Epiphany, 1193. Eleanor of Aquitaine sits upon England's throne. Her beloved son Richard Lionheart is missing, presumed dead - and the court whispers that her younger son, John, is plotting to seize the crown. Meanwhile, on the snowy highroad from Winchester, a destitute young man falls heir to a blood stained letter, pressed into his hand by a dying man. The missive becomes Justin de Quincy's passport into the queen's confidence - and into the heart of danger, as he pursues a cunning murderer and jousts with secret traitors in Eleanor's court of intrigue and mystery . . .I've wanted to read Sharon Kay Penman's historical fiction for a while (especially because I just love the idea of reading a book called Here Be Dragons). But I've always been a little too intimidated to dive in. When I found The Queen's Man at a used bookstore, I thought it would be a good entry into her writing and I was right. Unlike Penman's best known books, which are long (The Sunne In Splendour is 900+ pages) and cover a lot of ground, The Queen's Man is a lighter read and would be good for all medieval and mystery fans, including young adult readers. It is very well-written, filled with rich details and characters that bring the quickly-paced story to life. I will definitely be looking for the sequel, Cruel as the Grave, and will move Penman's other books up on my To Be Read list.
Buy The Queen's Man on Amazon.
I've been wanting to try Penman too-thanks for the suggestion! (And Here Be Dragons is definitely an awesome title.)
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