First impressions for the cover/title make me think this was a thriller or mystery, particularly a political thriller. I was surprised just a bit to see that it was a historical mystery, but upon further look it does seem to be suggesting that. I like the cover well enough. The summary is not exactly clear and I read it through a few times and was not very interested after this, but I think it will have an audience either way. I did not like the first novel by the author or the writing style, and I am afraid I don't vibe with this either.