Set in the early 1600,s during the Great Freeze which was an actual thing ,this is a very enjoyable historical story with very good characters .Atmospheric ,life in Stuart England is captured well, I found it interesting to learn how people lived in those days .Quite a complex and long read but worth it .

A beautiful historical novel that was extremely tense and unputdownable. A very good follow on novel from Maitland's first with these characters, I am looking forward to seeing what comes next

This book started slowly, but seemed to become more promising as I read further, then came to a puzzling conclusion. You probably need to read the first book in the series to have a greater understanding of the story and it’s conclusion.
The description is vivid and well researched, making you almost feel as though you are there seeing, smelling and feeling what is around you in the story. Characters, unless they are introduced in the first book, could often benefit from more background information.
The author has a very confident way of writing and keeps your interest throughout the book, but in my opinion needs to work on a more cohesive and satisfactory way of concluding the book.

A solid mystery set in the 1600s. This author writes well and created an enjoyable story with interesting characters. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

I really enjoyed Daniel Pursglove’s first outing in The Drowned City so was vey pleased to be able to read the next instalment. Like the first book, the background to this is an actual weather event. In this case, the great freeze that happened in the Winter of 1607/8. As with the floods in Bristol in the earlier book, the weather and its effects play a huge part in the story and the actions of the characters.
Life in early Stuart is vividly captured. We see how the ordinary and more wealthy people live as well as get a feeling for the superstitious beliefs held by many people, both great and small as well as the ever-present suspicion of Catholics after the failed Gunpowder plot. We get a lot of detail but this is well woven into the story and doesn’t end up feeling like a history lesson.
The plot is quite complex with different elements to it that all come together at the end. There is a large cast of characters and at times it became difficult to follow who everyone was. Daniel is an engaging character and his basic good nature despite everything that life has thrown at him comes through clearly.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to lovers of C J Sansom and Andrew Taylor as well as anyone who has an interest in Stuart History. Thank you to Net Galley and Headline Publishers for my ARC in exchange for this review.

K.J. Maitland's Traitor in the Ice is a gift to readers of historical fiction who are interested in the real politik of Jacobean England. Too many historical mysteries are basically romance novels in disguise with a minimum of period detail and a maximum of longing glances and stolen kisses. The Daniel Purseglove series, of which this is volume two, explores Protestant-Catholic tensions in James I's England. Neither faith is depicted monolithically. Some Catholics hope to bring down James and restore the country to Catholicism, actively plotting against the king. Some want to practice their faith, but refuse to participate in anti-Protestant politics. Some occupy an uneasy middle ground, helping the network of clandestine Catholic priests, some of whom would welcome James' murder. There's even an outlier toying with the idea of an anti-Protestant Catholic-Jewish alliance. As I said, an outlier.

The mystery here is complex with lots of players—though it's not hard to keep track of who is who. Solutions come piecemeal, and at the end questions remain—which provides motivation to keep an eye peeled for volume three.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

I'm struggling to get into this and to picture the characters and locations. I'll try again in a few days, but I feel it might be more of a man's book than my style of historical fiction.

Another wonderful book and outing for Daniel. I find that the historical content blends seamlessly with the mystery aspect and that you can learn so much about the period in question without actually feeling like this is a history lesson. I am truly enjoying this series and am looking for the third in this outstanding. This is definitely well worth a read

Suspenseful historical fiction and very expertly written. As much as I enjoyed the story for the most part, there were quite a few parts in almost every single chapter where the elegant prose was just a bit too long that I found my attention span wandering off and just wanting to skim through to get to some action. However, I highly appreciate Maitland's attention to detail in regards to presenting historical references and events, and it is these details that give the book life.

Thank you Headline for the eGalley ARC!

Another glorious trip to 17th century Jacobean England, with as much treachery, murder and deceit as you can take.

I recently read and reviewed one of the best historical detective novels I've read for a while - "The Day of the Serpent" by Cassandra Clark. Then, by coincidence, I picked up "The Drowned City" by KJ (aka Karen) Maitland. What struck me about both books was not just the attention to detail, but the fact that the historical facts were presented so starkly, almost like a history lesson, yet still managed not to be dry or boring, and were woven in and around the story so as to appear quite the same thing.

So I was very happy to be offered a Netgalley ARC of Maitland's second book in the Daniel Pursglove series, "Traitor in the Ice". It's winter, 1607, (Julian calendar) in the time of the Great Frost, and a man is struck down and killed in the grounds of Battle Abbey, home to the catholic Montague family, Fresh from his adventures in the gunpowder plot, Pursglove is sent there to find proof of treachery. King James, suspecting that the family is sheltering those loyal to the Pope, had placed an agent there who has seemingly been murdered before his report could reach London.

Pursglove soon discovers that nearly everyone at the abbey has something to hide, but some, he senses, could have more than the others. Could the elusive plotter Spero Pettingar finally be close at hand? What lies behind the actions and attitudes of the Montagues and their followers?

This isn't an entirely original premise for a story, having been presented several times by some very good historical detective writers, but that's OK, since what we have here is an atmospheric, skilfully drawn story, full of the suspicions, hatred, conspiracy and betrayal that 17th century England was up to its neck in. Pursglove continues to intrigue us, although there's lots more we need to know about him. His attempts to work undercover as a servant are fun. The members of the (real) Montague family are wonderful, especially Lady Montague, using her wits to survive when surrounded by treachery and treason. King James' agent, the Scot FitzAlan continues to lurk in the dark places of King James court, menacing and brusque.

The story is told in the third person, as well as first-hand by Pursglove himself. As usual, Maitland offers a nice potted history at the end of the book, putting a lot of the novel into historical context, as well as a glossary of 17th century terms.

Highly recommended to fans of CJ Sansom, Andrew Taylor, DV Bishop and Cassandra Clark.