Irish barrister Patrick Fitzgerald is summoned by Queen
Victoria as her husband Albert lays on his deathbed. Twenty
years have passed since Patrick was last called to the
castle to undertake the defense of a man who'd attempted to
assassinate the young queen. That event earned him Queen
Victoria's undying hatred to this day. The reason for this
summons remains unclear until Patrick leaves and an attempt
is made on his life. Nothing makes sense as his law partner
is savagely beaten and killed. Then his dear ward,
Georgiana, is accused of a crime. Patrick must discover why
the Queen wants him dead.
Patrick and Georgiana flee with the Queen's henchmen on
their trail. They delve into the past, convinced it holds
the key to the present. Hints begin to emerge of a horrible
secret, and the Queen will sacrifice anyone or anything to
protect her throne. The horrors Patrick and Georgiana
endure nearly break them as they race to find the answers
that could lead to their salvation -- or death.
Ms. Barron's meticulous research is evident as she
seamlessly blends fact with fiction. She includes the
appalling state of the Irish in Victorian England as they
are used as the scapegoats for all troubles. The gripping
plot weaves medical ignorance with resistance to change
among the medical community. The real historical characters
are brilliantly portrayed. Queen Victoria comes alive with
all her faults and prejudices. Her relationship with her
daughter, Alice, is fascinating and repelling, at the same
time.
The acclaimed author of the bestselling Jane Austen
mysteries brings rich historical immediacy to an
enthralling new suspense novel centered around Queen
Victoria’s troubled court…and a secret so dangerous, it
could topple thrones.
Windsor Castle, 1861. For the
second time in over twenty years, Irish barrister Patrick
Fitzgerald has been summoned by the Queen. The first time,
he’d been a zealous young legal clerk, investigating what
appeared to be a murderous conspiracy against her. Now he
is a distinguished gentleman at the top of his profession.
And the Queen is a woman in the grip of fear. For on this
chilly night, her beloved husband, Prince Albert, lies
dying.
With her future clouded by grief,
Fitzgerald can’t help but notice the Queen is curiously
preoccupied with the past. Yet why, and how he can help,
is unclear. His bewilderment deepens when the royal coach
is violently overturned, nearly killing him and his
brilliant young ward, Dr. Georgiana Armistead, niece of
the late Dr. Snow, a famed physician who’d attended none
other than Her Majesty.
Fitzgerald is sure of one
thing: the Queen’s carriage was not attacked at random—it
was a carefully chosen target. But was it because
he rode in it? Fitzgerald won’t risk dying in order
to find out. He’ll leave London and take Georgiana with
him—if they can get out alive. For soon the pair find
themselves hunted. Little do they know they each carry
within their past hidden clues to a devastating royal
secret…one they must untangle if they are to survive.
From the streets of London to the lush hills of
Cannes, from the slums of St. Giles to the gilded halls of
Windsor Castle, A Flaw in the Blood delivers a
fascinating tale of pursuit, and the artful blend of
period detail and electrifying intrigue that only the
remarkable Stephanie Barron can devise.
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