William Melville, Head of Special Branch, is tasked with keeping the royal family safe as well as catching anarchists and other criminals in London. William worked his way up to his position from his early years as a baker in Ireland. He has become not only the protector of the royal family but also their friend and confident.
Queen Victoria’s death is the signal for all the crowned heads of Europe to gather for her funeral. Among these is Kaiser Wilhelm II, Victoria’s favorite grandson. As the royals gather, Melville gets wind of an assassination plot. It is unclear who the intended victim is, but Melville suspects it may be the Kaiser. However, he also needs to stay aware of the danger to other royals, including the new king, Edward VII.
To keep the threat of assassination from becoming public knowledge Melville must work alone, but he enlists the help of a member of the German retinue, Gustav Steinhauer. He is very similar in temperament to Melville and the two men work together well to protect their monarchs.
I enjoyed this book particularly that it is based on actual historical events. Melville and Steinhauer are well drawn. The team works swiftly to identify the assassin and foil the plot. Although set in 1910, it’s an exciting spy thriller. The book also gives us a good picture of the era in Europe when the old order of royalty was being replaced. I thought the author did an excellent job with the historical background.
I received this book from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
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