Fans of Susanna Gregory's other series will know to expect a wild time with plenty of laughs and improbable happenings, a high body count and bizarre characters. This series is going to be far more restrained, with far fewer things to cause mirth, a darker tone and a fair bit of real history. But leopards don't change their spots and at times, this story reminded me of a tethered balloon in a strong wind, desperately trying to take off into the wild gales of fancy. We have a terrifying turkey that is determined not to be Christmas lunch, a lion on the loose and several rather colourful characters, as well as a lot of action. This is probably Gregory's most thrilling book to date, which hits the ground running with a breathless chase scene and the first of many bodies. Is it too long? No whodunit needs to be over five hundred pages long, history notwithstanding, but it struggles to fill up all those pages with action-packed cloak-and-dagger plot and it very nearly manages it. The Bartholomew series mainly works well when it is at its wackiest, or it treads water, but this has more stuffing. Perhaps it is the Christmas setting. I look forward to the next installment.