Read the reviews when the book came out and bought the book with high expectations. The characters seemed undeveloped and stereotypical. Eastern bloc pols, Oxford dons, and medieval monks all behave as the characatures they are. The "letter" format struck me as unrealistic. Does anyone really write letters with that level of conversational detail? The plot twists were often unbelievable (an "amnesia drink"--come on) and contrived (everyone just happens to speak English when the need arises.) The suspense never materialized (I wonder what those monks are carrying around in their cart. Could it be a ----? Yep, thought so.) Finally, the time it takes to get to the last chapter is so out of proportion to the final reward that one should probably look elsewhere.