Saturday, February 18, 2023

Off the Shelf -- The Last Kingom

 Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.  This series is one of my favorites and was like coming back to a favorite place.

Cotton Malone is a retired Magellan Billet agent trying to live a quiet life as a bookseller, but he keeps getting pulled back in.  This time someone is stealing from Ludwig II's castle, Herrenchiemsee.  What ensues is an engrossing tale entwining mystery, adventure, and history into a rollercoaster ride of reading delight.

Cotton is, as always, an intriguing protagonist.  The surrounding characters  unfold, develop, and shift in interesting ways.  The underlying historical mystery is engrossing.  

I definitely recommend this one.  Knowing the characters and the series is helpful.  I think bits may be confusing without knowing the history, but the critical bits are well filled in.