Quite the gritty story, set in post-Napoleanic London at a time when the justice system was venal and uncaring. Executions were frequently by hanging and a source of enthusiastic public spectacles.
Having forgotten that I read this story about 10 years ago, it now strikes me that many passages are quite repetitious. The ending was predictable, which takes away from building suspense. Prolonged chases to track down the main witness were tedious, since by then it seemed a bit pointless.
The story had a serious flaw in that the central theme upon which the mystery revolved was nonsensical: the murderer was wealthy and had covered his tracks perfectly adequately for the times. I admired the main protagonist (as I did in the first reading), which is a plus. The author's historical notes at the end were illuminating of the times and very useful to put the novel's setting in perspective. ( )

Excellent period piece--mystery, humor and a love story that's not too annoying! It's the only Cornwell that I have read....and I"m still waiting for a sequel. ( )

A su regreso de la batalla de Waterloo, el soldado Rider Sandman, acepta recabar pruebas que demuestren la culpabilidad del pintor Charles Corday en la muerte de una joven aristócrata. Todo está a punto para ejecutarle, pero en su investigación, Sandman descubre la inocencia del pintor y tiene muy poco tiempo para intentar demostrarla.

I would categorize this novel as a 'follow-along' or 'solve-along' historical mystery. There is no big reveal where we're stumped we didn't see it coming. That's also not the point or purpose of the book. We're invited to live-along a number of people who lived during extraordinary times in history and through the way its told we get a glimpse of what it might have been like to have been there. All of this is wrapped in an entertaining story that will propel you along all the events and characters laid out for us in a nicely digestible feast. This novel is about immersion, it's about being there and seeing what the characters saw. ( )

Not in the same league as the Sharpe novels. ( )