#thebearpit

The Bear Pit - S. G. MacLean

My review: (5*) First thing first: I didn't read this book, I inhaled it and didn't go to sleep till I turned the last page. Because this book is a page turner that keeps you hooked till the last page and makes you turn the pages as fast as you can. The plot is engrossing, full of twists and turns, fast paced and flows flawlessly without any hiccup or pause. I love Damian Seeker, a well written and fleshed out characters, so full of humanity. The cast of characters is interesting, some are very fascinating and I liked the them. I fell in love with this series when I read the previous installment and I remember it as darker and bleaker. This one is somehow lighter, with a lot of humour and I even like it better than the previous one. The historical background is well researched and lively making this series one of the best historical series I read. It was a great reading experience, I cannot wait for the next installment. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The plot: The Commonwealth is balanced on a knife edge. Royalists and disillusioned former Parliamentarians have united against Oliver Cromwell, now a king in all but name. Three conspirators, representing these factions, plan to assassinate the Lord Protector, paving the way back to the throne for Charles Stuart once and for all.Captain Damian Seeker, meanwhile, is preoccupied by the horrifying discovery in an illegal gambling den of the body of a man ravaged by what is unmistakably a bear. Yet the bears used for baiting were all shot when the sport was banned by Cromwell. So where did this fearsome creature come from, and why would someone use it for murder?With Royalist-turned-Commonwealth-spy Thomas Faithly tracking the bear, Seeker investigates its victim. The trail leads from Kent's coffee house on Cornhill, to a German clockmaker in Clerkenwell, to the stews of Southwark, to the desolate Lambeth Marshes where no one should venture at night.When the two threads of the investigation begin to join, Seeker realises just what - and who - he is up against. The Royalists in exile have sent to London their finest mind and greatest fighter, a man who will stop at nothing to ensure the Restoration. Has Seeker finally met his match?