I eagerly look forward to any of Diana Gabaldon’s new works as her prose is so vivid and meticulously detailed. Lord John, a soldier who began as a peripheral character in her Outlander series, is now getting a full-fledged story of his own as he endeavors to solve the mystery of his father’s death. Complicating matters somewhat are the imminent marriage of his mother and the arrival of his new step-brother, in whom Lord John finds a kindred spirit, in more ways than one.

I wished to enjoy this book more than I did, but in the end I had to admit that even Gabaldon’s way with words couldn’t make up for the lack of energy and excitement surrounding Lord John’s detective work. His soldiering and personal affairs, on the other hand, were the more intriguing aspects of the book.