The King's Messenger
A story of justice, honour, truth and love – and survival against impossible odds…
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- 7,49 €
Publisher Description
A love story and a road-trip novel, set against turbulent historical times. For fans of Diana Gabaldon and Philippa Gregory, courtly rivalry and intrigue. A story of treachery, betrayal and love...
‘Thoroughly researched and told with brilliantly compelling authenticity. I loved it’ BARBARA ERSKINE
He is tasked with the most dangerous of missions. She is only there from duty. But in the face of treachery and injustice, might they need each other more than they could know…?
1613: Scotland and England, unified under one crown, are reeling from the sudden death of King James’ popular eldest son, Henry, as rumours swirl that the prince was poisoned.
Andrew Logan, one of the King’s Messengers, is sent north with secret orders to find and arrest the man the king suspects.
Phoebe Westaway cannot abide Andrew Logan. But when her ageing father is tasked with helping Logan, Phoebe finds herself with no choice but to join them in their quest to capture Sir David Moray, once Prince Henry’s trusted courtier, and carry him to London to stand trial for the prince’s murder.
It’s a journey rife with complications. Sir David has no intention of allowing himself to be delivered to London, and as he draws them deeper into the dark web of court alliances and rivalries, Phoebe realises she might have more need of Logan than she believes.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kearsley (Vanished Days) draws on the mysterious 1618 death of Henry, Prince of Wales, in this noteworthy historical. Andrew Logan, a messenger for King James I, is tasked with investigating the prince's untimely death after rumors swirl that he was poisoned. The first order of business is tracking down Sir David Moray, who served as Henry's Gentleman of the Robes and who had aroused suspicion by traveling to France soon after Henry's death. Logan travels to Moray's native Scotland, accompanied by scrivener Laurence Westaway, to arrest Moray there. Because Westaway is in poor health, his daughter Phoebe joins the party to tend to her father. After Logan locates Moray, he comes to doubt Moray's guilt and leads the group back to London in hopes of finding the truth. A detailed afterword lays out the historical record and where Kearsley has taken creative license, and her reveal of how Henry died is both surprising and logical. Kearsley's deep character work includes flashbacks depicting Moray's close relationship with Henry and an unexpected but convincing bond between Logan and Phoebe. Fans of C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake series will appreciate this.
