Act of Oblivion

(Read in 2023) 4.5 stars. This started right off in solid 4-star territory (well-written and well-paced), and then it kept getting better. I assumed it would be mostly plot-driven but soon realized that I was spending time inside the heads of some characters (primarily Nayler and Whalley) who were more complicated than I expected. It was also quite educational for me as I was not very familiar with some of the significant historical events taking place at the time (including the English Civil War, the surrender of New Amsterdam, and the Great London Fire). There is some graphic violence (i.e., cruel executions) fueled by religious hatred and vengeance, and those scenes are a little hard to get through. In the latter part of the book, there is also some time spent focused on aging and caregiving, which was an interesting and unexpected aspect of the story.

Basically a police procedural, but set in England and New England in the mid 1600s. An obsessive official hunts for fugitives responsible for the death of the king when Oliver Cromwell took power. Harris recreates life in both old and new worlds in this period piece. Good, but could have been shorter.

Amazing levels of research as always from Robert Harris. Learn history and be entertained at the same time.

What I liked about this book was the way the author sits down with you and very honestly says: Look, here are the facts as well as we can possibly know, and the rest I made up. The story may not be exactly true, but something like this must have happened. Perhaps not Robert Harris's best book: it contains lenghty descriptions of actual battles on British soil. Also, I haven't counted the Puritan church services described, but it seems as if there were several Sundays a week in those days. The end, while long expected, seems written in a bit of haste. That said, even an average Robert Harris book is still a good book.