Perhaps I was spoiled by reading Geoffrey Robertson's ‘The Tyrannicide Brief’ before picking up this one. While Jordan and Walsh have a far larger canvas (over a rather longer period) than Robertson, their attempts at looking at those charged with the ‘crime’ of executing Charles I, and the ‘revenge’ of his son, Charles II, becomes convoluted and at times confusing. There were, after all, fifty-nine signatories to Charles I's death warrant, and a vengeful post-republican/Protectorate parliament, along with the returning monarch, expanded beyond those immediately involved in Charles I's execution to reach any (including ultimately wives) involved in the late king's beheading. Having written those sentences, one might reflect how difficult it is to put a straight-forward story to these complex and intricate events. However, the sheer scope of Jordan and Walsh's vision might have alerted them to this issue and approach the matter in a different vein. There's no doubt a lot to get in: villains, heroes, and the unfortunate ‘collateral damage’; one could even argue that these words themselves may be allocated to the one person (Georges Downing and Monck, for example) at different times and in different perspectives. Clearly well researched, and studded with vivid description, this book will serve the more versed reader better than someone with a more general interest in the period. Anyone interested in devouring ideas of ‘justice’, ‘law’ and ‘government’ as we understand them today would be served better by reading Robertson. Jordan and Walsh serve up a feast that doesn't quite know its buffet from its degustation.