19 April 2018
AMAZON UK £1.20 £8.99
AMAZON US $1.66 $14.53
Fictional saga
1500s Tudor
Scotland
Jen Black’s novels are a delight to read, not merely because of
the enjoyment of ‘romance’ but because she is adept at diversifying from one
period to another with apparent ease. This one is set in that troubling Tudor
era where England and Scotland do not see eye-to-eye. Here, the future Mary
Queen of Scots has her life mapped out by her mother, Mary of Guise and the
English monarch, Henry VIII. But not all maps are reliable or pre-ordained, nor
do the map-makers necessarily agree with each others’ marks on the charts they
hope to produce.
The Queen’s Courier is a sequel to Abduction of the Scots Queen,
where Matho Spirston had kidnapped Mary, an infant, and given her into the care
of Margaret Douglas - Meg - the daughter of the Earl of Angus and Henry VIII’s
sister, with Meg then being blamed for the deed. But it is not necessary to
read this first novel (although I would recommend it!)
Matthew, Earl of Lennox, champions Meg but he is greedy for power,
and as the niece to the English King, Meg herself is obliged to retain
her virginity and follow the King’s permission for marriage. As for the future
Mary Queen of Scots, Henry wants her as wife to his son, Edward. Her mother has
different plans.
The author, in addition to being able to write delightful novels,
is skilled at taking the reader right into the feel of time and place, by
painting visual pictures within her narrative. Her research is well done, as is
her depiction of the unsettled politics of the period, with all the upheaval of
war, intrigue, scandal, plot after counter-plot and the dangers of being an
appointed spy where messages had to be taken in utmost secrecy between
Scotland, London and France.
Jen Black’s characters are believable, the diplomacy, the
scheming, the hopes, dreams, nightmares and dangers all zip along at a good
page-turning pace. The only regret I had is knowing the eventual fate of Mary
Queen of Scots!
© Ellen Hill
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