A Necessary Killing by Paul Walker

Note: I am not a paid reviewer, and I have purchased this title to read for my personal enjoyment.

In 1579, William Constable is a London physician who is engaged to a wealthy merchant’s daughter. William has invented a navigational aid and is therefore enlisted to join a large commercial sailing venture to the New World that is backed by his future father-in-law. As preparations for departure are made in Plymouth, a series of unexpected events puts the venture in jeopardy and William finds himself in a delicate position of attempting to help his friend avoid the noose and also assisting the leaders of the venture towards cast-off. The greatest risk for the sailing venture is suspicions of a grave threat to England from the Spanish and the Catholic Church. Powerful men, who were actual historical figures in the years before the Spanish Armada sailed towards England, require a reluctant William to investigate but he is a man of letters, medicine and science, unaccustomed to dealings with hardened sea-farers, and must dig deep within himself to accomplish the task. Well-drawn settings and dialogue give the sense of being in the room with William and men of power and influence as dramatic revelations are made and William reluctantly comes to terms with his duty. This novel is the second of the author’s William Constable series and presents a compelling protagonist, a kind and thoughtful man whose many abilities make his services desirable to the elite. Written in the first person, William is developed as an intelligent, respected and well-intended character who carefully assesses his actions in the context of the circumstances that surround him, sometimes forcing him to weigh his personal motives with his sense of duty. I look forward to reading more of William Constable’s historical journey and highly recommend this book for fans of Elizabethan period history.