Firedrake's Eye

David Becket and Simon Ames #1

by Patricia Finney

Brilliantly written in language eerily reminiscent of sixteenth-century England and filled with the dazzling color and drama of Tudor England, Firedrake's Eye concerns a meticulously constructed plot to kill Queen Elizabeth I. Tom O'Bedlam, the mad son of prominent Catholic family, stumbles upon evidence that his hated brother has returned to England to spearhead a scheme to assassinate the Queen.

Patricia Finney transports the reader back in time to the dirty, dangerous underbelly of 1583 London. Combining accurate and detailed historical research with story-telling of an unusually high caliber, Firedrake's Eye brilliantly evokes that danger and treachery of Tudor politics.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Historical Mystery, 16th Century, Tudor Period, Historical

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

AKA P.F. Chisholm and Grace Cavendish

Patricia Finney's career started with a bang when her first novel A SHADOW OF GULLS was published before she went up to Oxford aged 18 to study History, back in the mists of time, when dinosaurs roamed.
Having found out early what she could do, she has kept doing it. To date she has (mainstream) published:
the Sir Robert Carey Elizabethan crime novels under the pen name PF Chisholm - eight of them so far;
three Elizabethan spy novels as Patricia Finney;
two Elizabethan noir novels as Patricia Finney;
one contemporary romantic thriller - LUCKY WOMAN - under Finney;
three children's books about Jack the daffy Labrador in Doglish (Finney) and various odds and sods including the sequel to GULLS and WRITERITIS, about how to write a novel.
You can find most of her work on http://www.climbingtreebooks.com except for the Sir Robert Carey (PF Chisholm) novels which are published by Poisoned Pen Press (USA) and Head of Zeus (UK).
Her dayjob career has been... complex. At the moment she is living in Hungary and learning Hungarian and writing a non-fiction book about her mother's adventures as a child in wartime Hungary. She is really enjoying not doing a dayjob at the moment.
Go to my website, read my blogs and reviews and sign up for my email newsletter - at http://www.patriciafinney.com

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is by the same author as the wonderful Sir Robert Carey books and you can tell. The writing is excellent, the atmosphere of Elizabethan London is created beautifully and the characters have to endure filth and squalor and regular fisticuffs regardless of their position in society.

David Becket and Simon Ames were not quite as easy to like in this first book as Sir Robert was but I can see their possibilities and know they will grow on me. If you enjoy an authentic historical mystery set in this time period then you will like this one. I did and I have book 2 on my Kindle ready to go.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written with a very Elizabethan flavor to the language and narrated by a madman, this novel took me a chapter or two to get used to the style but once I did I really enjoyed this historical thriller full of treason, spies and dastardly plots. Patricia Finney (who also writes the popular Sir Robert Carey series as P.F Chisholm) has done her research well and really brings to life Elizabethan London with it's noxious smells, sights and sounds of the streets as well as the political and religious unrest of the times.

Tom O'Bedlam, our narrator was a courtier and member of a respected family before having a nervous breakdown and being sent to Bedlam by his brother. Now free on the streets he sees and understands more than men think, although his bouts of madness often prevent him communicating what he knows. There is an extended cast of characters involved in the plot, but the two main players are Simon Ames, employed by Queen Elizabeth's spymaster, Francis Walsingham, as a talented cracker of codes and inquisitor at the tower and David Becket, an impoverished returned soldier and instructor of swordsmanship. The two first meet when an attempt is made on Simon's life and he is saved by Becket. Together they make a splendid pair and their combined talents of brain and brawn are put to good use seeking out a devious plot planned for Queen Elizabeth's Accession Day celebrations. This is the first of a trilogy featuring Ames and Becket and I look forward to seeing them back in action soon.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our poor crazed narrator Tom O’ Bedlam, alter ego of an ex-courtier who had a mental breakdown, tells us the story of an attempted assassination plot against Queen Elizabeth I. He’s able to tell the story because his madness gives him omniscience and prescience via visiting angels and windows into men’s minds. Trouble is, he has some trouble communicating what he knows and people tend to not believe him at crucial moments, because, well, he’s crazy.

“Now I have found that there are a great many worlds, temporal and spiritual, all jostling upon each other within the great compass of God’s creation. Perhaps my trouble is that the walls betwixt the temporal and the spiritual worlds are for me the thinnest gossamer and for the sane, of hardest rock.”

Through Tom’s visions, we get into the heads of a few key characters and watch the actions of many more as they navigate the mean streets of 1583 London. And those streets, they do get mean. Finney does a good job of making vivid the sights, sounds and smells of that era, the ruthlessness of people bent on achieving their own ends in this turbulent time of religious and political strife, and the desperation and brutality of the lower-class criminal element. I love the way she describes the minute details of everyday life, the “foothills of the midden” in the street, how dirty the clothes got, the crush and cacophony of the crowds at public events, the piles of goods at the fancy fabric shops for fashionable courtiers on the London Bridge, the difficulty of travelling the Thames by boat in certain weather, currents and traffic conditions, all the things that give real texture to the story. Not to mention the chilling descriptions of the accommodations in the Tower of London for those on the wrong side of the power struggle.

Through the musings of a Jewish clerk named Ames, there is an exploration of moral questions about how far does one go to be true to one’s beliefs and still be able to justify one’s actions? Ames is an inquisitor in the Tower, but has more moral scruples than perhaps anyone else in the book. Being outside both the Protestant and Catholic spheres, he can wonder objectively about how single-minded fanatics, whether they be Catholic-persecuting Protestants or the Spanish Inquisition, whose zealotry is so inhumane, can retain the righteousness of their cause. But don’t worry, it’s not all philosophizing. There is plenty of action, fast-paced sword fights, harrowing escapes, and daring rescues.

There is a mix of real historical characters and fictional ones, with a list at the back of the book noting which is which. There is also a glossary of commonly used terms from the late 16th century which is handy (a “footpad” is a mugger), although I wished it was more complete than it is. There is also a three-page, very basic refresher course on Tudor/Elizabethan history and England’s relationship with Spain.

I enjoyed this quite a bit, but perhaps not quite as much as its sequel Unicorn’s Blood, which I read a few years ago, and which is up for a re-read soon, about a dirty little secret of the Queen’s that causes no end of trouble.

[Jamie Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this author’s Elizabethan mysteries featuring Sir Robert Carey, which are published under the pen name P.F. Chisholm. Those are quite good, and I was especially impressed with how well she conveyed a sense of time and place without resorting to awkward affectations of language.

In this book she takes a different course, trying to give the prose “a flavour of the Elizabethan”. For a while I found the writing annoyingly abstruse: a combination of the prose style and the fact that the narrator is a raving madman who envisions angels and demons while telling his tale.

Eventually I did get absorbed into the story. It’s not really a mystery, but rather one of those books where the reader knows everything that’s going on and waits for the characters to figure it out. There’s a plot to kill the queen, perpetrated by the madman’s Catholic brother. Simon Ames is an investigator for Walsingham, and Becket is a down-on-his-luck swordsman.

This book has more focus on religious issues than the Robert Carey series. In fear of sinister plots from France and Spain, the government feels justified in persecuting its Catholic citizens.

While Queen Elizabeth is on the cover, she’s only in the book for a page or two, at a distance. That’s fine, I think, as there is no shortage of fiction focusing on Elizabeth.

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Elizabethan Day Of The Jackal, written with wit and flair and an engaging cast of characters, Firedrake's Eye is the first in a brilliant trilogy of historical espionage thrillers to feature swordsman David Becket and clerk Simon Ames.

Poor Tom O'Bedlam narrates the tale, once a respected courtier, now madman begging on the streets of London. A Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Queen Elizabeth comes via a circuitous route from Spain, heralded by the ballad written by Tom years before and sent to his brother in the Netherlands. The eyes of the Queen's spymaster are fixed on France, however, and as doors are kicked in and priestholes discovered and conspiracies unmasked, it is Becket and Ames who find themselves on the track of the real danger.

It's a terrific read, strongly reminiscent of the likes of Dorothy Dunnet, Neal Stephenson and Mary Gentle, so fans of any or all of those will find much to enjoy here.

[Old-Barbarossa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conspiracy in Elizabethan London. A smelly, filthy book with stale trenchers and plotting in equal measure.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I barely understood the historical content of this historical novel, I appreciated the story. An attempt on the life of Elizabeth I at her accession day. It was naive of me to not have previously understood the era and importance of Catholic and Protestant politics... I also had a lot of trouble following the characters, one of the primary characters had a split personality and speaks to angels and spirits.... I've never read anything else that was set in Elizabethan England, except for Shakespeare, which I mostly find equally boggling, but enjoy the story anyway.... I started and finished this because a former colleague, Dr. Missy Lee Price, said this is her favorite book ever... I wonder if she personally knows the author? ; p

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm only interested in spies if they're Elizabethan, I guess. (Or played by Samuel West.) (Oh, for the day these worlds collide!!!)

Anyway, The Firedrake's Eye is - not exactly derivative, although there are dozens of works like it: bromance between a rough, vaguely depressed military type and a cerebral, conflicted civilian-spy, together they solve crime/defeat Napoleon/find the hand of Franklin! What I mean is, it belongs to a familiar formula, with many variations. If you like the Aubrey-Maturin books, you'll probably like Firedrake's Eye, though Finney's novel is deeply weird in ways Jack and Stephen never had to deal with. I found the weirdness appealing, opening up as it did some unexpected angles of compassion and insight.

Really good historical fiction makes you glad you live in the time period you live in. These people have a lot of problems that could be solved by clean water and penicillin. Finney has a sensitive approach to the 16th century, writing its people and their attitudes in convincing but clear-eyed ways comparatively free of anachronism (though of course anachronisms in psychology are always a difficult call to make).

Probably the best thing about the book is the language, which is rich and evocative without being too literal a recreation of the speech of the time. It's quite beautifully written.

The plot could be tighter. Also, it verged a bit on the Dickensian as far as the intersection of emotional baggage with the events of the plot goes. I get that the main purpose of fiction is to show us those very intersections, but all the same, there are limits. Still: it's not much of a flaw in a mystery when things wrap up neatly. That's what mysteries do.

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a few chapters to find my footing, since our narrator is the half-mad Tom 0'Bedlam, but once it got going I was all in. The setting is London, the time is the Elizabethan era, and the characters, whether cutpurses or advisors to the Queen, live in a convincingly grimy world, both morally and physically. Finney has complete control of her story, and though some of the politics went right by me, the plot unfolded at an ever-quickening pace. The final set piece, when the assassin takes his place in the mechanical dragon, will remind Dunnett fans of masques and plays from the Lymond Chronicles.

[Hayat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I heard a lot of praise for this series and i was curious and because i love historical fiction genre. For some reason, i just couldn't get into this one. I'm a big mood reader, so I feel like I burned out reading too many historical fiction based on the Tudor Court. I need to give it another go soon.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me a while to get in to but I’m glad I persevered with it! Not as good as the Carey books though

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was not a fan of this book to start. I did warm to it after about 75-100 pages. Not sure if it was because more plot was involved or I became used to the language.

The plot is pretty straightforward. It involves the Elizabethan equivalent to the secret service, Walsingham’s spies and operatives, who are trying to foil a Catholic assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth at her Accession Day celebrations in 1583. Walsingham’s agents entrap and torture suspects in typical 16th century fashion and Finney relishes in the descriptions. At times I wondered about Finney’s fixation on bodily functions and how characters contributed their bodily fluids to the muck of the streets of London. Just don’t find that entertaining.

Queen Elizabeth does stay in the background. This is more focused on Walsingham’s men and the assassins. When she is mentioned, it is respectfully (often she is depicted in the image of the irritable, pasted, bald, unreasonable old woman).

The narrator is a madman, Tom O’Bedlam. He is a schizophrenic and is relaying the story from various angles. Maybe this was my difficulty in warming to this novel in the beginning. I wasn’t sure if I was reading historical fiction or fantasy. Was this an example of magical realism? I talked myself into hanging in there and not being too freaked out over not reading a traditional historical fiction work. Then at the end I find out the narrator is narrating this after his death. What?! Very discomforting to this historian.

The language is rich and colorful, especially when the narrator is speaking. Am not sure if the prose is poetic, soaring, flashy or just the phrasing of a madman. I liked much of it such as, “And here was silence, only the fire speaking to itself quietly ….

Cannot say the language was Elizabethan. Seemed modern with altered sentence structure and word choice. Here is an example: “There [at Southwark] I once shared a chamber with Becket, and neither of us learnt much law for I was too addicted to poetry and he to fighting to spend time arguing points in bastard Norman French.”

Finney provides a list of characters in the back of the book which was helpful not only to following the plot (this was a very populated novel) but also to let readers know which characters were historical figures and which fiction.

Although I would recommend this book, pretty sure I will not be reading others in the trilogy.

[Karen Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book by Patricia Finney (who also writes a wonderful series as P.J. Chisolm), I was absolutely besotted with the language and beauty of the descriptions – the way the characters spoke, how clothing and street scapes were rendered. I could breath the miasmas, feel the crunch of gravel or the dirty crush of the ginnels and streets of Tudor England. They were quite breath-taking – in the sense the pungent odours would take your breath away. But, after a while, I realised I didn’t actually grasp the plot; I was simply swept up in the Elizabethan setting and the people populating it. But so glorious is the poetry of the work, I thought, Oh, bugger it, I’ll keep reading anyway – which is not something I ordinarily do.
Then, about page 50 or so, I started to comprehend what was going on. Please, don’t think this is the author’s fault. This was me being so in awe of the writing style and skill and wanting to taste every word and feel every experience and savour the new lexicon and its deployment. It was like immersing myself in a foreign language and I think it just took time for the penny or groat to drop and the plot to thicken.
Firedrake’s Eye tells the story of a conspiracy to kill Queen Elizabeth. Ever since the Papal Bull of around 1570 and which was repeated, I think, in 1580, there were many such plots, so fictionalising one is certainly not a stretch. Many writers have done this and done it well. But it’s testimony to Finney’s quite phenomenal skill and imagination that she weaves a plot involving a dragon, a madman, Tom O’Bedlam, a pursuivant of Sir Francis Walsingham who happens to be Jewish, and an ex-soldier with a past. Mingling factual characters with fictional ones, Finney’s London is crafted in squalid and dangerous brilliance.
Whether it’s the splendour of courtiers or the grime of the homeless, the poverty and desperation of trugs and street urchins or Sir Philip Sidney’s doublet, the reader is placed in the moment. Even the mad ravings of Tom, a former courtier and member of a prominent Catholic family who segues between lunacy and normalcy and pays a heavy price, possesses an authencity that is a marvel. But it’s the poesy of this book that is stunning.
Building to a fast and complex climax, this is an historical thriller that is both literary and page-turning. Absolutely excellent.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in a series of espionage and intrigue thrillers set in Elizabethan London. I read the second, Unicorn's Blood a few years ago. I enjoyed Firedrake's Eye even more than I had its sequel. In this one, the two main characters, a roguish freelance swordsman and a clerk working for Walsingham, end up working together to follow the trail of a small group of Catholic traitors allied with Spain and their clever plot to assassinate the queen. In addition to keeping the narrative suspenseful and compelling, Finney is also able to weave in some good reflection on loyalty, motivation, guilt, and justification.
Finney uses several devices that really bring the story and setting to life. First of all, she does a really good job of giving the language and the prose a Shakespearean/Elizabethan feel without going horribly over the top. Second, she uses a madman living on the streets as a mostly-ominiscient narrator, which allows her to give the story an interesting spin (it would be spoilery to explain why this works as well as it does).

[Dawn (& Ron) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating clarification 3-1/2 stars.

A very good medieval mystery revolving around the assassination attempt of Elizabeth I. Finney convincingly portrays the treacherous atmosphere of the times, Entrenching the reader in Tudor espionage with the enigmatic Walsingham paired with a swashbuckling swordsman. The two clashing personalities have to navigate through a complicated and twisted plot involving Catholics and the Spanish.

The narrative figuratively captures the Elizabethan language, further immersing the reader in the 16th century. This could be off-putting for some but once you get into the flow, it can really add to the read and separate this from other medieval mysteries. The narrator is a homeless madman which can make the read confusing at times, while adding an unexpected pathos and understanding. Wonderful historical note, a detailed cast of characters and a glossary of Tudor words and street slang are a welcome asset for the reader.

[Pamela Bronson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very odd historical fantasy some years back, though I don't necessarily recommend it and definitely don't recommend the two sequels for a number of reasons.

However, I have just been reminded of the fact that openly practicing Jews did not exist in Tudor England, in fact had not since 1290, almost three centuries earlier. (I had known this and forgotten.) Therefore one of the main characters could not exist. (He is clearly described as admitting his Jewish faith and practice.) So I'm docking it one star.

The narrator is a crazy man, a very sympathetic character. He helps make it interesting.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time with this book. The changes in point of view were hard to follow at times. Tom, as the narrator, was a challenge. The assassination plot got lost in things. The atmosphere and language were wonderful which is why I will probably continue on in the series.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, Patricia Finney! Thanks to you, I am now familiar with the bumroll, the farthingale, the
forepart and the codpiece, not to mention biggins and morions. I even know what color "dead Spaniard" is. The research you've done for your wonderful Elizabethan books is admirable. So
well done!

[Boar's Head Eastcheap · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to this novel via Finney's nom-de-plume, PF Chisholm, and her entertaining Sir John Carey novel, A Famine of Horses.

Appropriately enough, Firedrake's Eye is an entirely different beast ...

Firstly, we have a new partnership to get to know - actually a triumvirate.  David Becket is rough and ready, flawed but humane, a master sword-for-hire who finds himself entangled with Simon Ames, the latter an inquisitor in Sir Francis Walsingham's stable, a gentle Jew employed to defeat Catholic plots against the Protestant Queen.  Which leaves our third main character ...

And this is where the story gets interesting, and also more difficult.  The novel is told from the first-person point-of-view of a seemingly omniscient idiot-savant.  Tom O’ Bedlam, escapee from the lunatic asylum who sees angels and devils, vies with Ralph, courtier brought low, for control of the narrative as well as the skull they both inhabit.  It took me quite a few pages to get a feel for the narrator and stop feeling frustrated at his occasional ambiguity.  I can imagine some readers being put off by this, but patience does pay dividends with this book.  Once I 'got' Tom, the novel moved along at accelerating pace as it took in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth I: yes, another one, but this version was freshened by the narrative voice.

Becket and Ames are interesting, well-drawn characters, and they have definite character arcs in the novel, with various moral dilemmas that they have to confront and which shape them.  That said, characterisation seems to be one of Finney's strengths, as the supporting cast is skilfully fleshed-out.  Our villain was satisfyingly villainous, and I was also pleased not to have to deal with some of the usual tropes, such as 'the whore with a heart of gold' ...

The descriptions of Elizabethan life are obviously well-researched, immersive and suitably grim.  We take in bear-baiting, the organised criminal underworld, the Tower, Accession Day celebrations, and of course the river.

A couple of relatively minor points.  There is a glossary, but in my Kindle copy it was unannounced; I only found it after I'd finished the novel.  There was also a section about 75% in that was poorly edited, with a number of spelling errors.  Finally, it is difficult to say this clearly without a spoiler, but part of the book's ending was very unsatisfying in its construction (my students could take an educated guess, based on how the novel is written, and one of my oft-repeated pet peeves).

Otherwise, if you invest the time early on you'll find this an above-average Elizabethan caper.  It's one of three featuring Becket and Ames to date, and I'll definitely check out the other two.

[Andy Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable historical novel, set in the reign of Elizabeth I. There’s a Catholic plot to kill the Queen that has eluded Sir Francis Walsingham’s network of spies and informants. It’s down to a combination of David Beckett, a swordsman, Simon Ames, an employee of Walsingham, and Ralph/Tom O’Bedlam. The latter comes from a Catholic family and was bound for a successful career but suffers from periods of lunacy. The story is told from his perspective.

Initially I struggled to get into the rhythm of the writing, as it attempts to give us a flavour of Elizabethan language, especially that used by the underclass. But it was worth it, although it would have been useful to know there is a glossary at the end. The author has obviously done a lot of research and a few things brought home how different London was then, for example the description of The Strand as being in the suburbs.

I will certainly read more of her books.

[Michelle Rudd · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books

I have read this trilogy several times in the print edition so it grieves me that I was continually yanked from Elizabethan London by the dozens and dozens of typos in the text. It is genuinely such an absorbing book that the altered meanings of the words caused a jarring shock like expecting there to be one more step in the staircase and coming up thuddingly short. Thrilling story, and characters I feel I know like friends but please get the text proofread

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clever Elizabethan mystery about an attempt on Queen Elizabeth's life by a "Catholic traitor". It's told by Tom O'Bedlam who, in this story, is identified as the brother of the bad guy, with the "real" poem about Tom as clue to the solving of the plot. Like I said - clever, but I didn't care for any of the characters enough to worry about their fates, and being an all-round Tudor hater, I wasn't rooting for the Queen anyway.

[Nancy McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story but

Hard to follow with the dialect & allegories. It is an instant history lesson, warranting further research. The characters were clearly defined, with flowing dialogue.

[Jenise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exciting, especially at the end, although it took me a while to get into the language and figure out what was happening. Lots of characters to keep track of, wish i had known there was a list of characters in the back.

[Melissa Crespy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the colorful description of Elizabethan London, and of course the plot of who and how the queen was to be killed, but the book moved somewhat slowly for me, and the language was part of the slowdown.

[Katelyn]

DNFed. It just was not for me and I could tell early on.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) This is the first book in the David Becket and Simon Ames series. It is set in the Elizabethan era and focuses on a plot against the Queen. The narrator is a schizophrenic, and is at times difficult to follow, but is provided information by “angels” that give him insight into scenes where he is not physically present. Becket and Ames stumble into the plot and begin to work together to stop the assassination attempt. Becket, a swordsman, and Ames, a Jewish clerk for Walsingham are uniquely placed to sort out what is going on. While at times confusing in perspective, particularly due to the narrator’s different voices, the author adds rich detail of the period and provides a unique perspective on one of the many plots against Queen Elizabeth during her reign.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrated by a madman named Ralph, this is a mystery set in Elizabethan England. Who is trying to assassinate Elizabeth I this time? This is the business of Sir Francis Walsingham and the men who work for him, very much like a Tudor version of the CIA.
The language in this book reads very true to the time period and took a few pages for me to get into. Once I found the rhythm of the writing, it was easy to follow, and the ending was a bit of a surprise. I love a book I cannot completely figure out during the first chapters. I'll be reading the other two books in this series and hoping they are just as entertaining as this one.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Firedrake´s eye" is a spy novel and its about history - so I picked it up.
The plot is not too complicated so you may read it in a few days. The setting, though, is richly prepared and interwoven with a lot of historical facts. Unfortunately, in my opinion, most of the characters stay "dim" and shallow in their descriptions, I was not able to feel what drives them to do certain things or take the steps they supposedly are driven to. That´s a pity, because it leaves me with the sensation of having read a book that has the potential to be more intriguing than it really was.
So, I give it 3 stars.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5...I REALLY liked it, but didn't LOVE it...sort of the flip side of most Elizabethan age historical fiction I've read, the nitty-gritty underbelly of Elizabeth's London...plotters, cut-purses and footpads round every corner. The main character is a Marrano (Portugese Sephardic Jew), in the service of Walsingham, who gives a very different, intriguing perspective on the the Catholic vs Protestant discord during the time. I did love the language; Finney's prose is such a pleasure to read and I look forward to reading more of her work.