Absolutely delighted with this review which came in yesterday. The writer could not load it to Amazon, presumably because she has not spent £50 with them this year, so I will use it wherever I can as it is too good to lose!
The Queen’s Letters by Jen Black
With regret I reached the end of this exciting tale of
intrigue and adventure, brilliantly coloured by Jen Black’s strong sense of
period. In this novel we are taken to France, Scotland and England in the time
of Henry Vlll and the details of daily life which she has so well researched
convinced me I was actually there with her all the way.
Her hero, Matho Spyrston, is no stereotype
adventurer but a living breathing character who has appeared in earlier books
and whom we are happy to meet again as he undertakes a dangerous mission to
deliver the Queen’s letters.
Journeys always make for
fascinating reading and Jen takes us with Matho and the delightful youth Jehan
through sixteenth century France at a time of intermittent warfare. Intertwined
with his story is that of Meg Stewart and the Earl of Lennox whom we have also
met before, both of whom had previous dramatic dealings with Matho and now
provide the fitting climax to this novel as old scores are settled.
The different strands are cleverly
woven together and the tensions between the warring factions within the
Scottish court keep the drama at a high pitch throughout. Matho has to escape
many life threatening situations but they develop plausibly, not at all in
James Bond fashion, and the love interest with Agnes de Guise is similarly
handled, realistically, because she too is an inconsistent, believable human
being. There is also a wealth of other characters from cruel cardinal to
cheerful stable boy. Jen brings to life
everyone who has a part in her story however small and I find this one of the
most delightful features of her writing.
I can heartily recommend this novel
as an enjoyable and rewarding read.
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