1635: The Dreeson Incident by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce

Grantville, the West Virginia village that was transferred to the middle of Feudal Germany during an incident called the Ring of Fire, has settled in with its neighbors, setting up the United States of Europe around their home State of Thuringia-Franconia. But not everyone is happy with these "Up-Timers" and their ways, which have done much to change the nature of the world around them.

For one thing, they have started to hold elections for the Senate of the USE. But rulers angry with the new nation have decided to try and wipe them out. Since War was tried and failed, spying and assassination are the new order of the day, especially a French Hugenot spy who has joined the Garbage Men and is using his position to copy and investigate all futuristic technology that the Grantvillers throw away every day.

Meanwhile, another group plots the murder of many of the monarchs allied with the USE, and the chief governmental officials of Grantville itself, hoping to spread confusion, uncertainty and armed rebellion throughout the whole of the USE and pin the blame on Cardinal Richelieu of France. While many of the conspirators realize that this is much harder to do than it sounds, the demented head of the group will not take no for an answer, and plots a way to rid Europe of those thorns in its side.

Meanwhile, in Grantville itself, the people there continue to live and try to make life better for themselves and everyone in the USE. But there are those in town who don't like those currently in power, and a number of people prejudiced against Germany and the "Krauts" around them from World War II may inadvertently be giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

But little do they and the conspirators know of how much anger will be unleashed when one set of conspirators uses an anti-semitic demonstration to kill Henry Dreeson, Mayor of Grantville, and Enoch Wiley, leader of the Protestant Church. Nor do they know how the residents of that former Small West Virginia town will react to such an assassination. But they will find out. And it won't be pretty.

The premise of this series is interesting, but with so many characters and so many plot threads in the air at one time, reading this book almost involves taking notes as you read it! Because so much goes on, it can be hard to see how this thread or that thread fits into the main story. But as you read, you can see trends developing in the story.

In this book, the threat of assassination and mayhem overlies the story for most of the book, but doesn't actually come to fruition until 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through, and after that, it's all denouemont from there. But even though life goes on, things are irrevocably changed. Hopefully, for the better, even if the main culprits behind the assassination haven't been caught yet.

Because of the density of the book and the story threads in it, this book is not a quick read. But if you enjoy the thought of what would happen if your town suddenly got picked up and moved to medieval Europe, and what might happen, this is a book you are sure to enjoy. Bonus goodness if you enjoy Renaissance Europe or history in general.