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.