FOREST OF SECRETS by Fiona Buckley

The New Forest, 1586: the last wolf in England may have been killed, but there are worse things than wolves in the woods. Etheldreda Hope rides determinedly for a few days to the home of a gentlewoman who will hear her tale and not fob her off. Queen Elizabeth’s natural sister Mistress Ursula Stannard has just returned from Cornwall to her comfortable home, but she now must pack and ride to a FOREST OF SECRETS.

If you enjoy Tudor England mysteries, seek no further. The richly embellished ‘Ursula Blanchard Mysteries’ spend less time at Court than among the ordinary folks. Blanchard was Ursula’s name from a previous marriage. Now widowed and responsible for the members of her household, she must pay attention to which servant rides, and which stays at home to cook, who has a respectable escort and who should be taught to read.

At Chenston village, tucked away in the greenwood and so remote the villagers urgently need to marry out, Etheldreda’s mule mare gave birth to a filly foal. This is by no means unheard of, but it occurs so seldom that the superstitious villagers call it unnatural and accuse her of witchcraft. To involve the important Mistress Stannard, Etheldreda gabbles about a plot against the Crown. Can there be any truth in the matter? Ursula is duty bound to investigate. There may be nothing more ominous than a festival at Midsummer, but on the other hand, she hears rumors of a sacrifice.

Fiona Buckley researches her works carefully and creates easily distinguishable characters even though they may be in roles found throughout English crime stories, the innkeeper, blacksmith, cook, steward, vicar, local gentry, marriageable young lady. The times change as her series progresses, and the daring Ursula is by now feeling the effects of all that riding and all that rain. Medical knowledge is shown, stymied by the fact that there was no cure for what ailed you but herbs. I love the horses in this series, but the plant lore is excellent too.

During the period FOREST OF SECRETS takes place in, nobody could get far from religious intolerance of one sort or another, and we get a refreshing look at older practices which carry a primal impact. Beware - not everyone makes it through this tale alive, due to matters of history. The only question is how many will survive.

Ursula travels deep into the New Forest to investigate rumours of a plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth in this gripping Tudor mystery.

May, 1586. Ursula and her retinue return home from a lengthy trip to discover she has an unexpected visitor. Etheldreda Hope is a simple countrywoman who has come to Ursula with disturbing tales of strange goings-on in her rural village. Fearing that Etheldreda's reports of mysterious forest rites indicate a possible conspiracy to overthrow Queen Elizabeth in favour of her cousin, Mary Stuart, the queen's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, orders Ursula to travel to Etheldreda's home to find out what's really going on.

On reaching Chenston village, deep in the New Forest, Ursula discovers an isolated, suspicious community; the locals deeply in thrall to the old pagan traditions and beliefs. But are these ancient customs harmless - or are they part of a genuine conspiracy against the queen? And, if so, who is behind it?

It's not until the night of Halloween that Ursula will discover the shocking truth.