Pawn in Frankincense

Name: Pawn in Frankincense
Rating: 4.7 (601 reviews)

by Dorothy Dunnett Book 4 in the The Lymond Chronicles series.

First published 1969

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4.7(601)

In 1552, Lymond commands a royal galley across the Mediterranean while searching for a kidnapped child and pursuing Graham Reid Malett. The chase passes through France, North Africa and Constantinople, where diplomacy, slavery and the court of Suleiman the Magnificent become pieces in Malett’s revenge. Lymond is forced into a final contest in which strategic brilliance cannot prevent devastating personal loss.

The Mediterranean pursuit turns Malett's private vengeance into a contest conducted through trade routes, courts and slavery. Lymond's official responsibilities cannot shield the kidnapped child, while the Ottoman capital gives his enemy access to a political world beyond Scottish control. The novel pushes Lymond's gift for calculation to its limit by making the final decision one that intellect cannot solve without personal cost.