The Queen’s Spy
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4.6 • 32 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
A perilous mission. An unforgivable betrayal. A secret lost in time…
1584: Elizabeth I rules England. But a dangerous plot is brewing in court, and Mary Queen of Scots will stop at nothing to take her cousin’s throne.
There’s only one thing standing in her way: Tom, the queen’s trusted apothecary, who makes the perfect silent spy…
2021: Travelling the globe in her campervan, Mathilde has never belonged anywhere. So when she receives news of an inheritance, she is shocked to discover she has a family in England.
Just like Mathilde, the medieval hall she inherits conceals secrets, and she quickly makes a haunting discovery. Can she unravel the truth about what happened there all those years ago? And will she finally find a place to call home?
Enchanting and gripping, The Queen’s Spy effortlessly merges past with present in an unforgettable tale of love, courage and betrayal – perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Kathryn Hughes.
Readers love The Queen’s Spy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Every so often you come across a book that you know will never leave you. This is one of those books… will stay with me for a long time to come and is most certainly one of my favourites.’ Reader review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I adored [this]… had me hooked from the first page and when I wasn’t reading it, I found myself thinking about it... A truly wonderful read, it is my favourite book of the year!’ Reader review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Where to start! I loved this book so much – I couldn’t put it down but was loathe to finish it.’ Reader review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Utterly beautiful, a real page turner! I took this book camping with me and was so grateful that it was on my kindle paperwhite because I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading it until almost 3am!’ Reader review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Absolutely brilliant, I loved it!… If I could give it more than five stars I would!’ Reader review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This book was one I couldn't put down. I read it in a day… it’s left me wanting more.’ Reader review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow!…. Simply stunning! I was absolutely hooked right from the beginning!’ Reader review
About the author
Growing up in Surrey, Clare always dreamed of being a writer. Instead, after gaining a degree in history and an MA in women’s studies she accidentally fell into a career in IT. After spending many years as a project manager in London, she moved to Norfolk for a quieter life and trained as a professional jeweller.
Now, finally writing full-time, she lives with her husband and the youngest two of her six children.
Customer Reviews
Emotional, gripping, and suspenseful
I raced to read this book right after reading Saffron Hall because I wanted to know what happened to Eleanor! I was intrigued and captivated by both timelines, and I was pleased to learn a little about what happened to Eleanor and her brood (sans Jane). Even after finishing up the novel, the characters have stayed with me and I hope we get more from the others. The Queen's Spy was very emotional, heartbreaking, and at times very suspenseful. Clare Merchant was able to transmit the emotional state of someone that was deaf/mute beautifully, and the reader really felt it all he was feeling. I wish that his life tragedy hadn't paralleled so closely to Eleanor's (Sir Greville) because I really wanted more for him, but alas, wouldn't have had a story if it had I suppose. Other reviews mention the sentence structure /grammar but I took it more as the author used it to convey Tom’s limited grasp of language as well as Mathilde’s first language not being English.
The one thing I was disappointed in was the lack of continuity in the characters from the first novel. Tom is Eleanor's adoptive son and is an adult that decides to cross back to England after being in exile for most of his life in search of a home. The way Tom describes growing up with the Lutton's doesn't go with the characters that adopted him in book 1. Not sure if the author meant to leave all that vague for future novels, but either way it bothered me. His bond with Eleanor was very unique and it annoyed me that she brushed over it to create this sense of displacement for this story. The author also didn't make it clear where Tom came from--a box in a boat, what?
The queen spay
Beautiful story engaging interesting I can’t stop reading this book very interesting.
I love it.