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There are currently 17 member reviews
for Seven for a Secret
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Kim (Portland OR)
Great historical mystery
While not a great work of literature, Seven for a Secret is very well written, particularly for the genre. It provides everything a good mystery novel should – suspenseful plotting, nice twists, interesting characters. It kept me entertained & guessing until the end. Although at some point I was pretty sure I knew what was going on, there were still a couple of surprises at the end. It wasn’t perfect – it depended a bit too much on coincidence. The protagonist’s detective work, however, would have made Sherlock Holmes proud. It was overall a well-constructed mystery, and everything wrapped up nicely in a very satisfying way. Although the seventh book in the series, it stood on its own just fine. I enjoyed it enough that I’m planning to read more books in the series.
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Robin (Clinton TN)
Seven For A Secret
The seventh installment in a historical mystery series, Seven For A Secret was definitely readable without having read the six previous novels. However, some additional details into the characters of this seventh book would have been nice in a "Prologue" of sorts. The plot was very twisty and hard to predict at times (like any good mystery should be). At times the storyline felt far removed and reading got very slow, but it picked up towards the end of the book. Everything was tidied up nicely at the end, but much of it seemed to be coincidental. This book would be great for fans of the previous 6 books of this series, but it dragged a little for someone who isn't familiar with the time and storyline.
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Kelly (Monterey TN)
Disappointing
Seven for a Secret was somewhat of a disappointing read. The time period of the story is full of possibilities and the authors did a good job of imagery with the daily life of Constantinople. My problem was that I could not become engaged with the characters because it felt like I was joining the story late in the game. I realize that this is the seventh in a series and I have not read any of the previous volumes. However, it would have been helpful to have a short synopsis of what has gone before. What events led John to become a eunuch and the Lord Chamberlain, what is his relationship with Cornelia, why is the city so unsafe? Most continuing series work the back-story of the returning characters into each volume, for the benefit of the new reader and to remind returning readers.
The story itself has several intriguing elements but overall it just felt like the authors were rushing to the conclusion. There were too many coincidences, little follow though on events, and an anti-climatic ending.
Overall, I would have a difficult time recommending the book to anyone except dedicated followers of the series.
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Norman (Washougal WA)
Seven for a Secret
The historical details proved to be the most compelling part, but I did not actually care enough about the characters or the plot to strongly recommend this book. I most likely would have started another book and let this one gather dust except for the need to write a review.
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Doris (Mountain Iron MN)
Seven for a Secret
The plot of Seven for a Secret does stand alone, however, I would have understood the characters better if I had read earlier books in this series.
The streets and people of old Constantinople do come alive to the reader.
Interesting characters and an absorbing story line make this a good read for those who enjoy mystery stories.
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Cynthia (Puyallup WA)
If it needs a glossary...
This story is very complex and while the setting is interesting and unique - the storyline is like a very small needle in a haystack of detail. Granted, the writing is superb and the authors are very knowledgeable on this section of history, still the reading is laborious.
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Jeanne (Ludlow MA)
Fair mystery but disappointing
Seven for a Secret was an interesting mystery with unusual characters, but I wanted to know more about the Lord Chamberlain. I suppose the earlier books told about why he was so terribly harmed and how he got to be Head Chamberlain, but this book cannot stand on its own without telling this story. Authors such as Stephen Saylor and Charles Todd manage but the Reeds sacrifice character depth for the story; however they did get me to buy volume 1 and that's a good thing!
