#55 The Ruby in her Naval, by Barry Unsworth (Penguin Group)

Recommended by a work colleague of the Wench, Barry Unsworth was another author with whom I was unfamiliar, and I enjoyed The Ruby in her Navel, a tale of courtly intrigue and treason in 12th century Sicily.

It's slightly slow going at times, with webs of deception being woved carefully around the narrator, a Mr Fixit wannabe knight who is both manipulator and manipulated, and who is sidetracked by two very different female attractions. It takes its time to reach a climax, but there are enough twists and turns to keep you reading until the various plots reveal themselves.

There is an eclectic mix of characters, races and religions, with Muslims, Christians, Jews, Latins, Greeks, Saxons, Saracens and Normans all pursuing their own agendas, and Unsworth skilfully relates a world where trust is at a premium and is often misplaced - usually with drastic consequences. Decisions have significant ramifications and, like a game of chess, the one who can predict what will happen five moves further down the line is the one who will emerge triumphant.

One of the things I liked most about The Ruby in her Navel was the prescient tone adopted by Unsworth's narrator. The story is told in hindsight, with frequent "would I only have known that..." and "But more of my father later...", and these hints of what are to come are an extremely effective hook.

I must also mention the book's very first paragraph, which introduces the mystery of Nesrin the dancer, the ruby, a troubadour and the plots which affect kings. It's a fine introduction of what is to come, and the subtleties can be even better appreciated if, once the novel has been completed, you go back to re-read it.

So, rating time:

#55 The Ruby in her Naval, by Barry Unsworth (Penguin Group) - 7/10

Next up: Jelleyman’s Thrown a Wobbly, by Jeff Stelling (Harper Collins)

Click here for the full list of books so far, and their rating