Roots of Betrayal by James Forrester

From the author's website... "May 1564: Catholic herald William Harley, Clarenceux King of Arms, is the custodian of a highly dangerous document. When it is stolen, Clarenceux immediately suspects a group of Catholic sympathisers, the self-styled Knights of the Round Table.
Francis Walsingham, the ruthless protege of the Queen's Principal Secretary, Sir William Cecil, intercepts a coded message from the Knights to a Countess known to have Catholic leanings. He is convinced that Clarenceux is trying to use the document to advance the cause of the Catholic Queen.Very soon Clarenceux enters a nightmare of suspicion, deception and conspiracy. He finds himself on the run, alongside charismatic outlaw and pirate Raw Carew. United in rooting out the truth, they are divided by their character and methods: one is a man of faith, the other is quick to draw his knife. As England teeters on the brink of bloody conflict, Clarenceux knows the fate of his country and countless lives will be determined by their actions."

If you have yet to read this series, you have a treat in store. 

Roots of Betrayal by James Forrester is the second in The Clarenceux Triology... and as with most trilogies... the story just gets better... YAY!!! 

I love historical fiction... historical mysteries, in particular. I get lost in both the mystery and the world that the author has immersed it in. Mr. Forrester continues not only the intricate and exciting mystery but shows that when a story is well-written, it will be devoured... LOL! Yes, I read this book very quickly. Now, comes the difficult part... waiting for the third installment.

The characters in this books are rounded and real. There was not a time when I didn't believe that they lived in this tale... their speech, their ideas and behaviors "fit" how I believe (from a lot of period reading) they should. I truly appreciate that from any author I read.

 Because that belief was there, I was more focused on the mystery. It did not disappoint! I was hooked from the first page and found that the mystery was all-encompassing. The author never varied from his story to include extraneous details or red herrings. The story was focused and the ending was perfect! It concluded this story but also left the door open for the conclusion to the trilogy. 

~~Thanks to Nicole at SourceBooks and the author, James Forrester for this book in exchange for my review.~~