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Musketeers Mysteries #5
Dying by the Sword
New from ?a gifted writer?( VICTORIA THOMPSON) who brings mystery to 17th-century France.As the Four Musketeers race to save Porthos?s servant from the gallows, they run afoul of Cardinal Richelieu, who is investigating a far more serious matter?a plot against the life of the king.
314 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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July 19, 2020elibrary
September 25, 2014
Think of an old black and white film, where a bunch of guy friends get in trouble and save the day with a little bit of help and humour:
D'Artagnan:
Monsieur D’Artagnan père, a man of certain convictions and wise maxims, had once told his son, when D’Artagnan was just a small boy, that the probability was that there was no such thing as ghosts, and that it was very important for D’Artagnan to know that. On the other hand, it was important to keep in mind that the ghosts themselves might not know it.
Athos:
“Well,” he said, dolefully. “I don’t think Monsieur de Treville is going to arrange for me to see him at all. And the devil of it is, we might likely find out who killed the armorer by talking to Mousqueton.” Athos mentally added to his excellent friend’s qualities—or lack thereof—his complete inability to imagine how his words sounded to other people. “You cannot possibly mean that,” he said. “The only way for us to discover that would be to find that Mousqueton had murdered the armorer.”
Aramis:
Aramis heard, through the din of bleating, oinking and cackling, a familiar voice saying “Run, your musketeerness. Run.” It seemed like as good an idea as any, and, besides, Aramis had always had a horror of living poultry, since, at the age of two, he’d been attacked by the family farm’s very territorial rooster. He ran. He dodged a pig, stepped over a chicken, might possibly have stepped on another chicken’s neck, and thought it was a pity that Mousqueton wasn’t there to put it out of its misery and bring it to his friends, and then, running along a broad thoroughfare, realized that he was supposed to go to his friends. He was supposed to warn them that something was very seriously wrong.
D'Artagnan:
Monsieur D’Artagnan père, a man of certain convictions and wise maxims, had once told his son, when D’Artagnan was just a small boy, that the probability was that there was no such thing as ghosts, and that it was very important for D’Artagnan to know that. On the other hand, it was important to keep in mind that the ghosts themselves might not know it.
Athos:
“Well,” he said, dolefully. “I don’t think Monsieur de Treville is going to arrange for me to see him at all. And the devil of it is, we might likely find out who killed the armorer by talking to Mousqueton.” Athos mentally added to his excellent friend’s qualities—or lack thereof—his complete inability to imagine how his words sounded to other people. “You cannot possibly mean that,” he said. “The only way for us to discover that would be to find that Mousqueton had murdered the armorer.”
Aramis:
Aramis heard, through the din of bleating, oinking and cackling, a familiar voice saying “Run, your musketeerness. Run.” It seemed like as good an idea as any, and, besides, Aramis had always had a horror of living poultry, since, at the age of two, he’d been attacked by the family farm’s very territorial rooster. He ran. He dodged a pig, stepped over a chicken, might possibly have stepped on another chicken’s neck, and thought it was a pity that Mousqueton wasn’t there to put it out of its misery and bring it to his friends, and then, running along a broad thoroughfare, realized that he was supposed to go to his friends. He was supposed to warn them that something was very seriously wrong.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2013
Athos didn’t resent that his father expected him to play chess. He didn’t even resent that the late Count gloried in winning games over his small son. What he resented—the memory that still made the bile rise at the back of his throat—was that the rules of the game had never been explained to him. Night after night, he’d sat there, and learned all the moves by trying them the wrong way first. Night after night, day after day, he’d brooded on the losses. And every night his father smiled at him, with the exact same smile that the Cardinal was now giving him. Something to the movement of the Cardinal’s eyes made Athos realize he’d been inching his hand towards his sword, and he pulled it back by an effort of will.
But he pushed a smile onto his lips, and what he hoped was a pleasant expression into his eyes, and looked up at the Cardinal. “Do you truly mean, your eminence,” he said, filling his voice with wonder, “that I know more than you do?” There was a dark shadow beneath the Cardinal’s gaze, just like the first time that Athos had managed to take Father’s queen.
But he pushed a smile onto his lips, and what he hoped was a pleasant expression into his eyes, and looked up at the Cardinal. “Do you truly mean, your eminence,” he said, filling his voice with wonder, “that I know more than you do?” There was a dark shadow beneath the Cardinal’s gaze, just like the first time that Athos had managed to take Father’s queen.
March 5, 2010
For the final book in the series, it left a few questions unanswered, and the mystery was convoluted and involved, almost as though the author fully expected there to be another book to finish out the series. The action was complicated by far too many characters, many of whom never went anywhere and left only questions.
The story was true Musketeer style, though it seemed like the book started out in one place and finished in a completely different direction, as though the publisher cancelled the next book in the middle of writing this one so that the story had to be wrapped up, but really never quite finished.
It is a problem with series, especially those that have overarching plots. I wish there was a last book to wrap things up, but alas, all I have is Dumas' original D'Artagnan Romances. I shall put them on my list to be re-read soon.
On the whole, a very disappointing end to an otherwise great series.
The story was true Musketeer style, though it seemed like the book started out in one place and finished in a completely different direction, as though the publisher cancelled the next book in the middle of writing this one so that the story had to be wrapped up, but really never quite finished.
It is a problem with series, especially those that have overarching plots. I wish there was a last book to wrap things up, but alas, all I have is Dumas' original D'Artagnan Romances. I shall put them on my list to be re-read soon.
On the whole, a very disappointing end to an otherwise great series.
June 15, 2013
really fun
June 13, 2013
No, she's gone off the deep end. And for the first time, a (sort of) cliff-hanger.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews