Fine. I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction, but I liked the historical parts better than the contemporary ones. I think the author wove the mystery part of the story together well: the plot is structured nicely, even if the words themselves started to grate. 

Really wish the author had written “smelled like” instead of “smelled of,” (seventeen times)(just kidding but definitely 3 or 4) which is simultaneously pretentious and also ridiculous, thanks to Monty Python.