My Merry Rockhurst

I can always expect unpredictable plots out of Agnes and Egerton Castle, and this book is no different. Rockhurst is an enigma from the very beginning; he is devoted to the King, staying with him even in exile, and he has a carefully reared son in the countryside who worships him, and to whom he is a paragon of virtue. And yet he has the name at court of Rakehell Rockhurst, earned somehow....
This is a story of England and London, set around the time of the Plague. Instead of traditional chapters, it is divided into eight bits, with about three chapters each. Every one of these bits brings the reader closer to the true picture of who Rakehurst really is.
For enjoyment (because a good bit of the incidents are rather sordid stuff of the court), I had planned to give the book three stars. But the sheer masterfulness of the characterization and the genius of the ending section brought it up to four and a half. It's a book that will make you think, for sure. And while the ending is not all wine and roses, it feels very “right”. As though it's real. It felt like all this really happened; it's one of the most believable stories I've read recently.

Cleanliness: PG. The portions of the court life are rather whitewashed, but it's evident that the court is rotten. After all, there's a reason Rockhurst is willing to do anything to keep his boy from getting caught up in its splendid horrors.