Review: The Royal Secret (Marwood and Lovett #5) by Andrew Taylor

Andrew Taylor is one of my favourite authors and I particularly love his Marwood and Lovett series. This is the fifth book and I think it is my favourite so far. It can also be read as a standalone; there is a helpful index of characters at the front and historical notes at the back.

The story opens in 1670 with two young girls playing at witchcraft. Soon afterwards, the step-father of one dies in mysterious and agonising circumstances. A government clerk known for gambling and drinking, unpopular with his family and in debt to a local villain, it is only surprising no one has killed him before now. James Marwood, tasked with retrieving some sensitive government files from the man's house, suspects his death is not quite as it appears. Marwood begins an investigation, only to find himself - and the lives of those around him - in real danger.

Meanwhile, Cat Lovett's architecture business is going from strength to strength and she's been handed a commission to design a poultry house for the woman the King loves most in the world - but is she being used as a royal pawn?

The Royal Secret is set during one of my favourite time periods and I love all the historical details, particularly the glimpses into royal life, which is not quite as glamorous as one would hope! There is lots of spy-like intrigue as Marwood tries to track down the utterly ruthless killer. Cat receives an all-expenses paid trip to France (which doesn't go quite the way she is hoping) and there is even an appearance by a real lion. My only quibble with the story is that Cat allows herself to become distracted by a pretty face. I had thought she was smarter than that!

The Last Protector would suit anyone who loves a cracking good historical mystery and authors such as Laura Shepherd-Robinson and Antonia Hodgson. I can't wait to read the next one in the series!

Thank you to Andrew Taylor and HarperCollins for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Related Post:

The Last Protector (Marwood and Lovett #4) by Andrew Taylor

Review: The Last Protector (James Marwood and Cat Lovett #4) by Andrew Taylor

The Last Protector is the fourth book in the James Marwood and Cat Lovett series. It is set in the 17th century, just after the Restoration of King Charles II. The main protagonists are James Marwood (a government agent) and Cat Lovett (the much younger wife of an elderly architect). Both characters have fathers who are considered traitors to the Crown, so they have to tread carefully. Although they are good friends, rather than work together to solves crimes (as I expected) they usually become involved in the same mystery from different ends.

In this story James has been instructed to spy on the Duke of Buckingham, a wealthy, influential and supposed friend of the King - but just as likely to betray him! Cat, meanwhile, has been contacted by a childhood friend - the daughter of Richard Cromwell, the last Lord Protector of the British Isles. The Cromwell family is down on their luck but Richard believes his mother left something of substantial value hidden in her former lodgings at the Palace of Whitehall. Can Cat's husband help them find it?

I do love a good treasure hunt and it was this, combined with the amount of atmospheric historical detail, that really made this story for me. Cat is my favourite character because she is so proactive, although I loved the scene where the more cautious James inadvertently ends up hiding in a brothel! 

The Last Protector would suit anyone who loves a cracking good historical mystery and I can't wait to read the next one in the series!

Thank you to Andrew Taylor and HarperCollins for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.