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A Game of Sorrows

Alexander Seaton 2

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A Game of Sorrows

By: S.G. MacLean
Narrated by: Crawford Logan
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Second historical thriller in the Alexander Seaton series sweeps the hero back to his roots in Ulster, and a family living under a curse and riven with long-held secrets

It is 1628, Charles 1 is on the throne, and the British Crown is finally taking control of Ulster.

Returning to his rooms one night, Alexander Seaton is shocked to find a stranger standing there - a man who could be his double. His name is Sean O'Neill, and he carries a plea for help from Maeve O'Neill, forbidding matriarch of Alexander's mother's family in Ireland. All those who bear their blood have been placed under a poet's curse: one by one they are going to die. Only Alexander is immune, his O'Neill heritage a secret from all but his closest family.

Alexander travels to Ulster, to find himself at the heart of a family divided by secrets and bitter resentments. As he seeks out the author of the curse, he becomes increasingly embroiled in the conflict until - confronted with murder within his own family - his liberty and, finally, his life, are at stake.©2010 S. G. MacLean Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Mystery Thriller & Suspense
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This book and the three others in the Alexander Seaton series are a brilliant read. I loved hearing about Ireland during the early 17th Century, through this fascinating twisting tale.

Scottish & Irish History at its best

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The principal characters are great, the narration fab. I didn’t really engage with the plot & context though

Confusing

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Shona MacLean's 'A Game of Sorrows' once again underlines her supreme ability to give a detailed and historically sound background to her mystery adventure writing. Here it is revealing the awfulness of the way Ireland was treated, even before Oliver Cromwell. This Alexander Seaton novel is squarely set in Ireland and for me this is a first. It took a while before I settled. What the novel does in this situation is to explore Alexander Seaton's character and his background in a very involving way. This is helped by the excellent performance of Crawford Logan, who let slip just one error and that was a name. He is an accomplished performer and listeners can rely him to navigate you through to full understanding and appreciation. After this novel I have just two remaining Shona MacLean novels before a new novel appears in 2026 (pre-ordered already as an audiobook), and so I will have to ration my listening.

Steeped in Little Appreciated History

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