The Lady Flirts with Death
-
- $3.99
-
- $3.99
Publisher Description
In the 3rd book of the Simon & Elizabeth Mysteries, Elizabeth Tudor is accused of treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Most, including Elizabeth herself and her old friend Simon Maldon, believe she will never leave the place alive.
Loyal to a fault, Simon manages to get in to see his "Highness," once a princess but now demoted to simply Lady Elizabeth. Leaving the Tower, Simon meets another old friend, Peto the Pope. Peto is accused of murder but swears he is innocent. Simon investigates to learn what really happened.
At the same time, Simon's wife Hannah takes in a frightened pregnant girl who refuses to identify herself. Hannah is captivated when her guest has a baby girl. Childless herself, she's determined to help this mother and child get a start in life.
Distracted by his desire to help Elizabeth and prove Peto's innocence, Simon pays little attention to what's happening at home. Neither he nor Hannah realizes they should be listening to each other, and when they finally do, it's too late. In trying to help others, they have put themselves in deadly danger.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of Herring's fine third 16th-century mystery (after 2011's Poison, Your Grace), apothecary Simon Maldon, disguised as a priest, visits his royal friend, 19-year-old Elizabeth Tudor, in the Tower of London. Elizabeth blames her plight not on the new monarch, her half-sister, Mary, but on the queen's advisers who have branded her a traitor. Simon sees another Tower prisoner, his underworld friend Peto the Pope. Peto admits the murder charge against him "is hardly beyond belief," but he assures Simon he's innocent. As Simon seeks to free Elizabeth and Peto amid much cloak-and-dagger intrigue, his childless wife assists a pregnant girl in need. Though supplying less historical background than usual, Herring deftly explores the theme of loyalty in a time of deep religious division. Engaging characters and a well-paced plot more than compensate for the occasional anachronism (e.g., "my single goal in life").
