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The Judge Hunter
The latest comic novel from Christopher Buckley, a hapless Englishman embarks on a dangerous mission to the New World in pursuit of two judges who helped murder a king.
London, 1664. Twenty years after the English revolution, the monarchy has been restored and Charles II sits on the throne. The men who conspired to kill his father are either dead or disappeared. Baltasar “Balty” St. Michel is twenty-four and has no skills and no employment. He gets by on handouts from his brother-in-law Samuel Pepys, an officer in the king’s navy.
Fed up with his needy relative, Pepys offers Balty a job in the New World. He is to track down two missing judges who were responsible for the execution of the last king, Charles I. When Balty’s ship arrives in Boston, he finds a strange country filled with fundamentalist Puritans, saintly Quakers, warring tribes of Indians, and rogues of every stripe. Helped by a man named Huncks, an agent of the Crown with a mysterious past, Balty travels colonial America in search of the missing judges. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Samuel Pepys prepares for a war with the Dutch that fears England has no chance of winning.
Christopher Buckley’s enchanting new novel spins adventure, comedy, political intrigue, and romance against a historical backdrop with real-life characters like Charles II, John Winthrop, and Peter Stuyvesant. Buckley’s wit is as sharp as ever as he takes readers to seventeenth-century London and New England. We visit the bawdy court of Charles II, Boston under the strict Puritan rule, and New Amsterdam back when Manhattan was a half-wild outpost on the edge of an unmapped continent. The Judge Hunter is a smart and swiftly plotted novel that transports readers to a new world.
London, 1664. Twenty years after the English revolution, the monarchy has been restored and Charles II sits on the throne. The men who conspired to kill his father are either dead or disappeared. Baltasar “Balty” St. Michel is twenty-four and has no skills and no employment. He gets by on handouts from his brother-in-law Samuel Pepys, an officer in the king’s navy.
Fed up with his needy relative, Pepys offers Balty a job in the New World. He is to track down two missing judges who were responsible for the execution of the last king, Charles I. When Balty’s ship arrives in Boston, he finds a strange country filled with fundamentalist Puritans, saintly Quakers, warring tribes of Indians, and rogues of every stripe. Helped by a man named Huncks, an agent of the Crown with a mysterious past, Balty travels colonial America in search of the missing judges. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Samuel Pepys prepares for a war with the Dutch that fears England has no chance of winning.
Christopher Buckley’s enchanting new novel spins adventure, comedy, political intrigue, and romance against a historical backdrop with real-life characters like Charles II, John Winthrop, and Peter Stuyvesant. Buckley’s wit is as sharp as ever as he takes readers to seventeenth-century London and New England. We visit the bawdy court of Charles II, Boston under the strict Puritan rule, and New Amsterdam back when Manhattan was a half-wild outpost on the edge of an unmapped continent. The Judge Hunter is a smart and swiftly plotted novel that transports readers to a new world.
348 pages, Leather Bound
First published May 1, 2018
233 people are currently reading
1421 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Buckley
99 books953 followersChristopher Buckley graduated cum laude from Yale University in 1976. He shipped out in the Merchant Marine and at age 24 became managing editor of Esquire magazine. At age 29, he became chief speechwriter to the Vice President of the United States, George H.W. Bush. Since 1989 he has been founder and editor-in-chief of Forbes Life magazine.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He is the author of twelve books, most of them national bestsellers. They include: The White House Mess, Wet Work, Thank You For Smoking, God Is My Broker, Little Green Men, No Way To Treat a First Lady, Florence of Arabia, Boomsday and Supreme Courtship.
Mr. Buckley has contributed over 60 comic essays to The New Yorker magazine. His journalism, satire and criticism has been widely published—in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New Republic, Washington Monthly, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Esquire, and other publications. He is the recipient of the 2002 Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence. In 2004 he was awarded the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He is the author of twelve books, most of them national bestsellers. They include: The White House Mess, Wet Work, Thank You For Smoking, God Is My Broker, Little Green Men, No Way To Treat a First Lady, Florence of Arabia, Boomsday and Supreme Courtship.
Mr. Buckley has contributed over 60 comic essays to The New Yorker magazine. His journalism, satire and criticism has been widely published—in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New Republic, Washington Monthly, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Esquire, and other publications. He is the recipient of the 2002 Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence. In 2004 he was awarded the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
April 9, 2018
It’s 20 years after Charles II’s Restoration and the old poleaxe is still seeking revenge against the surviving men who caused his pappy’s head to be separated from his shoulders (aka the fallout from the English Civil War). Two of the judges who found Charles I guilty of high treason have fled to the New World. Naval officer and future celebrated diarist Samuel Pepys decides that his annoying half-French brother-in-law, Baltasar “Balty” St. Michel, should be the man to bring the judges back, mostly as it gets him out of his hair! But Balty soon discovers that there’s more to his mission in the colonies than simply hunting down a couple of old men…
I used to quite like Christopher Buckley’s lightly humorous, satirical books but, in the 11/12 years since I read Florence of Arabia, it looks like either my tastes have moved on or he’s just written a dud because The Judge Hunter did nothing for me.
It starts alright with Buckley painting an amusing Blackadder-esque picture of 17th century England with Pepys getting wound up by Balty, Balty’s entrance into the New World after the harrowing Atlantic passage and Balty meeting the roguish Huncks, a compelling blend of Aragorn and James Bond. Then the narrative founders for much of the book as Balty and Huncks fruitlessly meander around New England. A fair amount happens but nothing that was especially entertaining, just a lot of visiting local authorities, asking them where the judges are, repeat, and so on. Their characters and story didn’t grab me as that unique or enthralling and the jokes were non-existent.
It doesn’t help that neither of our duo’s strivings have any consequence on the final outcome, whether or not they succeed! This is basically the story of how New Amsterdam became New York, a drearily bloodless change from Dutch to English power, and Buckley stays true to history with our two protagonists playing no part in what was an anticlimactic ending. Buckley’s fictional Pepys diary entries interspersing the chapters added nothing besides a bit of historical celebrity and could’ve easily been left out to no effect on the overall narrative.
The scene where Huncks takes on a New England proto-police patrol single-handed was exciting and Buckley is skilful in bringing to life the 17th century. On the whole though it isn’t a lot and I was bored and unimpressed most of the time. Unfortunately The Judge Hunter isn’t the fun historical comedy I hoped it’d be – definitely not among Buckley’s better books.
I used to quite like Christopher Buckley’s lightly humorous, satirical books but, in the 11/12 years since I read Florence of Arabia, it looks like either my tastes have moved on or he’s just written a dud because The Judge Hunter did nothing for me.
It starts alright with Buckley painting an amusing Blackadder-esque picture of 17th century England with Pepys getting wound up by Balty, Balty’s entrance into the New World after the harrowing Atlantic passage and Balty meeting the roguish Huncks, a compelling blend of Aragorn and James Bond. Then the narrative founders for much of the book as Balty and Huncks fruitlessly meander around New England. A fair amount happens but nothing that was especially entertaining, just a lot of visiting local authorities, asking them where the judges are, repeat, and so on. Their characters and story didn’t grab me as that unique or enthralling and the jokes were non-existent.
It doesn’t help that neither of our duo’s strivings have any consequence on the final outcome, whether or not they succeed! This is basically the story of how New Amsterdam became New York, a drearily bloodless change from Dutch to English power, and Buckley stays true to history with our two protagonists playing no part in what was an anticlimactic ending. Buckley’s fictional Pepys diary entries interspersing the chapters added nothing besides a bit of historical celebrity and could’ve easily been left out to no effect on the overall narrative.
The scene where Huncks takes on a New England proto-police patrol single-handed was exciting and Buckley is skilful in bringing to life the 17th century. On the whole though it isn’t a lot and I was bored and unimpressed most of the time. Unfortunately The Judge Hunter isn’t the fun historical comedy I hoped it’d be – definitely not among Buckley’s better books.
February 1, 2019
This novel is set in England, New England, and New Amsterdam (a.k.a. New York) of 1664 with a cast of characters of whom a significant portion are historical personages. This book brings this era to life and instills believable personalities into these historical characters.
In addition to the aforementioned historical aspects, this novel carries the unique satire craft of Christopher Buckley as he accentuates the foibles of the time which when compared to modern values border on the absurd. For example, the punctiliousness of the Puritans of New England and novel means of protest used by Quaker women (i.e. entering naked into Puritan church service) are centered squarely within the novel's plot. It is my understanding that many of the extremes of seventeenth society as portrayed in this novel are based on actual events. However, the serial frequency and coincidental placement within a narrative as done here are clearly fictional.
Samuel Pepys is the historical character upon whom this novel is based. Snippets of his famous diary of sixteenth century everyday life are scattered throughout the book's narrative. The historical notes at the end of the book clarifies that the opening first quotation—about witnessing a public execution while on his way to work—is the only excerpt from his diary unchanged. The other excerpts from the diary are fictional to fit the book's story. However, they are all written in the style of seventeenth century English and has the sound of authenticity.
Early in the book we are introduced to Pepys' brother-in-law, Balthazar St Michel (a.k.a. Balty). He is portrayed as a hapless ne'er-do-well who begs Pepys for a "position" (i.e. government job). I assumed at first this character had to be fictional, but upon checking Wikipedia I learned that historians know of him through Pepys' diary and a letter written to Pepys. Buckley has taken this bit of information and developed Balty into a fully rounded character. In this book's story Pepys arranges to send Balty to New England in order to find two of the judges who signed off on the execution of the King's father (Charles I). The real reason Balty is being sent to New England is to move a nuisance (i.e. Balty) from England to the land of the Puritans.
The story progresses from that point and includes Pepys's lobbying Lord Downing and Duke of York to not start a war with the Dutch because the British Navy isn't properly prepared. Meanwhile Balty ends up in New Amsterdam just as Richard Nicolls sails into the harbor to take possession of the city and New Netherland, and the rest is history.
I included the following excerpt because the clever Christopher Buckley has worked in an allusion to current day wall politics. (For those who don't know the history, Peter Stuyvesant was the Dutch director-general of New Amsterdam located on Manhattan Island. Charles II was the English king at that time. The wall being referenced is located at present day Wall Street, NYC.)
In addition to the aforementioned historical aspects, this novel carries the unique satire craft of Christopher Buckley as he accentuates the foibles of the time which when compared to modern values border on the absurd. For example, the punctiliousness of the Puritans of New England and novel means of protest used by Quaker women (i.e. entering naked into Puritan church service) are centered squarely within the novel's plot. It is my understanding that many of the extremes of seventeenth society as portrayed in this novel are based on actual events. However, the serial frequency and coincidental placement within a narrative as done here are clearly fictional.
Samuel Pepys is the historical character upon whom this novel is based. Snippets of his famous diary of sixteenth century everyday life are scattered throughout the book's narrative. The historical notes at the end of the book clarifies that the opening first quotation—about witnessing a public execution while on his way to work—is the only excerpt from his diary unchanged. The other excerpts from the diary are fictional to fit the book's story. However, they are all written in the style of seventeenth century English and has the sound of authenticity.
Early in the book we are introduced to Pepys' brother-in-law, Balthazar St Michel (a.k.a. Balty). He is portrayed as a hapless ne'er-do-well who begs Pepys for a "position" (i.e. government job). I assumed at first this character had to be fictional, but upon checking Wikipedia I learned that historians know of him through Pepys' diary and a letter written to Pepys. Buckley has taken this bit of information and developed Balty into a fully rounded character. In this book's story Pepys arranges to send Balty to New England in order to find two of the judges who signed off on the execution of the King's father (Charles I). The real reason Balty is being sent to New England is to move a nuisance (i.e. Balty) from England to the land of the Puritans.
The story progresses from that point and includes Pepys's lobbying Lord Downing and Duke of York to not start a war with the Dutch because the British Navy isn't properly prepared. Meanwhile Balty ends up in New Amsterdam just as Richard Nicolls sails into the harbor to take possession of the city and New Netherland, and the rest is history.
I included the following excerpt because the clever Christopher Buckley has worked in an allusion to current day wall politics. (For those who don't know the history, Peter Stuyvesant was the Dutch director-general of New Amsterdam located on Manhattan Island. Charles II was the English king at that time. The wall being referenced is located at present day Wall Street, NYC.)
Balty praised his host’s admirable wall and asked if it kept out the savages.
Stuyvesant smiled, “Oh the wall is not for keeping out Indians, it’s for keeping out English.”
“Oh,” Balti said unsure how to respond, “Has it worked?”
Stuyvesant chortled, “It seems not. After all, here are you.” Here he added diplomatically, “But you are welcome in New Amsterdam.”
“Too kind.”
“People are now saying we must have a bigger wall.”
“Not on our account I hope.”
Stuyvesant shrugged, “If this is to come maybe I’ll ask your King Charles to pay for it.”
“A most amusing idea …”
April 7, 2021
Christopher Buckley's second venture into historical fiction, set in 1664 in England and her American colonies. A much more successful book than his last, which I didn't finish. It's a fast read, and the first 3/4 was five-star quality. As always, read the publisher's introduction in the header entry first.
The last quarter, and the ending, were less successful for me. Overall, a four star book. Recommended for Buckley and historical fiction fans. Be aware that, while there is humor, the laughs decrease as the book goes on. The writing is witty, but the real-life events are often grim indeed.
This is something of an alternate history, based on Samuel Pepys' diary, the bloodless conquest of New Amsterdam (New York), and the strange religions of 17th century America. Along with the unpleasant, violent and grubby details of life in the 17th century. Buckley has done his homework, and follows real history more closely than I'd thought while reading the book. He has extensive notes on the real-life characters he used, and on his sources for the era.
The last quarter, and the ending, were less successful for me. Overall, a four star book. Recommended for Buckley and historical fiction fans. Be aware that, while there is humor, the laughs decrease as the book goes on. The writing is witty, but the real-life events are often grim indeed.
This is something of an alternate history, based on Samuel Pepys' diary, the bloodless conquest of New Amsterdam (New York), and the strange religions of 17th century America. Along with the unpleasant, violent and grubby details of life in the 17th century. Buckley has done his homework, and follows real history more closely than I'd thought while reading the book. He has extensive notes on the real-life characters he used, and on his sources for the era.
March 14, 2018
[P. G. Wodehouse] will continue to release future generations from captivity that may be more irksome than our own. He has made a world for us to live in and delight in.– Evelyn Waugh
I do not invoke the sainted name of the genius Wodehouse lightly. Yet I say to you that this book may be mentioned in the proximity of the name of the best comic writer in the English language. Although C. Buckley does not achieve the pinnacle of comic novel-ness (if that's the word I'm looking for), it is only because PGW is, and will forever remain, the yardstick against which all are measured. If C. Buckley fails to deliver laugh-out-loud lines with the frequency of The Master, it can only be answered that this novel is the best to come down the 'pike in our benighted age, and you will laugh out loud. I urge you to take a break from the shambles that our world has become by irresponsibly neglecting your dreary duties and enjoying this book.
I don't think it is an accident that the dunderheaded hero's name, Balty, is close to Wodehouse's most memorable comic creation, Bertie Wooster. Furthermore, his reluctant sidekick Huncks resembles what Jeeves might have been like if he had lived in colonial New England and been better schooled in the art of homicide. It is icing on the cake to have the real-life literary/political figure Samuel Pepys assume the unlikely role usually played by one of Bertie Wooster's aunts in the original canon, i.e., the catalyst that gets the good-hearted but dopey and work-adverse hero into his hair-raising adventures.
Pepys gets a subplot of his own that allows Buckley to lay a well-deserved hatchet into the scheming English aristocracy of the 1660's. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the humorless and quarrelsome New England religious hypocrites (today styled as quaintly sainted Puritans) are deservedly pilloried as a group that mouthed the platitudes of tolerance when it suited their purposes but outdid their former oppressors as soon as they got the opportunity.
I hope it's not a spoiler to say that the heroes eventually get the best of their nemeses in an extremely satisfying manner for the reader.
If you have joined the legions who insist that all novels must have strong female and minority characters, preferably armed to the teeth, you may have to punish yourself unnecessarily by skipping this book. More's the pity for you. To be clear: there are admirable female characters in the book, but they function as somebody's wife or heterosexual love interest. If that's a deal-breaker for you, move along.
Heartfelt thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for giving me a free electronic galley copy of the most enjoyable read I've had in a while.
February 7, 2018
Christopher Buckley’s back to historical adventures with his newest story. The idea is that he’ll write one for every century, the last one, absolutely terrific Relic Master was set in 16th, so this one takes us to 1664, the year New Amsterdam became New York, among other things. I’ve always appreciated Buckley’s writing, but ever since he’s somehow read my mind and turned his pen (keyboard) to these humorous irreverent historical romps, he’s really become something of a delight. Didn’t even need to read the plot summary for this one when it appeared on Netgalley, instant download, one day read, instant appreciation. The thing with Buckley is that he’s genuinely clever and funny, so his perspectives and reimaginings of the actual events and actual personages of the past are incredibly witty, amusing and erudite. It’s like the most entertaining historical lesson you can imagine, a subject proverbially written by the victors now taken on by a satirist. The recipe being…select an actual person of proven documented existence, but just obscure enough that no life story survives the time (in this case Baltasar St. Michel, known as Balty, a ne’er do well brother in law of the prolific diarist Samuel Peppys, pronounced Peeps, oddly enough) and set him on a quixotic adventure (in this case all the way across the Atlantic to the colonies, to hunt down two judges responsible for the regicide of the King a few year prior). Of course, to make this a proper quest Balty’s going to need an able protector and a love interest and a bevy of lively, interesting (made all the more so by being actual historical figures) characters. Stir, throw in large amounts of political intrigue, some action, some suspense, season with jokes (at one instance the Dutch entertain the idea of building a wall to prevent the British from getting in and have the British pay for it…classic), simmer and serve. So good. Can’t wait to see what Buckley does next with the 1700s. Thanks Netgalley.
June 24, 2018
Superb historical bringing to life New Amsterdam of the 1660's through the most wonderfully lively characters. This book portrays anything but dull characters seen through the lens of humour, liberally applied wherever possible.
October 21, 2024
I like how Buckley writes. I like Buckley’s dialogues. That’s basically it.
The book is a tour through New England and the New Netherlands during the Restoration era. Learn about how there were lots of forests, that Native Americans abounded, and just how brutal certain otherwise obscure massacres of Native Americans were. I don’t doubt liberties have been taken, but I liked the introduction to the period and want to learn more.
Much like The Relic Hunter, Buckley’s protagonists are endearing characters that the reader can identify with and cheer for. They don’t have defining characteristics other than that they are nice, with morals that tend to be better than the context in which they inhabit. It is as though the reader has been transplanted to the time period with their own moral compass intact. The plot guides them along – I have read criticisms of it but I do feel like the time period did lend itself to travelling a lot in order to get somewhere. I am also fine that they were tourists rather than history makers!
This approach actually puts me in the mind of the cozy read style of Legends and Lattes. Yes, The Judge Hunter is more grounded in its setting and there is far more violence and “unfairness”… …but we don’t have to confront our own storybook avatars about their own conduct. If anything, they come off as even more paragons of virtue in The Judge Hunter - they can play off the evil of others to appear heroic in their actions. You read The Judge Hunter to be comforted knowing that you could be similarly virtuous in the same situation. Which I guess, I am fine with.
But otherwise, I like how Buckley writes. I like Buckley’s dialogues. That’s basically it.
The book is a tour through New England and the New Netherlands during the Restoration era. Learn about how there were lots of forests, that Native Americans abounded, and just how brutal certain otherwise obscure massacres of Native Americans were. I don’t doubt liberties have been taken, but I liked the introduction to the period and want to learn more.
Much like The Relic Hunter, Buckley’s protagonists are endearing characters that the reader can identify with and cheer for. They don’t have defining characteristics other than that they are nice, with morals that tend to be better than the context in which they inhabit. It is as though the reader has been transplanted to the time period with their own moral compass intact. The plot guides them along – I have read criticisms of it but I do feel like the time period did lend itself to travelling a lot in order to get somewhere. I am also fine that they were tourists rather than history makers!
This approach actually puts me in the mind of the cozy read style of Legends and Lattes. Yes, The Judge Hunter is more grounded in its setting and there is far more violence and “unfairness”… …but we don’t have to confront our own storybook avatars about their own conduct. If anything, they come off as even more paragons of virtue in The Judge Hunter - they can play off the evil of others to appear heroic in their actions. You read The Judge Hunter to be comforted knowing that you could be similarly virtuous in the same situation. Which I guess, I am fine with.
But otherwise, I like how Buckley writes. I like Buckley’s dialogues. That’s basically it.
May 11, 2018
In the “About the Author”note it says “This novel, set in the seventeen century, is his second work of historical fiction, following The Relic Master, set in the sixteenth century. His aim, quixotic to be sure , is to write novels set in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries and ——Grim Reaper permitting——twenty first. Good luck with that.”
Having read the Relic Master, which I thoroughly enjoyed and gave 4 stars to (see my review), I would give this one 3 and half stars. But it is still an imaginative take on history and a good story, this time Charles II, New Haven Colony, New Amsterdam, and Puritans, using as a basis The Diary of Samuel Pepys. Anyone interested in the real history will find plenty in his Sources section.
Since we are about the same age, I hope we both have good luck ——he to write and I to read the novels set in the remaining centuries.
Having read the Relic Master, which I thoroughly enjoyed and gave 4 stars to (see my review), I would give this one 3 and half stars. But it is still an imaginative take on history and a good story, this time Charles II, New Haven Colony, New Amsterdam, and Puritans, using as a basis The Diary of Samuel Pepys. Anyone interested in the real history will find plenty in his Sources section.
Since we are about the same age, I hope we both have good luck ——he to write and I to read the novels set in the remaining centuries.
May 6, 2018
...'then they took New York!'
Another brilliant parody of history depicted by Christopher Buckley. This expose, the story of Stuvyesant and the English attainment of New York, within the context of the Dutch-English casts our eyes back in a refreshingly new way.
Samuel Pepys, his position and his diaries are the hook to begin with. His brother-in-law gives us the subtext. Baltasar “Balty” St. Michel is an annoying nincompoop whom Pepys manages to have dispatched to the new world to track down the judges who'd sentenced Charles 1. Charles II is still determined to see them pay.
To cut a funny story short Balty, fumbling in the best traditions of '1066 and all that', or a Mel Brooksian movie at the very least, manages to shape history, along with the taciturn spy Huncks, whom one can't help but feel sorry for, being saddled with this Rowan Atkinson type figure. The commentary on the practices by the 'godly' is illuminating bringing to the fore the stringent effects of religious laws on communities. The treatment of both the Indians and other religious groups like the Quakers by these puritanical pilgrims shows the disconnect between faith and grace. There really is much than can be unpacked in Buckley's work. The casual introduction of famed figures is wonderful, with hilarious added touches that only a fictionalized account can allow. Hence Stuyvesant's Brazilian parrot, who makes a nicely framed presence on the book cover, offers us a question right from the get go, did we but know it.
Slickly written, a comic, yet true look at history through jaded and not so jaded eyes. Hidden away is at least one nod to the current political contretemps when Stuyvesant muses that they need a bigger wall to keep the English out and perhaps he can persuade Charles II to build it.
Read the who's who at the end to see well known descendants of the various figures portrayed. Quite an eye opener.
I loved every minute of this witty foray into the early times of the 17th century New World.
A NetGalley ARC
Another brilliant parody of history depicted by Christopher Buckley. This expose, the story of Stuvyesant and the English attainment of New York, within the context of the Dutch-English casts our eyes back in a refreshingly new way.
Samuel Pepys, his position and his diaries are the hook to begin with. His brother-in-law gives us the subtext. Baltasar “Balty” St. Michel is an annoying nincompoop whom Pepys manages to have dispatched to the new world to track down the judges who'd sentenced Charles 1. Charles II is still determined to see them pay.
To cut a funny story short Balty, fumbling in the best traditions of '1066 and all that', or a Mel Brooksian movie at the very least, manages to shape history, along with the taciturn spy Huncks, whom one can't help but feel sorry for, being saddled with this Rowan Atkinson type figure. The commentary on the practices by the 'godly' is illuminating bringing to the fore the stringent effects of religious laws on communities. The treatment of both the Indians and other religious groups like the Quakers by these puritanical pilgrims shows the disconnect between faith and grace. There really is much than can be unpacked in Buckley's work. The casual introduction of famed figures is wonderful, with hilarious added touches that only a fictionalized account can allow. Hence Stuyvesant's Brazilian parrot, who makes a nicely framed presence on the book cover, offers us a question right from the get go, did we but know it.
Slickly written, a comic, yet true look at history through jaded and not so jaded eyes. Hidden away is at least one nod to the current political contretemps when Stuyvesant muses that they need a bigger wall to keep the English out and perhaps he can persuade Charles II to build it.
Read the who's who at the end to see well known descendants of the various figures portrayed. Quite an eye opener.
I loved every minute of this witty foray into the early times of the 17th century New World.
A NetGalley ARC
December 28, 2019
I have read seven novels by William F. Buckley Jr. and, until now, none by his son Christopher. Having just read The Judge Hunter, I now look forward to reading several more of the younger Buckley's books. Christopher Buckley's vocabulary and literacy are impressive; one suspects that he inherited some sort of gene for these things from his father. It is a great pleasure to read something light by someone who brings such erudition to the process of writing it. This book is a story set in 17th century New England; many of the characters are historic persons. It is great fun to read the words and motives which the author ascribes to them. There is a bit about avoiding infection in cleaning a gunshot wound and about putting a well-used piece of wood in one's mouth as that might expose one to a communicable disease. These strike me as anachronisms in that Van Leeuwenhoek didn't lay eyes upon bacteria until 1676, Pasteur linked them to disease processes in the 1850s and Lister advocated antiseptic medical procedures in the 1870s. The whole work is comedic but in a subtle, amusing, pleasant sort of way. I have not yet decided which of the younger Buckley's novels to read next, but I ordered several.
February 20, 2023
I am not sure how much of my enjoyment of this was from the book itself and how much from the narrator's performance. He did the character voices so well . . .
Novel is set in London, Boston, New Haven, and New Amsterdam, is full of historical characters (including Samuel Pepys) and happenings. King Charles II is on the British throne and wants to hang & quarter all the judges who signed the death warrant for his father. There has been an unsuccessful hunt for 2 of the judges who are reputed to be hiding in New England; Pepys sees this as a good way to get his rather useless (but good natured) brother-in-law, Baltazar Saint Michael (Huguenot refugee family) occupied.
Baltazar's encounters with the Boston & New Haven Puritans, the persecuted Quakers, Indians, wild animals and finally the Dutch of New Amsterdam have their humorous moments but the history is serious and accurate, at times tragic.
I chose this book just because I like historical fiction and it was of the few audiobooks immediately available through Libby but enjoyed and learned from it . . .
Novel is set in London, Boston, New Haven, and New Amsterdam, is full of historical characters (including Samuel Pepys) and happenings. King Charles II is on the British throne and wants to hang & quarter all the judges who signed the death warrant for his father. There has been an unsuccessful hunt for 2 of the judges who are reputed to be hiding in New England; Pepys sees this as a good way to get his rather useless (but good natured) brother-in-law, Baltazar Saint Michael (Huguenot refugee family) occupied.
Baltazar's encounters with the Boston & New Haven Puritans, the persecuted Quakers, Indians, wild animals and finally the Dutch of New Amsterdam have their humorous moments but the history is serious and accurate, at times tragic.
I chose this book just because I like historical fiction and it was of the few audiobooks immediately available through Libby but enjoyed and learned from it . . .
July 18, 2020
Antra septynioliktojo amžiaus pusė. Samuelis Pepys rūpesčių turi daugiau, nei reikia. Jam kelia nerimą įtakingų asmenų nesuvokiamas noras įvelti Angliją į karą su olandais. Nesuvokiamas, nes anglų laivynas apgailėtinam stovyje (kas jau kas, o Pepys tai žino – juk darbuojasi Jūrų ministerijoje). Tarsi to negana, jam galvą kvaršina sesers brolis – surask jam kokią šiltą vietelę. Pragare tau vietelė, - tyliai sau galvoja Pepys.
Ir štai pasitaiko proga atsikratyti giminaičiu – reikia kokio nors žioplio, kuris, pats to nežinodamas, pasitarnautų dūmų uždanga tikriesiems planams. Ir pasitarnauti reikia ne kur kitur, o Amerikoje. Ar gali kas būti geriau, nei įkyrus giminaitis kažkur Mėnulyje (na, ok, ne Mėnulyje, bet ano meto žmonėms Amerika buvo ne ką arčiau). Ir štai Baltasaras St. Michelis jau plaukia į Naująjį Pasaulį, kaip jis pats galvoja – medžioti ten besislapstančių dviejų paskutinių teisėjų, nuteisusių Karolį I myriop. Toks visas sau svarbus, nors ir praleidžia bene visą kelionę užsikniaubęs virš kibiro.
Amerikoje Baltasaras gana greitai nuleidžiamas iš debesų, kuriuose skrajoja. Ir lašas po lašo iš niekam tikusio veltėdos po truputį formuojasi tikras vyras. Vis dar glušas, kaip bato aulas, bet jau sugebantis priimti sprendimus, kautis (ar bent pabandyti kautis, nes vis tiek nelabai išeina) už tai, kas jam atrodo svarbu. O mes, stebėdami tą jo virsmą, pakeliui dar stebime 1664-ais nutikusį bekraujį Naujojo Amsterdamo užgrobimą ir jo virtimą Naujuoju Jorku.
Stilius labai lengvas, į savo personažus autorius žvelgia su neslepiama, bet gana šilta, pašaipa. Skaitėsi labai smagiai. Kažko stebuklingo nėra, bet laiką su šita knyga tikrai labai maloniai praleidau. Tai keuri iš penkių. Bet tokie labai stiprūs keturi.
Ir štai pasitaiko proga atsikratyti giminaičiu – reikia kokio nors žioplio, kuris, pats to nežinodamas, pasitarnautų dūmų uždanga tikriesiems planams. Ir pasitarnauti reikia ne kur kitur, o Amerikoje. Ar gali kas būti geriau, nei įkyrus giminaitis kažkur Mėnulyje (na, ok, ne Mėnulyje, bet ano meto žmonėms Amerika buvo ne ką arčiau). Ir štai Baltasaras St. Michelis jau plaukia į Naująjį Pasaulį, kaip jis pats galvoja – medžioti ten besislapstančių dviejų paskutinių teisėjų, nuteisusių Karolį I myriop. Toks visas sau svarbus, nors ir praleidžia bene visą kelionę užsikniaubęs virš kibiro.
Amerikoje Baltasaras gana greitai nuleidžiamas iš debesų, kuriuose skrajoja. Ir lašas po lašo iš niekam tikusio veltėdos po truputį formuojasi tikras vyras. Vis dar glušas, kaip bato aulas, bet jau sugebantis priimti sprendimus, kautis (ar bent pabandyti kautis, nes vis tiek nelabai išeina) už tai, kas jam atrodo svarbu. O mes, stebėdami tą jo virsmą, pakeliui dar stebime 1664-ais nutikusį bekraujį Naujojo Amsterdamo užgrobimą ir jo virtimą Naujuoju Jorku.
Stilius labai lengvas, į savo personažus autorius žvelgia su neslepiama, bet gana šilta, pašaipa. Skaitėsi labai smagiai. Kažko stebuklingo nėra, bet laiką su šita knyga tikrai labai maloniai praleidau. Tai keuri iš penkių. Bet tokie labai stiprūs keturi.
May 10, 2018
A glorious return to form from the funniest novelist we have. No one has a greater gift for somehow making grating characters endearing. Funny and exciting and wise; you will learn history in spite of yourself. This made me want to reread so many of his other books.
May 5, 2019
It’s great to read the fiction intertwined with the non fiction. The author did a great job.
April 29, 2018
Christopher Buckley is determined to write political satire for each century. His latest book The Judge Hunter places the reader in 1664, using Samuel Pepys as the mainstay and his foppish brother-in-law Balthasar (Balty) St. Michel as his tool as the story moves between London and the New England Colonies and New Amsterdam. Torys, Papists, Puritans, Quakers and numerous tribes of native Americans all find a place in this political romp.
Balty is our guide in the New World. He is a disaster who is repeatedly saved by Colonial Hiram Huncks. Together they defy any number of ambushes and questionable situations while on Balty’s quest to hunt down the Judges who were partially responsible for the death of King Charles I of England. This is but a part of the story and this is where the book hits a snag. Balty is on one mission and unbeknownst to Balty, Huncks is on a very different undertaking. The two adventures never seem to cohere and unify the plot.
Trying to reach back to my middle school American History education I found that my knowledge of this period was sketchy. Buckley gives a thorough description of the history, and geographical delineation of the various sects interspersed with his trademark humor. Unfortunately much of it fell flat when taken with the barbarity and intolerance of the times. Most of the players were self-serving and unsympathetic. A few compassionate Quakers were thrown into the mix as a ploy to keep the whole from being so badly tainted. The political intrigue was slowly parceled out and kept my attention but I always felt as if there should be more to the story.
I didn’t enjoy the story as much as his foray into the 16th century with The Relic Master. I appreciated the inclusion in the Historical Notes of the progeny between the 17th Century genealogy and the present. Imagine Princess Diana being the descendant of the King’s mistress who bore him 5 illegitimate children.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC.
Balty is our guide in the New World. He is a disaster who is repeatedly saved by Colonial Hiram Huncks. Together they defy any number of ambushes and questionable situations while on Balty’s quest to hunt down the Judges who were partially responsible for the death of King Charles I of England. This is but a part of the story and this is where the book hits a snag. Balty is on one mission and unbeknownst to Balty, Huncks is on a very different undertaking. The two adventures never seem to cohere and unify the plot.
Trying to reach back to my middle school American History education I found that my knowledge of this period was sketchy. Buckley gives a thorough description of the history, and geographical delineation of the various sects interspersed with his trademark humor. Unfortunately much of it fell flat when taken with the barbarity and intolerance of the times. Most of the players were self-serving and unsympathetic. A few compassionate Quakers were thrown into the mix as a ploy to keep the whole from being so badly tainted. The political intrigue was slowly parceled out and kept my attention but I always felt as if there should be more to the story.
I didn’t enjoy the story as much as his foray into the 16th century with The Relic Master. I appreciated the inclusion in the Historical Notes of the progeny between the 17th Century genealogy and the present. Imagine Princess Diana being the descendant of the King’s mistress who bore him 5 illegitimate children.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC.
June 2, 2018
I enjoyed this. It’s a period piece with flowery language. I particularly enjoyed the last few pages where it discussed the characters descendants. Amusing.
October 17, 2025
Господь всемогущий, храни авторов с блестящим чувством юмора.
June 9, 2018
I loved a lot of things about this book. The story was light-hearted and fun (despite the grisly deaths of a few characters), and the writing reminded me at time of Wodehouse. I was fully prepared to give this book four stars, until...
Near the end Buckley slips into the head of Repent, a Native American character converted to Christianity by one of the colonists. We're only there for a couple of pages. The first few paragraphs are ok, but then the writing changes. It recaps the story to date from Repent's perspective in a very simple style that to me reads as if Buckley is trying to make us think that Regent is an idiot. And I am just not in the mood for that sort of stereotyping. Worse, those pages--the only ones we spent in Regent's head--weren't even needed. They gave us no new information. Buckley could have skipped those pages entirely, and the story would have been just fine.
Near the end Buckley slips into the head of Repent, a Native American character converted to Christianity by one of the colonists. We're only there for a couple of pages. The first few paragraphs are ok, but then the writing changes. It recaps the story to date from Repent's perspective in a very simple style that to me reads as if Buckley is trying to make us think that Regent is an idiot. And I am just not in the mood for that sort of stereotyping. Worse, those pages--the only ones we spent in Regent's head--weren't even needed. They gave us no new information. Buckley could have skipped those pages entirely, and the story would have been just fine.
February 9, 2018
One of the best books I’ve read recently. Combines impeccably written and factually grounded historical fiction with action and humor. The interweaving of Pepys diary entries and the story of his brother in law searching New Haven and New York in the mid seventeenth century for fugitives from England is just plain fascinating and fun. Highly recommended. There are not enough books like this out ther.
June 13, 2018
A quick and diverting read...one might almost call it a 'smart romp.' Particularly fun for New Englanders to read about our distant past: the Natives vs Puritans vs Quakers vs Popists. More than a few smiles and chuckles in Buckley's inimitable style.
August 23, 2018
This was a very entertaining and funny historical fiction. I did not know that most of the characters in the book had been actual people.
September 25, 2019
Buckley writes with a delightful blend of adventure and humor, action and sin. I was thoroughly entertained. The story is about a swashbuckling hero traveling through New England with a bumbling companion during the run-up to the Second Anglo-Dutch War. A lot happens on their journey from Boston to New Amsterdam, some fun, some tragic. However, the overall journey is entertaining.
The novel begins with two unlikable characters. Samuel Pepys is an arrogant bureaucrat positioned in the logistical side of the British Navy. Balthasar de St. Michel is his annoying, bumbling brother-in-law. Pepys devises a way to send him to New England with a charge from King Charles II to hunt for two of the men who signed the death warrant for Charles I. "Balty" takes his charge way too seriously. However, he is assigned a minder, someone who will guide and protect him. His minder is is the real English agent with the real mission. Balty's assignment is pure cover. Many people can see through the charade, in no small part because of Balty's....inexperience. But everyone pretends that Balty's mission is the real mission.
The characters are probably the most memorable feature of the novel. Each of them has their own special quirks. Even the minor actors are memorable. Casual witnesses with no lines in the novel will stay vivid with the reader. Consequently, Buckley's strength is in character development. Only once did his character development falter. The Indian named Repent was a vicious killer and a constant villain throughout much of the novel. Only at the very end does Buckley try to further develop his character. This awkward backstory does not add to the novel. It not only portrays Repent as a simpleton (like a child, even though he was an adult), but also appears to possibly justify his cruelty by way of his simpleness. The result is that it appears Buckley tries to either humanize Repent or offer a feeble, politically correct, excuse for his actions.
The settings are less vivid and sometimes difficult to imagine. In one action scene, the heroes fall from a cliff; but the entire scene from start to finish was difficult to imagine. Similarly, Buckley spends considerable time describing New Amsterdam. Even with a basic sense of the layout of modern New York, I cannot picture how Buckley recreated the cobbled city.
Without knowing the accuracy of the world Buckley created, I cannot gauge the historical accuracy of the Indian Wars, the Pilgrims, the grim view of Puritan government, or the overall gloomy portrayal of colonial New England. Nothing obvious appears out of place. I am skeptical of new colonies possessing mansions with nineteen chimneys....
In conclusion, this is a delightful book. It is short, it reads quickly, it engages the reader. There are no obvious errors. The characters are memorable even if their actions and motivations are not. The setting is unique. There is a sense of a murder mystery; but that is due to the heavy character development. There is some mystery as the author constantly dangles Balty's mission as a mystery that needs solving, even if secondary to the real mission. Will Balty find the judges? Read it and find out.
The novel begins with two unlikable characters. Samuel Pepys is an arrogant bureaucrat positioned in the logistical side of the British Navy. Balthasar de St. Michel is his annoying, bumbling brother-in-law. Pepys devises a way to send him to New England with a charge from King Charles II to hunt for two of the men who signed the death warrant for Charles I. "Balty" takes his charge way too seriously. However, he is assigned a minder, someone who will guide and protect him. His minder is is the real English agent with the real mission. Balty's assignment is pure cover. Many people can see through the charade, in no small part because of Balty's....inexperience. But everyone pretends that Balty's mission is the real mission.
The characters are probably the most memorable feature of the novel. Each of them has their own special quirks. Even the minor actors are memorable. Casual witnesses with no lines in the novel will stay vivid with the reader. Consequently, Buckley's strength is in character development. Only once did his character development falter. The Indian named Repent was a vicious killer and a constant villain throughout much of the novel. Only at the very end does Buckley try to further develop his character. This awkward backstory does not add to the novel. It not only portrays Repent as a simpleton (like a child, even though he was an adult), but also appears to possibly justify his cruelty by way of his simpleness. The result is that it appears Buckley tries to either humanize Repent or offer a feeble, politically correct, excuse for his actions.
The settings are less vivid and sometimes difficult to imagine. In one action scene, the heroes fall from a cliff; but the entire scene from start to finish was difficult to imagine. Similarly, Buckley spends considerable time describing New Amsterdam. Even with a basic sense of the layout of modern New York, I cannot picture how Buckley recreated the cobbled city.
Without knowing the accuracy of the world Buckley created, I cannot gauge the historical accuracy of the Indian Wars, the Pilgrims, the grim view of Puritan government, or the overall gloomy portrayal of colonial New England. Nothing obvious appears out of place. I am skeptical of new colonies possessing mansions with nineteen chimneys....
In conclusion, this is a delightful book. It is short, it reads quickly, it engages the reader. There are no obvious errors. The characters are memorable even if their actions and motivations are not. The setting is unique. There is a sense of a murder mystery; but that is due to the heavy character development. There is some mystery as the author constantly dangles Balty's mission as a mystery that needs solving, even if secondary to the real mission. Will Balty find the judges? Read it and find out.
August 15, 2019
This is a fun, but rather bizarre piece of historical fiction. It's a speculative take of the "bloodless" taking of New Amsterdam from the Dutch and creation of New York. It includes side trips through much of Connecticut, New Haven (which was a separate colony at the time, and Massachusetts. There's also a side-trip to Long Island. The man who gets the story started is Samuel Pepys, who at the time was the man responsible for the finances of the English Navy. He decides to take care of his annoying brother-in-law, by arranging for Charles II to have him sent to find two of the men who signed the death warrant for his father, Charles I. They are rumored to be hiding in New England. Mostly, he sends Balty because he's annoying, and he wants him to distract everyone he meets from the fact that the Navy is coming to start a war with the Dutch. The funniest event in the book is an attempt to rescue Balty, who's been captured by the Dutch, by exchanging him for Peter Stuyvesant's kidnapped parrot. Needless to say, it doesn't quite work. The whole thing is fun, but does require some stretching of credulity. It's worth the ride, though, if you like this kind of thing.
August 5, 2021
THE GREAT COMPLETIST CHALLENGE: In which I revisit older authors and attempt to read every book they ever wrote
Currently in the challenge: Isaac Asimov's Robot/Empire/Foundation | Margaret Atwood | JG Ballard | Clive Barker | Christopher Buckley | Jim Butcher's Dresden Files | Lee Child's Jack Reacher | Philip K Dick | Ian Fleming | William Gibson | Michel Houellebecq | John Irving | Kazuo Ishiguro | Shirley Jackson | John Le Carre | Bernard Malamud | Cormac McCarthy | China Mieville | Toni Morrison | VS Naipaul | Chuck Palahniuk | Tim Powers | Terry Pratchett's Discworld | Philip Roth | Neal Stephenson | Jim Thompson | John Updike | Kurt Vonnegut | Jeanette Winterson | PG Wodehouse
One of the things I've been coming to realize as I make my way through Christopher Buckley's contemporary satires from the 1990s and 2000s is that the brilliance of his debut novel, the now classic Thank You For Smoking, was actually kind of a fluke, with the three books I've now read after it dropping so quickly in quality that I'm thinking about removing him from my Completist Challenge altogether. So it was really smart of him, then, to switch to historical comedic thrillers here in the 2010s; because he's much better at these than he is at contemporary satires, the discipline of having to write in a historically accurate style seemingly doing something to Buckley's overall discipline as a writer as well, allowing him to turn out books that are simply of better quality than disappointments like Little Green Men and No Way to Treat a First Lady.
2018's The Judge Hunter is his second such historical novel, as delightful as the first (2015's The Relic Master, in which a team of Medieval con men conspire to create a fake version of the Shroud of Turin), in this case set just a little bit in the future but a world away in subject and scope. Namely, this time we're looking at the late 1600s, a time when an English king has been put back on the throne after a successful but short secular revolution, and where Britain and the Netherlands are still fighting on equal terms over who will be the dominant colonialists in the "New World" of America. Into this milieu we are introduced to Samuel Pepys' dimwitted brother-in-law, the half-French Balthasar de St. Michel (aka "good ol' Balty"), who is hired by the Crown to travel to America and attempt to hunt down two of the judges responsible for the death warrant of the previous King Charles, with Pepys recommending him to the post mainly for the purpose of getting him out of his hair once and for all.
This being Buckley, all manner of wacky adventures ensue, including Balty teaming up with a brilliant but bitter ex-soldier once in America, saving the life and consequently falling in love with a local Quaker girl, running afoul of Peter Stuyvesant while attempting to sneak into New Amsterdam, and learning of a conspiracy that reaches all the way to the king to use visiting troops to force a turnover of New Amsterdam into a hopeful "New York." It's all written in a delightfully breakneck speed and stuffed full of humorous dialogue, a genre that Buckley out of the blue has demonstrated a natural mastery of in the last few years, and is just the thing for people who like their beach reads to be smarter than usual while also teaching you a bit about real history along the way. It comes strongly recommended to one and all.
Christopher Buckley books being reviewed for this series: Thank You For Smoking (1994) | Little Green Men (1999) | No Way to Treat a First Lady (2002) | Florence of Arabia (2004) | Boomsday (2007) | Supreme Courtship (2008) | They Eat Puppies, Don't They? (2012) | The Relic Master (2015) | The Judge Hunter (2018) | Make Russia Great Again (2020)
Currently in the challenge: Isaac Asimov's Robot/Empire/Foundation | Margaret Atwood | JG Ballard | Clive Barker | Christopher Buckley | Jim Butcher's Dresden Files | Lee Child's Jack Reacher | Philip K Dick | Ian Fleming | William Gibson | Michel Houellebecq | John Irving | Kazuo Ishiguro | Shirley Jackson | John Le Carre | Bernard Malamud | Cormac McCarthy | China Mieville | Toni Morrison | VS Naipaul | Chuck Palahniuk | Tim Powers | Terry Pratchett's Discworld | Philip Roth | Neal Stephenson | Jim Thompson | John Updike | Kurt Vonnegut | Jeanette Winterson | PG Wodehouse
One of the things I've been coming to realize as I make my way through Christopher Buckley's contemporary satires from the 1990s and 2000s is that the brilliance of his debut novel, the now classic Thank You For Smoking, was actually kind of a fluke, with the three books I've now read after it dropping so quickly in quality that I'm thinking about removing him from my Completist Challenge altogether. So it was really smart of him, then, to switch to historical comedic thrillers here in the 2010s; because he's much better at these than he is at contemporary satires, the discipline of having to write in a historically accurate style seemingly doing something to Buckley's overall discipline as a writer as well, allowing him to turn out books that are simply of better quality than disappointments like Little Green Men and No Way to Treat a First Lady.
2018's The Judge Hunter is his second such historical novel, as delightful as the first (2015's The Relic Master, in which a team of Medieval con men conspire to create a fake version of the Shroud of Turin), in this case set just a little bit in the future but a world away in subject and scope. Namely, this time we're looking at the late 1600s, a time when an English king has been put back on the throne after a successful but short secular revolution, and where Britain and the Netherlands are still fighting on equal terms over who will be the dominant colonialists in the "New World" of America. Into this milieu we are introduced to Samuel Pepys' dimwitted brother-in-law, the half-French Balthasar de St. Michel (aka "good ol' Balty"), who is hired by the Crown to travel to America and attempt to hunt down two of the judges responsible for the death warrant of the previous King Charles, with Pepys recommending him to the post mainly for the purpose of getting him out of his hair once and for all.
This being Buckley, all manner of wacky adventures ensue, including Balty teaming up with a brilliant but bitter ex-soldier once in America, saving the life and consequently falling in love with a local Quaker girl, running afoul of Peter Stuyvesant while attempting to sneak into New Amsterdam, and learning of a conspiracy that reaches all the way to the king to use visiting troops to force a turnover of New Amsterdam into a hopeful "New York." It's all written in a delightfully breakneck speed and stuffed full of humorous dialogue, a genre that Buckley out of the blue has demonstrated a natural mastery of in the last few years, and is just the thing for people who like their beach reads to be smarter than usual while also teaching you a bit about real history along the way. It comes strongly recommended to one and all.
Christopher Buckley books being reviewed for this series: Thank You For Smoking (1994) | Little Green Men (1999) | No Way to Treat a First Lady (2002) | Florence of Arabia (2004) | Boomsday (2007) | Supreme Courtship (2008) | They Eat Puppies, Don't They? (2012) | The Relic Master (2015) | The Judge Hunter (2018) | Make Russia Great Again (2020)
November 14, 2018
Samuel Pepy's diary is the starting point for this romp of an historical novel. Buckley has a lot of fun with the horrible Puritans, the scary Quiripi tribe and the unscrupulous Dutch of New England, weaving in a tale of romance and regicide pursuit as he solves the mystery of what happened to Whalley and Goffe, the two judges who escaped punishment and fled England after Cromwell's death.
May 11, 2018
Very interesting and educational read.
Most entertaining I read it in two days. great walk through the past. The book is very well written and features a cast of characters that will have you bursting out laughing. It’s a terrific book. Don’t pass it by....
Most entertaining I read it in two days. great walk through the past. The book is very well written and features a cast of characters that will have you bursting out laughing. It’s a terrific book. Don’t pass it by....
October 20, 2019
Fun read, as Mr. Buckley's books usually are. But required reading for anyone hailing from the Connecticut/New York area - although some creative license was taken with the main characters - this was a fun way to refresh/learn history of the area.
September 12, 2020
Brilliant! I was hooked from the very first page on seeing an entry from the diary of Mr. Pepys. The journals of Mr. Pepys have played such an important work in both fiction and non fiction, that it’s about time someone gave him a starring role....and I love that he was made into a philanderer!
As for Balty, one reader compared him to one of my favourite literary characters of all time....Bertie Wooster! Spot on!
As for Balty, one reader compared him to one of my favourite literary characters of all time....Bertie Wooster! Spot on!
November 26, 2021
Funny, creative, unique but you’ve got to be into old English & American history and maybe have some prior knowledge for a few of the characters like Samuel Pepys, Charles II. If you don’t mind reading anachronistic language this book will produce some great belly laughs. The main character Balty is one of the great comic characters of all time and his adventures would make a great film, think Monty Python. This is a smart clever novel filled with asides and historic “in readers” references. Christopher Buckley is a tremendous author: equally good at dialogue and creating visual settings and well versed in subtleties of history to come up with this one, I’ll read more by him!
June 13, 2018
A fun-to-read book. Four stars for humor and good storytelling.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews