It would be easy to be too harsh on the narrator who tries manfully to cope with the challenges of this book's shortfalls, but he just doesn't have the tools. How did the narrator detract from the book? Would you ever listen to anything by Bruce Holsinger again? If you find Ellis Peters, Dan Brown or David Gibbins harmless then it's worth a look. If you like sublime historical novels such as 'Q' or 'Altai' by the Wu Ming/Luther Blisset collective or Umberto Eco then you'll hate this book. I'm sorry to have to give it just 1 out of 5 but I couldn't find a single redeemable feature in those dozen chapters. By chapter 12 I'd endured all I could of this self indulgent twaddle and returned it to Audible.

People who like historical fiction, but are very easily pleased. If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more? Even better, it's clever and witty… a superb entertainment.” (David Liss, Edgar Award-winning author of A Conspiracy of Paper and The Twelfth Enchantment) ”Everything you want in a work of historical fiction: fascinating, rich in period detail, and propelled by a compulsively engaging story. It's that rare thing: a well-written, historically accurate thriller.” (Historical Fiction Notebook) ”Holsinger is…a fantastic historical novelist….This book has everything - Chaucer, cryptography, murder, Katherine Swynford, the Southwark stews, English royalty, prophecy. He succeeds in elevating the missing manuscript genre to new heights that will entertain readers of both fiction and nonfiction.” (Library Journal) Holsinger is at his best describing the everyday lives and privations of the lower classes. ”Medieval England never tasted so rich nor smelled so foul as in this descriptive and intricately layered mystery. A highly literate thriller from medievalist Holsinger.” (Kirkus Reviews) ”… a fascinating overview of pre-Renaissance London at its best and worst. Excellent historical fiction.” (Harry Sidebottom, bestselling author of the Warrior of Rome series) A deep understanding of the period combines with sophisticated writing to create a richly imagined world. “A murder, a verse and a whore the prologue of Bruce Holsinger`s A Burnable Book draws the reader in and does not let go.

A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger