In 17th century France, lace is forbidden, but it can be had for a price. Unsavory smugglers bring it into the country from neighboring Flanders, where the finest lace is made by young women who work like slaves until they are too blind to see their work.

In THE RUINS OF LACE, author Iris Anthony introduces us to several people, and a dog, whose lives and fortunes depend on contraband lace. Katharina Martens is one of the unfortunate lace-makers; her sister Heilwich is trying to buy her freedom but never has enough money to suit the nuns who are holding Katharina. Denis Boulanger is a soldier failing at his task to finding smugglers. As a child, Lisette Lefort damaged the lace cuffs of a gentleman and her family is still paying the price; her cousin Alexandre is determined to smuggle a length of lace into France to save the family. The County of Montreau doesn't just want to replace his damaged cuffs; he wants to buy the assurance that he'll inherit his father's estates. Moncher is a dog tortured and tormented as he's forced to carry the illegal lace across the border.

Before telling the tale, Anthony has a note for the readers, explaining that the seemingly unconnected stories will eventually come together, and they do. About halfway through the book, I had my first aha, I-see-where-this-is-going moment. I found it hard to really get into the book until that point, when the story really began to take off. From there, it was an intense, compelling read, and I really wondered if everything was going to work out. In particular, my heart broke for Moncher and the horrors he has to endure without understanding what's happening or why. At least the people knew what led to their situations.

Anthony's characters are believable, and her settings are vividly drawn, from the Flemish convent where Katharina works long hours making lace to the country estate where Lisette grew up. I'm no expert on Renaissance France, but the history seems authentic. The only thing holding me back from a glowing recommendation is that I hate the ending. The last few pages of the final chapter really threw me. I don't want to give anything away, but a lack of resolution, shall we say, made me want to throw the book across the room. I think it's the ambiguousness of the ending that I hate most, but many people probably won't mind and may even prefer the uncertainty.

If you choose to read THE RUINS OF LACE, you will find a skillfully woven plot and characters you can care about. Give the story time to begin coming together, and I believe you'll be hooked, just as I was.