Traitor’s Field
""This novel demands your attention and concentration." "
Synopsis:
Set in 1648, this novel tells the tale of a conflict between two intelligent and committed men. Set against the background of an England where the Royalists have been defeated but Cromwell and Parliament are struggling against dissenters who have discovered that it is possible to challenge authority. Mortimer Shay is a fixer par excellence who flits back and forth across England, Scotland and Ireland in pursuit of protecting the Royalist cause where possible, and his secret network of spies and supporters: the Comptrollerate General for Scrutiny and Survey.
John Thurloe is a young man working for Cromwell but struggling within the hotheads on his own side. He slowly works out the extent of The Comptrollerate General and starts to amass some of the confidential information it has acquired. He is a man of duty but also of compassion. Cromwell is chasing the young Charles Stuart across the country and his brilliant military skills ensure his victory. Charles escapes into exile, leaving Cromwell to deal with the dissidents in his own ranks.
Purchase the book from Amazon.
Review:
This is a dense and detailed story and not one you can simply pick up and read in an afternoon. This novel demands your attention and concentration. At the beginning we are in the dark as Shay and Thurloe flit across England plotting and spying. It demands concentration but is worth the perseverance as the structure of the plot is slowly revealed. I found the short incidents that follow closely one after the other a bit confusing, but they represent the spasmodic life lead by Shay and his supporters and demonstrate the chaotic life he led. By the end of this book, the deliciously complicated and interwoven events make absolute sense and it is quite satisfying that the two protagonists work out the final details together. This was altogether not an easy read, but one which repays the effort needed to follow the plot. Definitely highly recommended.