These are entertaining books, with the mystery and some of the romance of romantic suspense novels as well as crime, a sense of history and even a hint of the supernatural. If you used to be a fan of writers like Victoria Holt you are sure to enjoy it as this series has that sort of appeal. I certainly didn't guess it all and there are some surprises in store for the reader, all contained in one admirably thin book that has the amount of story of many much fatter tomes. Less to my taste, however, is the rather dominant presence of Thane the Wonderdog, a supernatural deerhound who scares off enemies, comforts a lonely child and arrives neatly brushed after wandering around the countryside. This all seems to belong to a different sort of story and it is a credit to the plot, characters and background that it doesn't spoil it. My advice? Drop the dog and this already good series will be even better.