Another masterful rendition of history!
Dark Queen Rising (A Margaret Beaufort Mystery #1)
by Paul Doherty
It's official! I am enslaved to Paul Doherty's historical novels. Now a brand new writing that encompass's the time of Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, and the sweeping tale of the woman who would put her son on the throne of England.
The balancing acts, the fragile knitting together of fact and fiction displayed by the lead characters particularly Christopher Urswicke, Margaret Beaufort’s personal clerk, reflect the masterful unfolding of the penmanship of Doherty as he weaves a saga based on his avid research, the truths he has to work with, the findings of others and his not inconsiderable storytelling talent.
I was aghast as I trudged knee deep in blood and gore with the antagonists, and witnessed the sacrifices carried out towards the goal of wearing the crown of England, from the inexplorably command for foes to be cut down 'no quarter' given, to the dank back paths of 1470's London.
At its center Edward of York (King Edward IV) and his brothers, George of Clarence and Richard Duke of Gloucester, the Lancasters, and the last of her line Margaret Beaufort. Her faithful household are no less unwavering. Reginald Bray and the artful Urswicke as Doherty notes.
And then there's the three Barnabite spies referred to as the Three Kings, plotting and gathering scandal to bring down a kingdom.
Given "‘the seed for the sowing’, a seed these three had "'planted and tended the growth of this rich, bountiful harvest: a veritable treasure chest of intrigue and scandal.’ "And they had not yet finished!
Jealousy and envy surrounding the York brothers adds to the mix.
Margaret and her house would come involved with these dangerous men as her household hunted for what the Three Kings had found.
The plot grows darker as Margaret betrays friends and foes in her quest to have her son survive.
As a bonus, Doherty's research notes give an even more rounded picture of the times.
Fabulous!
A NetGalley ARC
*****
by Paul Doherty
The balancing acts, the fragile knitting together of fact and fiction displayed by the lead characters particularly Christopher Urswicke, Margaret Beaufort’s personal clerk, reflect the masterful unfolding of the penmanship of Doherty as he weaves a saga based on his avid research, the truths he has to work with, the findings of others and his not inconsiderable storytelling talent.
I was aghast as I trudged knee deep in blood and gore with the antagonists, and witnessed the sacrifices carried out towards the goal of wearing the crown of England, from the inexplorably command for foes to be cut down 'no quarter' given, to the dank back paths of 1470's London.
At its center Edward of York (King Edward IV) and his brothers, George of Clarence and Richard Duke of Gloucester, the Lancasters, and the last of her line Margaret Beaufort. Her faithful household are no less unwavering. Reginald Bray and the artful Urswicke as Doherty notes.
And then there's the three Barnabite spies referred to as the Three Kings, plotting and gathering scandal to bring down a kingdom.
Given "‘the seed for the sowing’, a seed these three had "'planted and tended the growth of this rich, bountiful harvest: a veritable treasure chest of intrigue and scandal.’ "And they had not yet finished!
Jealousy and envy surrounding the York brothers adds to the mix.
Margaret and her house would come involved with these dangerous men as her household hunted for what the Three Kings had found.
The plot grows darker as Margaret betrays friends and foes in her quest to have her son survive.
As a bonus, Doherty's research notes give an even more rounded picture of the times.
Fabulous!
A NetGalley ARC
*****
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