This could be seen as The Da Vinci Code meets Elizabethan Era mystery, with the lost book of Hermes Trismegistus vying with Papist plots against the Queen for pride of plot. The machinations of the French and Spanish Courts, the Guise family and English Catholics would have been enough to keep one mystery perking along, the addition of the occult felt cluttered.

That aside, the plot moves along briskly, although there are a few too many characters. The crossbow bolt ex machina is a nice touch, but again, it was one character/plot device too many.

ARC provided by publisher.