Laura's Reviews > The Ashes of London

4.25 stars. Andrew Taylor is a terrific writer, and I think characterization is his strong suit. This historical mystery is the first of a series. It opens while London is burning in 1666 (which kept me away from this one for years because history was probably my worst subject). I wish I’d tried it sooner. It was captivating.

I would encourage anyone looking for a good historical novel that will hook them from the start to try this. There are brief moments of violence - it is a mystery, after all. But Andrew Taylor’s characters are so real. They stay with me. This may be my summer of Taylor. He can immerse me in another time and place, with people who feel real, and he makes this look so easy.

The audiobook was terrific as well. I alternated between the page and the audio, and the performance by Leighton Pugh was wonderful. He narrates the entire series, but unfortunately my library only owns the first one. I am tempted to use my Audible credits for the others.

Note: This is not a thriller. It is relatively slow-moving, as the crime genre goes. I wouldn’t take this series on vacation, either. It requires time and patience but in my opinion, there is a payoff. I really enjoyed meeting the two main characters, whose paths, incidentally, cross very little in this volume. I especially like Cat, and I’m looking forward to seeing where her life (view spoiler)[ and possibly their relationship, as in does one develop? (hide spoiler)] goes in book two.