements.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Madrigal: A Closely Guarded Secret by Christophe Medler at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Madrigal: A Closely Guarded Secret by Christophe Medler at Amazon.com.
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