HiLo, thanks, I did read Flanders Panel, but not having ever played chess, I liked The Fencing Master better. Both still extremely good, though and I will be reading more of his books.

LOL, Johnontherighthandbackwardsupsidedown...:-)

On Julie Kaewert's website she mentions a prequel to the Plumtree series, apparently posted in 2008 as that is the copyright date on the webpage. I was wondering if any of you have seen it or read it. Here's the info, sounds fascinating:

   
The Writing Master's Daughter
A prequel to the Plumtree series of mysteries for booklovers
By Julie Kaewert
The writing master's daughter has a secret; only she and her father, pen-man for King Charles II, know why she does not speak. But her silence is linked to a secret so ancient and shrouded in mystery that even Grace and her father have no inkling of its significance…until one night the writing-master is seized by the King, setting in motion a terrifying series of events. Grace discovers that her imperfection is actually a gift, enabling her to perceive what others cannot…with profound consequences.
The novel's rich atmosphere is woven from the art of calligraphy, the writing-masters' community in Restoration London, Grace's home in a disused Chapel on London Bridge, the Secret Cabal of Charles II's reign, dangerous spies, secret underground waterways, an ancient encoded illuminated manuscript, the origin of the alphabet, an authentic Secret Treaty, and a daughter's relationship with her father.

Note

Inspiration for The Writing Master's Daughter came from the little-known Secret Treaty of Dover of 1670. In a remarkable betrayal of his people, Charles II promised Louis XIV to lead England in a conversion to Catholicism... in exchange for money. He did succeed in saving England, for without the ships and cash from his deal, the Dutch War would have been lost and England would now be part of The Netherlands.

But Charles's bargain is shocking, not only in his callousness in trading on his peoples' faith, but in its hypocrisy. For during his reign, "popishness" could be punished with death…and all the while he was secretly bargaining to require it!
In the ultimate act of trickery, Charles II reverted to Catholicism only on his deathbed, thereby fulfilling the promise to his cousin at the eleventh hour…while not affecting his people's hard-won Protestant faith. The real irony? Charles was a secret Catholic his entire life.