Elizabethan England comes to life in James Forrester's THE FINAL SACRAMENT, and it's not always a pleasant place. Forrester excels at describing the sights, smells, textures, and tortures of the 16th century. William Harley, Clarenceux King of Arms, is the victim of a lot of that torture. He is holding a document that could call into question Queen Elizabeth's right to rule, and both her supporters and denouncers want it.
Forrester is a historian and while he admits to taking some poetic license with the "facts" of the story, I believe the settings and situations are as realistic as one will find in historical fiction. I found those descriptions of life, travel, and business as fascinating as the conspiracy at the heart of the plot. Forrester also finds ways to make the divergent political and religious convictions of the time relevant to 21st century readers.
This is the third and final book in the Clarenceux saga. I highly recommend the whole series to readers who enjoy historical fiction and thrillers.
1566. William Harley, Clarenceux King of Arms, lives with
his family in London, with a document that could destroy
England. Lady Percy, Countess of Northumberland, has not
given up trying to find it. Nor has she forgotten how he
betrayed her. When his wife and his daughter go missing,
Clarenceux finds himself on the run with his other young
daughter. He knows he must finally destroy the document,
even if it should cost him his life - but how can he, until
he has reunited his family?
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