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tasmanian_bibliophile's review
3.0
‘And if dreams were locks, we’d all possess keys.’
This novel takes back to the 16th century, to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Mallory Bright is the daughter of London’s master locksmith, Gideon Bright. She has learned from her father and is able to unpick the most complicated locks. As the novel opens, Mallory is in disgrace with her mother (the reasons will become clear as the story unfolds) and her father wants to secure a place of safety for her. Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster, is made aware of her talents and offers her a job. Ostensibly, Mallory is to be the companion of Sir Francis’s daughter, but in fact she becomes increasingly involved in his spying operations which are shaped by political intrigue and religious dissension.
I was fascinated by Mallory’s involvement in Sir Francis’s work and was really liking Ms Brooks’s portrayal of this period of history until a particular twist in the story reduced my enjoyment. I sighed, put the book down, took a deep breath, picked the book up and read on.
We know that Mallory has secrets of her own and we become aware that there are other secrets being kept from her. All these secrets add to the intrigue, but while one specific secret did not work for me, it certainly adds to the tension in the story. Mallory’s loyalty to Sir Francis is tested when she witnesses the execution of three Jesuit priests. She knows that in at least one case the punishment exceeded the crime. And then it becomes personal: Mallory discovers the identity of a Catholic spy. Can she save that person’s life?
Aside from the twist I did not care for, I really enjoyed this story. Mallory Bright is an engaging protagonist, and I enjoy novels set in this historical period. This is the fourth of Ms Brooks’s novels I have read. ‘The Locksmith’s Daughter’ was published in 2016 and has sat on my shelf for far too long. While I did not enjoy it as much as Ms Brooks’s later works, it is well worth reading if you enjoy historical fiction set in the 16th century.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
This novel takes back to the 16th century, to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Mallory Bright is the daughter of London’s master locksmith, Gideon Bright. She has learned from her father and is able to unpick the most complicated locks. As the novel opens, Mallory is in disgrace with her mother (the reasons will become clear as the story unfolds) and her father wants to secure a place of safety for her. Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster, is made aware of her talents and offers her a job. Ostensibly, Mallory is to be the companion of Sir Francis’s daughter, but in fact she becomes increasingly involved in his spying operations which are shaped by political intrigue and religious dissension.
I was fascinated by Mallory’s involvement in Sir Francis’s work and was really liking Ms Brooks’s portrayal of this period of history until a particular twist in the story reduced my enjoyment. I sighed, put the book down, took a deep breath, picked the book up and read on.
We know that Mallory has secrets of her own and we become aware that there are other secrets being kept from her. All these secrets add to the intrigue, but while one specific secret did not work for me, it certainly adds to the tension in the story. Mallory’s loyalty to Sir Francis is tested when she witnesses the execution of three Jesuit priests. She knows that in at least one case the punishment exceeded the crime. And then it becomes personal: Mallory discovers the identity of a Catholic spy. Can she save that person’s life?
Aside from the twist I did not care for, I really enjoyed this story. Mallory Bright is an engaging protagonist, and I enjoy novels set in this historical period. This is the fourth of Ms Brooks’s novels I have read. ‘The Locksmith’s Daughter’ was published in 2016 and has sat on my shelf for far too long. While I did not enjoy it as much as Ms Brooks’s later works, it is well worth reading if you enjoy historical fiction set in the 16th century.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
patriciajoan's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tucker4's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know if I would have finished this had I not been listening to the audiobook during my commute. Or maybe the problem was the audiobook itself, but it was just sloooow. It's a 500 page book that was 22 hours as an audiobook. That seems long, no?
The last 30-40% picked up a bit, but was part of that because I switched to the physical book for the last 25%?
Also, major trigger warning for sexual assault, physical abuse, and torture. Was not expecting that when I picked this up.
The last 30-40% picked up a bit, but was part of that because I switched to the physical book for the last 25%?
Also, major trigger warning for sexual assault, physical abuse, and torture. Was not expecting that when I picked this up.
marthaguymaid's review
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thealienamongus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Death of parent
deinin's review against another edition
The writing is so overwrought and distancing that I had to nope out about a hundred pages in. There are books where this kind of faux-olden timey language is done so well you fall right into the mindset of historical characters, but this did the exact opposite.
jessann's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
charlotteg0a807's review against another edition
5.0
My first review of the new decade, and it's a five star. This was read as an audio book and omg, it was a book that once I was about 1/3 of the way though I did not actually want to put it down and with it being audio I was able to go about my chores and get on with my reading at the same time.
This was my first historical fiction based in truth and I was riveted by it the intrigue and mystery of the story itself kept me glued to this book for hours at a time.
The descriptions that Karen Brooks used in the writing were all encompassing of the experience you were seeing exactly what the lead characters were seeing.
This was my first historical fiction based in truth and I was riveted by it the intrigue and mystery of the story itself kept me glued to this book for hours at a time.
The descriptions that Karen Brooks used in the writing were all encompassing of the experience you were seeing exactly what the lead characters were seeing.
jgwc54e5's review against another edition
3.0
This novel was a slow to get started and then was hard to put down. It’s a bit overlong, although the historical period (Elizabethan England) is very interesting and there’s plenty of real events included in the story. Some of the relationships seemed a bit melodramatic and the violence of torture and executions were not what I expected in this kind of book going by the cover of my edition! Overall a satisfying read but not brilliant for me.