The Bleak and Empty Sea by Jay Ruud

Hi, everyone! It's Friday and today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Jay Ruud's The Bleak and Empty Sea.

Tristram is dead and so is his lover, La Belle Isolde. It seems Tristram was stabbed with a poisoned spear but the death of Isolde just as she arrives to heal him is suspect, and Merlin's not the only one who believes it so. Guinevere herself also believes something suspicious is going on and it's up to Merlin, with the help of his assistant, Gildas, to find out the truth. But as their investigation unfolds, a number of potential suspects stands in there way, not least of which includes Tristram's own wife and her brother, who was supposed to be Tristram's faithful friend.

I am a bit of a fanatic when it comes to Arthurian tales. So even though this is the third in a series, I really wanted to hop on board with the tour. And not only is this King Arthur, but it's also Tristan - Tristram, here - and Isolde!

I can't say that murder mystery was where my own imagination ever took the mythology, and yet it does seem fitting. Ruud is clearly knowledgeable about even the most detailed intricacy of the history and story most of us are at least a bit familiar with. And this even minor familiarity will help you navigate the story.

In terms of plot and style, however, I found The Bleak and Empty Sea to be a bit dry and possibly overly influenced by academia. In other words, it's wordy and dense and sometimes hard to follow. Nevertheless, I think fans of more serious historical mysteries will find a lot to love here, with extra bonus points if you happen to be an Arthur and Merlin fan! For me, it didn't quite have the pacing I needed right at this moment - but admittedly, my family is on baby watch as a little niece or nephew is literally making their entrance into the world any minute, so I needed something a bit more gripping to distract me from that :)

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. And for more on Jay Ruud and his work, you can visit his website here.

Purchase Links: Encircle Publications | Amazon