The Great Game

Royal Sorceress Series, Book 2

By: Christopher Nuttall

Narrated by: Zehra Jane Naqvi

Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

It's 1831, and Lady Gwendolyn Crichton has been appointed royal sorceress following the tragic events known as the Swing. Although unleashed by the rebel master magician Jack in battle with Gwen's mentor, Master Thomas, the popular press firmly laid the blame at the feet of the French. Now alone at the head of the Royal College of Sorcerers, Gwen must overcome prejudice against her gender and age if she is to exercise her authority and fulfill her responsibilities.

Soon, an unexpected responsibility is made manifest when Sir Travis Mortimer, a senior magician recently returned from India, is found murdered in a locked room. Gwen is required to investigate, but before long, her inquiries lead her into a web of intrigue that combines international politics, widespread aristocratic blackmail, gambling dens, and personal vendettas.

Should she believe apparent evidence Mortimer betrayed his country, or is she being manipulated to keep her away from the truth? Who can she really trust? Is a title or popular acclaim a valid basis for trust?

Soon, some of the more unsavory aspects of the case get dangerously close to home, which means Gwen must make hard decisions and ask difficult questions of her own nearest and dearest.

©2013 Christopher Nuttall (P)2018 Tantor

A guess who done it... SKIP THIS ONE!

I wanted to give this a shot. When the book was heading into 'murder mystery' territory I felt great apprehension. Book one had real grit, purpose, and stakes on both sides. The follow-up left me struggling to give two 5hits. A near no name nobody died and we are all supposed to care... WHY????? Because the person who saved the country in the last book has to 'prove herself' again and again, WHy? Because she is female? SMGDH. (Really running away with that 'excuse' btw. Meaning a large majority of her feelings of inadequacies are all internal. It's all in her own mind. She is making being a woman in charge who has to be perfect at everything to be much worse than what is actually being present. )

Anyway, I wanted to give it a chance, because I THOUGHT with all the talent/power she has, she would make quick work of this case, and she would have indeed solved it quickly if she actually USED THE ABILITIES she was given!!!! Instead, she made up a bunch of moral, and legal NONSENSE around all the reasons why she didn't use her god-given abilities and get the answers she needed to solve things quickly and dragged this ridiculous plot out longer than need be.

She convinced herself she needed to be the most infallible, morally unapproachable female around because if she does any less her male peers will look down on her, all the while her male peers would've used their god-given talents and just solved the damn case in an hour, while she spends weeks running around, just to figure out everything she could've figured out days ago if she had used her give in the first meeting of the 3rd person she talked to. SMGDH.

If you came here to read a crime thriller with psychic detectives with talents/abililtes that are blatanly ignored so the author could write a discount Walmart Sherlock Holmes character that waste 12hours of your life, then this is for you. If not, then just skip this one and go to book 3!


On and BTW, if you really wanted the Main Character to be perceived as a smart woman, then don't let her go to crime scenes where the victim has an axe in the back of his head, then tell a room full of investigators "We can't rule out the possibility that he killed himself."

Ahhhh YES, Yes you CAN rule that possibility out. SMGDH.


Sigh... this book is a complete fail!

If you hate books where the character has the ability to solve a case in an hour but DON"T USE THEM! Then skip this book and possibly the rest of the series. This character's main concern is too laser-focused on looking respectable to her male peers.

Hint for the Author: Strong females ...no strong ppl, in general, don't give a crap about what weak small-minded ppl think. #JustSaying.