(Read in 2023) 4.5 stars. This started right off in solid 4-star territory (well-written and well-paced), and then it kept getting better. I assumed it would be mostly plot-driven but soon realized that I was spending time inside the heads of some characters (primarily Nayler and Whalley) who were more complicated than I expected. It was also quite educational for me as I was not very familiar with some of the significant historical events taking place at the time (including the English Civil War, the surrender of New Amsterdam, and the Great London Fire). There is some graphic violence (i.e., cruel executions) fueled by religious hatred and vengeance, and those scenes are a little hard to get through. In the latter part of the book, there is also some time spent focused on aging and caregiving, which was an interesting and unexpected aspect of the story.