This book begins with a literal bang– We follow Archer as he is thrown into war; a choice forced upon him from events in the last book. Isolated from his friends and family, he has to make the best out of being forcibly enlisted in King George’s army.
From Ostend, through Bruges and Ghent and onto the battlefield, stripped of everything including his own name and identity, Will experiences all the hardships of the campaign and the cruelties of military punishment. He makes new friends, but he also makes new enemies. However, his predicament is no respite from his work with William Hervey: even in the midst of active combat, intrigue and death follow Will. At first seeming like petty matters, more deaths happen, until Will realizes treachery runs high; not even his superiors are above suspicion.
It was a delight seeing old characters from previous books appear; both friends and foes, as well as seeing the new cast. Will makes friends with a loveable cast of characters; which makes certain twists in the end quite painful. No one felt like a caricature and the intricacies of war and loyalty were fairly well explored. The dialogues are as ever stellar and easy to follow. The plot is intriguing and high stakes; which made this a fast read as I was on the edge of my seat. The pacing was good; only lagged in a few spots but otherwise Eston does a fantastic job layering the day to day of war, Will’s missions, and the overarching plot.
Another suspenseful read!! I award this book 4.5 stars.