A very good read: intricate plotline, a fully engaging lead character, and educational to boot

I found the main protagonist, Calumny Spinks, to be fully engaging. He grows throughout the book and he’s a bit of a rogue – his mouth can be sharp and foul as needed. The setting is nearly a character itself (just how I like my settings) and you never forget that you are in 1688 England. Public sanitation is all but nonexistent; the food is fairly simple if rich and hearty at times; traveling from point a to point b takes time. The pacing is great – not so fast-paced as to gloss over stuff and not so detailed as to bog the reader down. And the prose is excellent. The imagery sometimes had me chuckling out loud, nodding my head in agreement, or even grimacing. Overall, a very good read having an intricate plotline, a fully engaging lead character, and being educational to boot. If coffee and revolution and English history are your things, then this is definitely a good read for you.