In volume 6, Mercurius for once is not preoccupied in solving a murder mystery but more in staying alive, although violence is never far away. The King of England, Charles II, has just died and his brother James has succeeded to the throne. James is a Catholic, something very unpopular in England, and even worse, he has French sympathies although France is a traditional enemy of England. Currently, James' daughter Mary, wife of William of Orange the Stadhouder of the Netherlands, is next in line and, through her, William has a direct route to the English throne, but this will be blocked if one of Charles' illegitimate sons, James, Duke of Monmouth is able to invade England and whip up popular support for his own claim.

William has allowed Monmouth to reside in the Netherlands, but the Duke is now embarking on an invasion which William wants to head off, but without losing the sympathy of Protestants either in his own country or in England. His chosen method is to order Mercurius to travel to England and 'loose' Monmouth's invasion plans in a place and manner that will ensure they are given credence and come to James' attention.

Mercurius doesn't want to go: he had a terrible time on his last trip to England, gets seasick and is allergic to being forced to place his life in danger, when he'd rather stay at his university and read books. Unfortunately the Stadhouder cannot be refused so Mercurius embarks on the mission which soon starts to go adrift due to the machinations of other characters.

An amusing tale as ever, with Mercurius coming close to meeting his maker by execution. However, I like the fact that he is dictating his memoirs as an old man, so I never have to worry that he will meet an untimely end, unlike some other historical series, leaving me free to enjoy the story without worrying too much about the protagonist. Other characters aren't so resistant to disease, injury and death so there is still suspense, especially as to how Mercurius will get out of the mess he lands in. So all in all a five star read. ( )

Summoned again by Stadhouder William, Master Mercurius is given an assignment to visit England again. He is not thrilled but cannot disobey his patron so voyages across the sea to London. Meeting with old friends he is appraised of the situation regarding the King and his rival, the Duke of Monmouth. The Stadhouder does not want to support Monmouth but also does not want to oppose him and Mercurius is a cog in the wheel of deception.
I really like Brack's books about Master Mercurius. Firstly the setting in 18th Century Leiden is unusual, secondly the anti-hero Mercurius is very engaging. This story is no exception, a convoluted plot to foil the Monmouth Rebellion but which makes sense in the context. Terrific fun and a great way to while away an afternoon. ( )

When a new volume in Graham Brack's Master Mercurius series, I know I'm in for an all-nighter. Once I start reading, everything else is on hold until I finish the last sentence.

The Master Mercuius mysteries are set in late 17th Century Netherlands. Mercurius himself is an academic, who would be more than content to spend his life exploring religious philosophy, even if that means putting up with bothersome undergraduates. He has no interest whatsoever in politics or crime, but repeatedly finds himself called upon by Stadhouder William of Orange to solve crimes and engage in espionage.

European politics during Mercurius' life is centered around the struggle between Protestant and Catholic versions of Christianity. Netherlands is a Protestant state, and Mercurius is an ordained Protestant minister. But there's the small matter of his later secret conversion to Catholicism and ordination in that faith as well. So when the Stadhouder calls upon him, Mercurius is often in the awkward position of balancing his personal convictions with the necessity of pursuing a Protestant agenda.

The books are written in first-person, with an elderly Mercurius dictating his memoirs to a not-always-enthusiastic amanuensis. Occasionally, their verbal scuffles during dictation leak into the tales of times long past. These leaks are part of a brilliantly comic tone that all the Mercurius volumes share. Mercurius has a gift for seeing the worst in everything and expressing it in brilliant and and sardonic language. (Warning: if you live with people who don't like having hilarious bits of books they're completely unfamiliar with being read aloud to them every ten minutes or so, barricade yourself in your room before you begin reading any Mercurius title.)

The Lying Dutchman takes Mercurius back to England, a place he visited once before on business for the Stadhouder and had hoped never to see again. Nonetheless, he's in the land of drizzle, unpalatable social norms, and even more unpalatable food, where taunting and harassing the Dutch is considered a lively and wholesome pastime. His job is to "lose" a crucial document pertaining to the struggle between King James II and Charles II's illegitimate son the Duke of Monmouth in hopes that the document will be discovered by someone appropriate in England who will share the document with James II to prevent Monmouth's success in the struggle. James II is Catholic; Monmouth is Protestant; the Stadhouder, who is married to James II's daughter Mary, needs to appear to be supporting the Protestant Monmouth, while undercutting him so as not to weaken Mary's claim to the English throne upon James II's death. (Yes, it's a bit complicated.)

As Brack himself acknowledges in an afterward, The Lying Dutchman is more adventure story than full-on mystery, but this does nothing to lesson its pleasures. The plot twists, the humor, the varied characters, and the complaints about English weather carry this novel brilliantly. You can read the Master Mercurius series in any order—and will no doubt find yourself hunting down every title in the series once you have had a taste of one of them.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. ( )