This is book 2 in the series. This book is so well researched.
I felt that there is so much detail in the writing that it is very dense. There is so many characters that it can become confusing. The ending was a bit strange

Battle Abbey, a nest of Catholicism in Protestant England. The opening scene: in freezing temperatures a man is bound, drenched in water and left to die. This man was a spy acting for king James and his spymaster, Robert Cecil. Daniel Pursglove is sent to enter the Abbey, discover what plots against the monarch are being hatched and to find the killer of the dead spy.

Better, I think, than the first volume, at least up until the final chapters, when the author appears to lose interest in the immediate plot and introduce other elements, including hints at Daniel's mysterious past, and some revelations which confound rather than astound. The shifts are too abrupt, made at the expense of narrative and sense, and render redundant what has happened earlier in the novel. A pity.

So much detail! The high level of research really shows and the story is all the more better for it! Highly enjoyed

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I struggled to connect with the story and the characters. I think this just may be an author that I don't gel with very well.

I enjoyed the book until the ending which seemed abrupt and unsatisfactory. As a fan of CJ Sandom this appealed and I am interested in the period directly before and after the Gunpowder Plot. However the way the book ended made me doubt if I'd read anything more by this author.

Another great historical novel / thriller from K.J Maitland. The main character Daniel Pursglove is summoned to unearth treachery in a battle but things and people are not what they seem.
Many thanks for the opportunity to see an ARC

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

Struggled to get going with this. Really didn’t grab my interest and I failed to finish it.

Sorry, not one for me.

Traitor in the Ice is the second outing for Daniel Pursglove. I enjoyed the atmospheric Jacobean setting of book 1, and even though I felt that the story was quite weak, there was enough there for me to pick up book 2.

Unfortunately I felt that book 2 was a weaker outing than its predecessor. I felt that the characters lacked any depth, and the jumping between storylines felt clunky and disjointed. Sadly, the mystery element itself fell flat.

I’d still consider reading book 3 to see whether the series can reach the potential that is there, however I wont be jumping on it straight away.

TRAITOR IN THE ICE is, as the name suggests, an mystery set in an ice bound world. It is a bitterly cold winter, and that is palpable in the telling - made more intense by the fact that Daniel is a servant at Battle Abbey (so not able to just hunker down by the fire) and also trying to spy (thus having to go outside in the dark to sneak.) Reading this in winter, I very much pitied him having to go outside!

This also means that Daniel is undercover, in a wealthy, paranoid household. I really enjoyed seeing the domestic side of a big household (as often the rich people are the focus of historical novels) and it's packed full of details of working life. Plus it puts added obstacles in Daniel's way to uncover the truth (chores, a suspicious steward determined to turf him out.)

I have been enjoying how the supernatural has been woven into this series - as part of people's belief, but never proven real. It's nice that that belief (and it was knitted into everyday) was acknowledged, but I do prefer it to be proved very much a mortal invention to explain what's happening around them!

The "back in London" chapters are hinting that the web of secrets Daniel has unintentionally snared himself in is bigger and more dangerous than expected. There are a lot of players in the game, some of whom are not as obviously involved yet. Plus there is the looming mystery of Spero and who he might be. There is at least one more book in that series and I am hoping for some answers!

Daniel Pursglove has been freed from jail on the condition that he work for his king. In this adventure he is sent to Battle to infiltrate a notoriously Catholic household that is rumoured to give shelter to Papists, Daniel must find proof even after the last man to attempt do so never came back. Traitor in the Ice is a good continuation from the first book the plot was interesting and characters were well drawn. Daniel himself is still a bit blank, the nature of his work makes him somewhat isolated, there is no one for him to bounce off so I never really get to know him as a person. He has no friends and no connections beyond his handler and he can’t trust the people he is investigating so he makes no substantial relationships. There are some breadcrumbs scattered for future novels but I’m not sure it’s enough without giving me something more of Daniel to care about him and keep me interested for further adventures.

Firstly, a huge thank you to Headline for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Last year I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Maitland’s The Drowned City, which I thoroughly enjoyed. So when the sequel landed on my doorstep I was thrilled and eager to see what Daniel Pursglove was tasked with next.

Although these novels are set in Jacobean England, there is something about Maitland’s writing that makes every feel so familiar. It was also incredibly easy to ease myself back into this world even after being away from it for a while. I loved how we were thrown right into the heart of the mystery with a chilling opening chapter. Immediately it felt as if the stakes had been raised and that this mission would be much more dangerous than the last.

Traitor in the Ice seemed a lot darker than its predecessor, a feat to pull off, which I loved and had me hooked straight away and often left me unable to put the book down. Maitland achieves this by deftly weaving, what feels like, a ghost story within the historical fiction. In fact, by entwining the two the atmosphere was even more heightened and uneasy - the blurring of lines regularly made me forget which genre I was meant to be reading and I loved it. It was easy to understand why Daniel was having so many problems with this case.

However, the aspect that stood out to me the most was the characters. Whether it was the darkness of this novel, or simply Maitland getting better and better with each novel, there was a complex grittiness about them. Additionally, it was also great to see how Daniel has changed in this respect too - he feels much more suspicious of everyone and does his best not to make friends after his last case. Like for Daniel, it is impossible for the reader to distinguish friend from foe which firmly places you within the world that Daniel has found himself in.

Overall, Traitor in the Ice was a fantastic follow up to The Drowned City. I’m very excited to see what Maitland has in store for Daniel Pursglove next, especially with that thrilling ending!

Sadly I can't give this a fait rating .

The format of the book came through all higgledy piggledy on my kindle (this has now happened a few times when requesting books from netgalley) and being dyslexic, i was not going to put myself in a position of stressfully trying to read these sentences that appeared all over the screen

Still giving it a 3 star because what i was able to read was compelling and the overall premise intrigued me

Maitland has a such a skill with not only story telling but in writing. Richly plotted with atmosphere brimming, it was a really great read

If you like CJ Samson as I do then I think you will enjoy this story. Set in the very early 17th century in the reign of King James, Catholicism is still banned and anyone found practicing the old religion faces death. This is the second novel featuring Daniel Pursglove. This time he is sent to Sussex to find out why the last,man sent there was found dead and what treachery is happening in the Abbey. I love KJ Maitland’s writing. It’s easy to read and a pleasure too and her research of the period is meticulous.

A historical murder mystery set in frosty Jacobean England.

I hadn't read the book that precedes this one, which didn't really matter as I was reading this, as the murder mystery in itself is standalone. Like the mysteries of C.J. Sansom, and Susanna Gregory, there is a continuation in the main character's journey, so there were some events that were alluded to, that didn't mean much to me, but I glossed over those pretty easily.

There is a bit of a split narrative, in that every now and then we see other characters in London, but I didn't really see the importance of those scenes, and actually felt they could have been left out, presumably they are to fit a wider arc than the main plot of this book alone, but they were so infrequent, and unrelated to what was going on at Battle Abbey, that I just didn't have any interest in them.

I really loved the atmosphere of this, the setting in the deep winter of 1607 was really well-chosen, I liked the tension of the religious persecution, and the suspicion of the Scottish King and his court, but it was the Battle Abbey setting with the freezing cold, and the mist that kept me hooked. I thought that the description of the sounds of the trees, the smells, and the imagery of superstition and fear was really well done, and for the writing alone, I would read more of these books.

For me, though, the ending was a little bit of a let-down, the culprit was someone I didn't really care about, and the hints of wider danger didn't hit hard enough for me, I didn't really understand the ending, so maybe that was something I missed from the first book, but I'm guessing I was supposed to feel suspense and anticipation for the next volume, but I just didn't really feel that.

For the writing, the murder mystery (despite the ending), and a different time period for me, I give this a fairly high 3 stars, and would consider reading more.

This is the second book in the historical crime novel series with Daniel Pursglove. I had really enjoyed book one so was looking forward to reading to see what comes next. I’ve only recently started reading historical crime novels and am finding them really interesting, something slightly different to the upto date reads I normally read.

This novel is set in AD 1607-1608, Jacobean England, it’s two years after Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot was foiled and he had been hanged. Everyone was expected to swear an Oath of Allegiance, those who didn’t would have any property forfeited and worse. Catholics and people of other faiths had to practise their religion in secret, whilst pretending to abide by the Oath they have been forced to swear on.Daniel Pursglove is reluctantly under the orders of Charles FitzAlan who is a confidant to James I, to go to Battle Abbey, which is the residence of Lady Montague, a practising Catholic, and a place where Catholics are known to be hidden. There may also be hiding plotters against the King, possibly one of the conspirators of the Guy Fawkes plot. The previous investigator has been found dead, labelled as an accident, but it’s more than likely murder. It’s now upto Daniel to find his way into Battle Abbey and find answers. Once he manages to do this through luck and wit he finds there is a large household with some hints of mysterious goings on and more than one person with secrets. But which person or persons are related to the mystery he has been sent to solve? What is the secret that got his predecessor killed?

At the same time, in a village outside of the Abbey, there is a night creeper who roams the village at night banging on doors and shrieking, some small animals such as chickens are found to be missing in the morning, pigs and even a cat is found dead. What is the night creeper? Is it an animal? A human? Or a spirit?

Meanwhile in London, things are going on around court, with Richard Fairfax, the son of the man who had raised Daniel, and his friend Sir Christopher Veldon try to improve their standing at court, whilst Richard’s young cousin watches on.

This is one very interesting read, there is a lot of historical detail given, which I personally found interesting mainly because some of these things were never covered in history when I was at school, so it’s interesting to learn some facts from these times. Getting to know the setting and atmosphere as to what it was like to have lived in these times. Not only do you get to see what the scenario’s at court were like in London , the hostility against the Scots, James I temperament to court politics, the decadence and dissipation. But also some of the smaller details of what everyday life was like, some pleasant and some unpleasant.

You are able to pick up the tensions that were rife at that time, Lady Montague still continued to practice her faith at Battle Abbey, priests were still living there and people were smuggled in and out. But all this has to be done in secrecy. You feel the tension as you know that there is a constant threat of ‘leopards’ men who have been trained to search suspicious homes thoroughly and to uncover priestholes and hiding places.
The servants and lower ringed staff are worried for Lady Montague who is no longer young, without protection they are all more at risk.

Daniel has to piece together secrets that are being kept and try and work out how they link up. There us a broader storyline of a traitor another Fawkes conspirator, that FitzAlan is trying to trace out. Daniels story also is full of more threads of mystery which are being introduced throughout the books. This can be read as a stand-alone but it’s better to read these in order to get a better picture of Daniels story as it progresses.

Overall this is an interesting read, along with the mystery going on. It’s good to know that the author has included a historical note at the end of the book pointing out the historical characters and real life events that happen within the book.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Headline for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Second in the series, this follows Daniel Pursglove to Battle Abbey in one of the coldest winters on record, 1607. He is taken into a Catholic household, home of the Montagues, who King James is convinced are harbouring recusants disguised as servants. The last man sent to gather evidence was killed before he could report to his monarch.

Daniel discovers there are plenty of secrets in this Hall, and he treads a dangerous path, trying to gather the evidence he needs. The result is a really good tale of life during Jacobean England, with the unpopular Scottish king on the throne.

I enjoyed the story very much, felt it portrayed England at that time very well and gave some interesting insights about a winter with temperatures we don't come near any more (thank goodness). Well written, a good sequel and a great read. Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read about crime at the Jacobean court. Definitely more crime related which I was disappointed by as I thought there would be more historical detail. Otherwise a well told story with intriguing characters.

Set in Jacobean England, Traitor in the Ice is the second book in the Daniel Pursglove series. A man is found murdered on the grounds of Battle Abbey. The home of the Montagues, the household is believed to shelter those loyal to the Pope. Daniel Pursglove is summoned to find proof of the alleged treachery in Battle. More bodies are unearthed and Daniel must unmask the killer.

I didn’t read book one of this series and I feel that I would have benefitted from seeing the development of the protagonist’s character arc. This book can be read as a stand alone but I felt that I had missed out on finding out what made Daniel tick! There were a number of flashbacks to Daniel’s past life that confused me but I think that was mainly due to the fact that I hadn’t read the books in order.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, you will enjoy the level of detail and research carried out by the author to make this period of history come to life on the page. The author gives a very detailed account of the era and the political atmosphere at play. I think that the level of detail really slowed the unfolding of the story, almost to a snail’s pace which detracted from my enjoyment of the story. The pace really effected the action and caused the tension and suspense to be reduced as a result.

Although a dark and atmospheric historical novel, Traitor in the Ice just didn’t hold my attention and I’m afraid it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the arc. Traitor in the Ice is out now.