Dorothy Dunnett

I'm very partial to Francis Crawford, even if Ms. Dunnett's habit of quoting in a dozen languages makes me feel unlearned and uncooth.

yes she certainly does!

aren't they just wonderfully rounded characters though? and the political situation, peasants to wealthy - they are all there and so real.What an intelligence and intellect she must have had - what a dinner party guest!

I remember reading a throwaway remark of ?Lymond ?one of the rest of the 'gang' about a 'wheel of skelly eyes scots'

I realised in context that it meant cross eyed and just how accurate her research is and how old the expression must be - an old friend's maiden name was Skelly - and the family have a hereditary problem with a cast in the eye, nowadays corrected with surgery.

In addition to her erudite storytelling skills, she's a professional portrait painter. The Lymond Chronicles are on my Comfort Reading shelf.

Have you read the House of Niccolo series? they are brilliant too.

Also King Hereafter about Macbeth

and then there are the much shorter, lighter 'Dolly' series about a secret agent written under her maiden name of Halliday.

House of Niccolo is definitely slated for some long, winter evenings--when my ego feels particularly healthy and adventurous.