A solid read that, for the most part, does the things you want it to if this kind of novel is your bag. The mystery is not that propulsive, as we wrap it up around half way through, but you can tell the author is invested in the time period and clearly put the time in at the research library. I think the impulse to fully capture the historical reality leads to a few too many characters and points of view but it's hard to knock an author for putting too much correctness in her work! I think you'll know if you like it by the third or fourth chapter if you're on the fence.