This is a riveting historical fiction novel set in 1640’s Portugal under the rule of King Filipe. The discontent of those who live under him continues to grow. The people begin to revolt against the many changes that benefit only one person, the king. A masked man, also known as Captain Gualdim, fights the king’s soldiers in order to give back to the townspeople. Three knights Don Diogo, Don Afonso, and Don Pedro, all considered fine men by anyone’s standard, set out to unmask captain Gualdim and find out who he is once and for all. The three knights fight for the hand of Laura de Noronha, the beautiful daughter of Don Antonio de Noronha, who has become involved with the masked man. Will Laura’s secret life be uncovered? Will the knights discover who the masked man is?

Author Isabel Ricardo provides readers with an action-packed historical fiction novel that’s colored with Portugal’s rich history. Each character is introduced with a description of what they look like and their mannerisms. While I think this makes it easy for readers to visualize the characters, I would’ve liked to have the characters introduced through the story, rather than the author telling us. I like that Laura’s character is still feminine, but she also has a spunky side to her. This makes her character fun to follow because you don’t know what she’s going to say next.

The author’s writing style is playful yet serious at the right times. I enjoyed the playful banter between the three knights. The flirting between Laura and Don Pedro is sweet and it shows his charming side. The tension begins to rise as everyone in the story begins to suspect that one another is the masked man. This made the story hard to put down because I too wanted to know who he was. The plot twist threw me for a loop and was something that I did not expect. It was a shocking but pleasant surprise and I wouldn’t change the ending.

The Last Conspirator is a lively historical fiction novel for fans of Alexandre Dumas’s The Three Musketeers or for readers looking for an adventure story that channels Johnston McCulley’s The Curse of Capistrano.

Pages: 476 | ASIN: 1949868699

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/09/28/the-last-conspirator/