The Elizabeth Tudor Conspiracy by Alexandra Walsh

First Line: "Where is she?"

In 1586, Elizabeth I has ruled for twenty-eight years, and she's survived every plot that could be thrown against her. However, when she learns that Philip II has discovered a very closely guarded secret and intends to use it in an attempt to turn England into a vassal of Spain, Elizabeth knows that she's going to need every ounce of her courage and cunning to come out ahead.

Tucked away in a castle in Andorra in 2018, Dr. Perdita Rivers and her twin sister Piper are slowly uncovering Elizabeth I's secret piece by piece and clue by clue. What they learn stuns them: Elizabeth was not the last of the Tudor line-- there are two more legitimate heirs to the throne. With powerful people wanting them dead, the only thing that will keep these two sisters alive is letting the truth be known.

Alexandra Walsh's The Catherine Howard Conspiracy was a surprise hit for me back in March. I loved the author's portrayal of Henry VIII and her alternate history involving the life of his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. This second book in the Marquess House trilogy continues her feminist "revision" of history, this time with the redoubtable Elizabeth I.

In The Elizabeth Tudor Conspiracy, some of the threat against the Rivers sisters is taken care of, but other-- possibly even deadlier-- foes arise to take their place. Passed down to female heirs only, Marquess House is a wonderful centuries-old manor house that has been turned into a treasure trove of historical documents and research. The author uses this setting as well as holes in the historical record to create her alternate history.  It has to be the feminist in me, but I really enjoyed Walsh's portrayal of Elizabeth I, who (more than once) laments, "It is a curse to be surrounded by idiot men." She and her trusted ladies-in-waiting are intelligent and brave-- more than a match for the "idiot men" of Elizabeth's cabinet.

After reading several biographies of Elizabeth I, I've often thought that she must've hated the fact that she constantly had to prove herself to the men in her cabinet, men who usually had their own interests and agendas they wanted to promote. It's no wonder that I enjoy Walsh's feminist interpretation of history. Who's to say that some of what Walsh postulates isn't true? After all, for centuries 99.9% of women have been thought to be too unimportant to be included in the historical record. But I digress.

For the most part, I've willingly suspended disbelief and "gone along for the ride" wherever Walsh wanted to take me, but I have to admit that my credulity was strained a couple of times in this latest book. For one thing-- the fact that all those secret coded messages between Elizabeth and her ladies still survive? The Tudor period was deadly, and not just to Henry VIII's wives. The nagging thought that those messages would have been destroyed almost immediately just wouldn't go away. The second strain involves something that happened to Elizabeth herself, but I can't go into detail because of spoilers.

However, my credulity was strained, not destroyed, and I look forward with a great deal of anticipation to the last book in this intriguing trilogy. I want to see how this all ends!
     

The Elizabeth Tudor Conspiracy by Alexandra Walsh

eISBN: 9781913028480

Sapere Books © 2019

eBook, 399 pages

Thriller, #2 Marquess House trilogy

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

The Catherine Howard Conspiracy by Alexandra Walsh

First Line: "Is there news?" asked the man as the shadowy figure of the Abbess appeared in the doorway.

Sometimes I like to sit back and wonder "What if?" I was just in the mood to do that, and Alexandra Walsh's The Catherine Howard Conspiracy was just the book to satisfy my craving.

The tale is told in two timelines. One in 2018 in the fabulous Marquess House in Pembrokeshire, Wales; the second beginning in 1539 when Catherine Howard arrives at Henry VIII's court to be maid of honor in the household of his new bride, Anne of Cleves.

For the first half of the book, the Catherine Howard timeline was much the better. I have read quite a bit of Tudor history, and at first my reaction to Walsh's portrayal of Howard was, "Wait a second... I've been told that she was a flibbertigibbet whose only interests were flirting, gossiping, dancing, and the latest fashions?" Then I remembered two things. The history of that period was written by men-- mostly in the employ of the king-- so who knows what Catherine was really like? And... this is fiction. Let's see where the story goes.

I loved where the story went. Total willing suspension of disbelief here. The portrayal of Henry VIII fit my personal opinion of the man, the political machinations were pitch perfect, and Walsh had me living with these characters in the 1540s.

Not so much in 2018 with Dr. Perdita Rivers. Since childhood, she's been estranged from her Tudor historian grandmother, Mary Fitzroy, and when Fitzroy dies and leaves her (and her twin sister Piper) her entire estate, Perdita spends way too much time moaning about poor little me, my grandmother never treated me right. Evidently I'm more mercenary; I would've cut the old girl some slack because of the centuries-old Marquess House and its fabulous research center filled with ancient documents and other treasures.

The first half of The Catherine Howard Conspiracy was extremely slow. It took too long to set the stage-- especially with Perdita and Piper, whose nicknames (Perds and Pipes)-- were over-used and drove me batty. Halfway in, characters stopped calling the two by their nicknames, and they put their shoulders to the wheel to begin piecing together the mystery of Catherine Howard. That is when the story really took flight.

I may have had a couple of other minor concerns, i.e. the Duke of Norfolk's behavior at the end of the book and the feeling that MI One seemed a bit far-fetched, but having read the entire story, I now have an idea of where book two in this trilogy is going... and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Love to read tales of Tudor England? I think there's an excellent chance you'll really enjoy Alexandra Walsh's The Catherine Howard Conspiracy.

The Catherine Howard Conspiracy by Alexandra Walsh

ASIN: B07ML4LN96

Sapere Books © 2019

eBook, 467 pages

Thriller, #1 in the Marquess House trilogy

Rating: A

Source: NetGalley


 

An Air of Treason by P.F. Chisholm

First Line: It was the devil's own job, it truly was, thought Hughie Tyndale.

While Sergeant Dodd was left behind in London to meet some very interesting people and to solve a mystery in A Murder of Crows, Sir Robert Carey jumped astride a fast horse and made his way to Oxford. Here in An Air of Treason, we've caught up with him. Carey wants to catch up with Queen Elizabeth, who's on progress to the university town; he needs to be paid so he can get back to Carlisle before the season for horse and cattle thieving begins in the West March where he's Deputy Warden.

But the Queen has other plans for him. She and Carey's father persuade him to solve a very dangerous cold case-- the mysterious death in 1560 of Amy Dudley, wife of Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, who was the Queen's favorite at the time. Carey wants no part of it, but since he's related to Elizabeth (albeit on the wrong side of the blanket) and she is, in fact, the Queen, he can't refuse. He has barely begun to investigate when he's poisoned and temporarily blinded. He is in dire need of Sergeant Dodd, but Dodd is having his own problems trying to get to Oxford.

P.F. Chisholm's series has consistently ranked as one of my favorites in the historical mystery genre, and I'm thrilled to see Sir Robert Carey back in print. She brings Elizabethan England to life in all its intrigues, sights, sounds, and smells-- so much so that once you've stopped reading, it can be difficult to bring yourself back into the correct century. An Air of Treason also has her light touch of humor that I enjoy so much. Poor Sergeant Dodd is a Northerner through and through, and the problems he has in just being understood so far south can be quite funny. As a stranger to the area himself, Dodd is our window into the south of England in the sixteenth century.

Sir Robert Carey with his royal connections is our window into the court of Elizabeth I. He's a clothes horse and a ladies man, but he's no fool and very brave. His investigation takes him to Cumnor Place where Amy Dudley died. Since the woman's death, the manor house has been allowed to crumble slowly into the ground, and this is where Chisholm shows us that she can also write scenes that are spooky enough to make the hair stand on the back of your neck.

Carey's solution to Amy Dudley's death is a very interesting and satisfying one, and by book's end you'll see that a thread or two has been left dangling, ready to be picked up again in the next book. Although one book runs smoothly into the next in this series, it's not necessary for you to read them all in order for them to make sense... or for you to enjoy An Air of Treason. However, I wouldn't be at all surprised if historical mystery lovers found themselves reading this book and then looking for the rest. I highly recommend them!

An Air of Treason by P.F. Chisholm

ISBN: 9781464202223

Poisoned Pen Press © 2014

Paperback, 250 pages

Historical Mystery, #6 Sir Robert Carey mystery

Rating: A

Source: NetGalley 

A Murder of Crows by P.F. Chisholm

First Line: A hunchback and a poet met in the glorious gardens belonging to the hunchback's father.

It's September 1592, and Deputy Warden Sir Robert Carey and Sergeant Dodd really have to get back to Carlisle where the raiding season is about to begin. Instead they find themselves still in London because Carey's father, Lord  Hunsdon, wants him to solve the mystery of a corpse that has washed up from the Thames onto Her Majesty's privy steps.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Dodd decides to sue the Queen's Vice Chamberlain, Thomas Heneage, for his mistreatment at the powerful man's hands. Unfortunately, none of the lawyers want to go up against such a cruel and vindictive man, but then a young lawyer with a pock-marked face offers to help him. With an unidentified corpse and a rather ill-fated lawsuit, Carey and Dodd have their work cut out for them, and it won't get much better when a would-be poet named William Shakespeare seems to want to help them.

Patricia Finney, writing as P.F. Chisholm, has created one of my favorite historical mystery series, but I thought the Sir Robert Carey books ended with the fourth, A Plague of Angels. I was thrilled when I learned that new books are now appearing under the Poisoned Pen Press imprint.  A Murder of Crows takes up right where the fourth book ended, and I loved being back in the world of Carey and his wonderful Sergeant Dodd. Finney is masterful at adding historical detail without bogging down the narrative, whether it's Shakespeare's envy at another's top-of-the-line paper and pens, or with Dodd's comparison of London street life with his beloved North. Neither has her laugh-out-loud sense of humor disappeared, since Dodd serves as both delineator of sixteenth-century life and comic foil.

As suits any Elizabethan mystery, there are subplots aplenty, but I had no trouble keeping them sorted as I read this fast-paced tale. Sir Robert Carey takes a backseat in this book, but I have to admit that I didn't really miss him. This is due to two facts: Dodd is more than capable of handling the bulk of the action, and Finney adds a very intriguing character in the young lawyer, James Enys, who-- delightfully-- is not exactly what he seems to be. (Finney has since published Do We Not Bleed?, the first of what I hope will be many James Enys mysteries.)

If you're in the mood for a first-rate historical mystery that will sweep you back to Elizabethan England where you will laugh and try to puzzle out what's going on, you can't do much better than reading any of P.F. Chisholm's Sir Robert Carey mysteries. I love them!

A Murder of Crows by P.F. Chisholm

ISBN: 9781590586570

Poisoned Pen Press © 2010

eBook, 267 pages

Historical Mystery, #5 Sir Robert Carey mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased as an eBook from Amazon.

Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom

Title: Dark Fire
Author: C.J. Sansom
ISBN:  0670033723
Publisher: Viking, 2005
Hardcover, 502 pages
Genre: Historical mystery, #2 Matthew Shardlake mystery
Rating: A
Source: Purchased from Bookcloseouts.

First Line: I had left my house in Chancery Lane early, to go to the Guildhall to discuss a case in which I was acting for the City Council.


Lawyer Matthew Shardlake may have too many irons in the fire. His scribe can't seem to do anything right, and not having the documents he needs when he needs them makes Shardlake grumpy. A friend's young niece has been accused of murder and is facing a death sentence. Even though the young girl refuses to speak, after visiting her in prison,Matthew believes she's innocent. However, before he can mount any sort of defense for her, Henry VIII's vicar general, Thomas Cromwell, postpones the trial in order for Shardlake to track down a cache of and the recipe for "dark fire"-- the liquid weapon of mass destruction dating from the time of the Greeks-- that Cromwell has promised to a very irritable king.

With the help of one of Cromwell's trusted servants, Shardlake finds himself traveling all over London tracking down clues-- interviewing alchemists, aristocrats and lawyers alike. Not only that-- he also finds himself trying to avoid the assassins who seem intent on killing everyone who's ever heard of the elusive "dark fire".

I read the first book in this series shortly after it was published and for the most part I loved it. The only real quibble I had was that the main character, Matthew Shardlake, whined too much about his hunchback keeping him from scoring with the babe of his choice. Yes, his affliction would be a tough one to bear, especially during that era, but I come from a long line of people who do not believe in whining.  (And from their devotion to that rule, I have to believe that it's been in place for a few centuries.) Be that as it may, Shardlake scarcely whines at all in Dark Fire, and I appreciated that.

Shardlake is a fully fleshed character. He's a sharp, intelligent lawyer. He can circumnavigate the dangerous circles that do the king's bidding. He's a genuinely caring person-- even though he's blind to those around him at times.

The magic starts to happen when a character like Shardlake is put in charge of solving two very complicated puzzles in the fantastically rich and treacherous tapestry of Henry VIII's London. Sansom's character is a lawyer with his normal caseload, but he's also worked for the government during the dissolution of the monasteries and in other projects for the king. Shardlake can ride through the streets of London and see how the city has changed. He can tell us of these changes-- and the reasons for them-- without it sounding like a history lesson. He's merely commenting on the passing scenery. If you're not familiar with Tudor England, you're learning and enjoying; if you are familiar with it, you sigh with satisfaction and sink deeper into the story.

Although this is the second book in this series, you don't need to read the first to be able to make sense of everything in Dark Fire. So... if you enjoy rich, meaty, multi-layered historical mysteries with excellent characterization and plotting, by all means make the acquaintance of Matthew Shardlake!

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from Alibris.

Review-- King's Fool

Title: King's Fool: A Notorious King, His Six Wives, and the One Man Who Knew Their Secrets
Author: Margaret Campbell Barnes
ISBN: 9781402219023/ Sourcebooks, Inc., 2009
Genre: Historical Fiction, ARC
Rating: A

First Line: I was Shropshire born, essentially a country lad, brought up to take my place among the new middle class which Tudor rule begat.

Thus begins the brilliant tale of Will Somers, King Henry VIII's court jester. First published in 1959 by renowned historical novelist Margaret Campbell Barnes, I wondered why on earth I'd never heard of her before. This is a remarkable insider tale of the Tudor court, told by "a common man" who little thought that saying yes to King Henry would give him a front-row seat to history.

Will Somers arrives at court and learns to care deeply for Queen Catherine and Princess Mary before the besotted Henry decides to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn. It is a sign of Somers' intelligence that he knows how to go with the flow and keep his opinions to himself. As a result, he lives to see Elizabeth on the throne, artists include him in paintings with the king, and Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth both leave him annuities. Not bad for a Shropshire lad!

It would be easy to say that Somers' greatest gifts lay with his humor and wit, but after reading King's Fool, I would say that his forbearance and forgiveness outweighed them:

I found myself slipping into his mind, though it was so utterly different from my own. Almost tenderly, I picked up the bedgown which had fallen to the floor and draped it welcomingly across his chair before the fire. Memories and disgusts of the last few turbulent years receded, and for some reason or other I found myself smiling at the recollection of my Uncle Tobias's comic visit to Court, and of Henry's kindness to him.

Not only do the characters come to life in this book, it is so filled with historical detail that I felt as though Somers was not the only person with a front-row seat to history. I have read dozens of books on Tudor England, both fiction and non-fiction. I rank King's Fool among the very best of them. I still can't believe that I'd never heard of Margaret Campbell Barnes, and I certainly will be looking for her other titles.

A big Thank You to publicist Danielle Jackson of Sourcebooks, Inc. for this review copy. She's just added more books to my wish list!

Other reviews of this book:
Kylee
Lilly
Jen
Michele
Amy
Lana