How pleasant to crack open a book starting a brand new historical mystery series! Especially when, like this book, it whets the appetite for more. Combining a well-drawn portrait of Lincoln in 1200 with a puzzling plot and interesting characters I wish to get to know better, this is an impressive debut. Ms. Ash takes a good look at the many roles of women and their options, as well as showing that you didn’t have to be a villain to take the part of Prince John against King Richard. Long overdue! In short, there is a lot packed into a modest-length novel, and the right sort of ends hanging at the finish that made me wish I had book two at hand. More page turners like this one, please, which can easily be praised with only a few words, but which stay in the mind long afterward and in the best possible manner.