"A Tudor tale of murder, dangerous horoscopes and dark secrets!"
Reviewed by Audrey Lawrence
Posted April 19, 2015
Mystery Cozy | Historical
As the Queen's procession crest over the last hill on
their
way to Lord Arundel's Nonsuch, Kate Haywood and other
Ladies
of Queen Elizabeth's court are absolutely overwhelmed by
its
beauty. Designed to be the most lavish palace in
Christendom, King Henry, Queen Elizabeth's own father,
started building it; yet after his last visit there with
his
new Queen, the ill-fated Catherine Howard, he never
returned
nor finished it.
Both the Queen and Kate, her favourite musician, are
looking
forward to a summer break of lighthearted merriment and
dancing. With the fawning attention and wealth of Lord
Arundrel, Nonsuch is the most beautiful place to enjoy the
warm lingering days of summer in 1559 away from all the
smells of London. Still danger can lurk anywhere and with
her other role of helping to protect her Queen, Kate is
ever
watchful.
With Kate's ever inquisitive nature and friendly smiles,
she
is usually welcomed everywhere and, as she is not titled,
allows her to slip in and out of places to get information
that the Queen with her large court of ever present
courtier
or Sir Robert Dudley, the Queen's good friend and
protector,
could not get. Kate is pleasantly surprised when her
actor
friend, Rob Cartman, arrives at Nonsuch. Kate senses he
is
holding something back, but what is it?
MURDER IN THE QUEEN'S GARDEN is the third book in Amanda
Carmack's exciting Kate Haywood Elizabethan Mystery series
and it is filled with dangerous situations and dilemmas
for
young Katie Haywood. Carmack's many fans are sure to
relish
this latest adventure that brings back many of the
characters featured in earlier mystery. With brief
background references to the past, MURDER IN THE QUEEN'S
GARDEN is a very entertaining read either as a stand-alone
story or as a continuation in the series.
Well-known for her historical romances written under the
names of Amanda McCabe and Laurel McKee, Carmack slips in
some hints of romantic tensions in this Elizabethan
mystery
as well. Katie, as well as some of her friends, are
starting to yearn for marriage, yet Katie is aware that
the
Virgin Queen is less inclined to let her Ladies in Waiting
be available for that. Can Katie decide who has won her
heart? Will they be free to have the romance they desire?
What futures does Dr. John Dee forecast with his star cast
horoscopes? Who is in danger? Who will die? Carmack had done amazing research for the writing of
MURDER
IN THE QUEEN'S GARDEN and seamlessly is able to elaborate
and realistically expand on her interesting plot
developments by blending in authentic and fictional
characters and their background histories in the stories
and
interconnections of the various royal families. Her
Author's
Notes at the end of the book are almost as full of
intrigue
as how she has uses the material in MURDER IN THE QUEEN'S
GARDEN.
If you like historical fiction or just can't get enough of
the Tudors, you are sure to delight in the magic of
Nonsuch
in MURDER IN THE QUEEN'S GARDEN! Carmack truly delivers on
fascinating period details, along with intriguing danger
and
vivid characters! It is written in the stars...a tale of
murder and dark secrets... a true reading pleasure!
SUMMARY
The author of Murder at Westminster Abbey and Murder at
Hatfield House is back with an absorbing and surprising
new
Elizabethan Mystery… 1559. Elizabeth has been on the throne for six months, and
life in England seems newly golden. But for the Royal
Court,
murder and betrayal are foretold in the stars.... Kate Haywood, the young queen’s personal musician, has
been
keeping busy playing for a merry round of summer parties
where famed astrologer Dr. John Dee and his fantastic
horoscopes are all the rage. However, Elizabeth’s favorite
stargazer fails to predict the discovery of a skeleton in
the queen’s garden—and that the victim’s identity will
call
his own innocence into question. When the doctor’s pupil is the victim of a second murder,
the concerned queen enlists her trusted Kate to clear the
accused killer of wrongdoing. But will the stars align to
light Kate’s path through a tangled thicket of treachery
to
save Elizabeth’s prized astrologer and protect the queen
from those who threaten her reign?
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