The Locksmith's Daughter

By: Karen Brooks

Narrated by: Karen Brooks

What if the key to your heart lies in your enemy's hands?

In a world where no one can be trusted and secrets are currency, one woman stands without fear.

Mallory Bright is the only daughter of London's master locksmith. For her there is no lock too elaborate, no secret too well kept. Sir Francis Walsingham, spymaster and protector of Queen Elizabeth - the last of the Tudor monarchs - and her realm, is quick to realise Mallory's talent and draws her into his world of intrigue, danger and deception. With her by his side, no scheme in England or abroad is safe from discovery, no plot secure.

But Mallory's loyalty wavers when she witnesses the execution of three Jesuit priests, a punishment that doesn't fit their crime. When Mallory discovers the identity of a Catholic spy and a conspiracy that threatens the kingdom, she has to make a choice - between her country and her heart.

Mallory, however, carries her own dark secrets and is about to learn those being kept from her - secrets that could destroy those she loves.

Once Sir Francis' greatest asset, Mallory is fast becoming his worst threat...and everyone knows there's only one way Sir Francis deals with those.

©2016 Karen Brooks (P)2017 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

page turner

lots of surprises at every turn in this fabulous novel. great historical contexts. must read.

Narrator Melodramatic

I enjoyed this title at first. I found the narrator melodramatic and off-putting. I found myself laughing in serious parts and imitating the narrator's voice. I found the protagonist to be a ninny toward the second half of tale.

Absolutely love this book!

I both listened to some of this book while cleaning and picked up reading it where I left off in my down time. It's a great read/listen and the narrator does such a good job bringing the characters alive. I could hear her voice even when I was just reading!

Intriguing story angle

Ms. Brooks pulls the reader in from the onset drawing her character through the difficult passage of her return from the rubble of a seemingly reputation destroying life choice, setting her course into a vaguely disguised career path she could little know or imagine. The author is tops at researching her eras, characters known & issues of the day that makes history worth remembering if not repeating in our modern days. Bravo to you Ms. Brooks for another excellent story!

Keep reading

took me awhile to enjoy it as the main character is frustrating, but the 2nd half of the book was terrific.

Such complications!

I love the way it’s divided in time. Im a real fan of Elizabethan era and this fits that bill perfectly. The historical details were gruesome and something you know happened. The romance and theater just added a delight to a very serious story of Elizabethan society.
I loved it and listened to some of it 2-3 times to get it straight. This is my second book by the author and there will be more.

Spoilt by the ponderous narration

I thoroughly enjoyed Brooks' "The Brewer's Tale", but this narration was all earnestness and no light.

Can we have better female protagonists?

What would have made The Locksmith's Daughter better?

Mallory Bright is not in any way believable as she is set out in the story. She is supposed to be a smart woman who has been through a humiliating experience. I know there is some dispelling of belief for the story line, but this woman needs so much validation from her love interest it is honestly boring and a bit insulting as a female reader. This story assigns very modern beliefs about women to a historical context, so if Mallory is smart enough and skilled enough to be a "watcher" then don't make her whine and need endless reassurance and validation. As I have worked with victims of sexual violence as well, the way that is handled is also too much like a cheap romance novel. I was intrigued with the concept, but left entirely disappointed.

What could Karen Brooks have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

When writing scenes about intimacy it is very old fashioned to have a female character need that much validation before anything physical occurs. I felt sorry for the man in the book. If I had to reassure a woman that much I would have gone down to the brothel and have her write all her needs down so I could address them all together. Either that or I would have lost all interest.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Karen Brooks?

She needs to work on her male character and reading

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment and I am a bit offended that this is still the way we portray women in books.

Any additional comments?

The concept was great. I would have kept the watcher bits and downplayed the love interest part. Could have been a series if it was done that way.

Better Historical Fiction is Out There

The audiobook is read by the author, who is Australian. The book is written in first person and the narrator is an English woman in Tudor England. I found the Reader's accent incredibly distracting. She also acted out portions of the book rather than read them.

As for the story itself, it tried to do too much. It was very long but didnt hold my interest. The main character was silly but everyone around her couldn't stop saying how brilliant she was. While the concept of the story is interesting, I think there is better historical fiction out there.