City of Masks: Oswald de Lacy Book 3 - The Oswald de Lacy Medieval Murders (Paperback)

Sykes is a master at combining historical setting with mystery - The Times

Sykes's gamble in putting Oswald in unfamiliar terrain pays off, as she again blends a detailed immersion in the time period with a clever mystery plot line - Publishers Weekly

An excellent addition to a thoroughly enjoyable series... Sykes has created a medieval detective story with a troubled protagonist which manages to stay true to its period and hints at even richer things to come - I thoroughly recommend it. - Historia

A Venice whose ancient glories still survive today provides the background for an investigation whose solution is secondary to identifying the cause of Oswald's angst. - Kirkus

We are plunged into Sykes' rich soup of Venetian intrigue; period detail; and increasingly intricate plotting, all with the deeply realized character of Lord Somershill fighting his own demons while investigating. A brilliant addition to the Somershill Manor Novels. - Booklist

This third series outing offers further insights into Lord Somershill and the past that bedevils him, along with sophisticated plotting, intrigue, and immersion in a fascinating historical setting. - Library Journal

Oswald's character, beautifully painted by Sykes, dominates this excellent historical thriller set against the waterways, palaces and dungeons of medieval Venice - Sunday Express

Comparisons to the master of historical crime, CJ Sansom, are inevitable and, in this case, justified. - The Times

The whodunnit aspect is neatly done, the family secrets and waspish relationships are intriguing, and humour and originality are abundant. - Daily Mail

Sykes offers an unusual perspective on this historical period ... She also deals realistically with the troubles of the era's women. - New York Times

Trouble, and its attendant duties, confront the reluctant young lord on nearly every page of this eventful, engrossing, informative mystery set in mid-14th-century Kent, England. - Wall Street Journal

There's a nice, cliché-free sharpness to Sykes' writing . . . that suggests a medieval Raymond Chandler at work, and there are no phony celebrations of the peasantry or earth-mothers thrusting herbal concoctions down grateful throats. Plenty of action and interesting characters, without intervention of the libertarian modern conscience that so often wrecks the medieval historical novel. - Independent

Sykes establishes herself firmly as a major talent. - Publishers Weekly