The Tudor Conspiracy: A Novel. C. W. Gortner. St. Martin’s Griffin. July 2013.
352 pp. pbk. ISBN#: 9780312658496.
Mary
Tudor and Princess Elizabeth are bitter enemies forevermore. Mary is now Queen of England and doing
everything possible to force her sister to convert from Protestantism to the
Roman Catholic faith. That victory would
guarantee England remains a Catholic country and would enable Mary to marry Philip,
Prince of Spain. Imagine how such a
union would change the face of history!
“Nothing
is ever as it seems!” is the essence of this plot and Brendan Prescott, spy who
once saved one of the sisters, is the protagonist called to the Queen’s
presence for specific employment. His
job? Prove Elizabeth is a traitor; bring
evidence that will enable Mary to eliminate her ever-threatening sister. Court intrigue, rumors and plots fill every
page as supposed friends and implacable foes lead and mislead this easily
targeted spy. The reader must pay
attention as Brendan seems to serve both sisters with equal determination. Yes, he is misled at times but learns to
become sharper mentally and trust his increasingly correct instincts as to who
is really vying for favor. There are
truly no innocents herein!
Private
letters, secrets, poison, murder, brutal beatings, threats, sword battles,
sexual temptation and more force the reader’s excitement into more intense
reading and flipping of these riveting pages.
For C. W. Gortner is a master of the mystery, the spy novel, the
adventure story, the intricacies of England’s domestic and international
manipulations of history, the obsessive lust for power and revenge, and the
foibles that betray even the most careful antagonists!
The
subplot of this novel awaits the reader’s pleasure as Brendan searches for his
true identity amidst the royalty related to the Tudor sisters. This quest is no less satisfying and the
reader is rooting for Brendan every step of the way.
The
author’s brilliance shines clearly in the way his characters seem to move
through an emotional gauntlet of fury, confusion, fear, mourning, happiness,
and mistrust in a matter of minutes. One
is never sure what will happen in the next second which makes the anticipation
even more enticing! Words cannot
properly convey how well-crafted The
Tudor Conspiracy… is. Treat yourself,
if you haven’t done so yet, to a brilliant, literate, engaging and exciting
read which illuminates the intricacies of this well-known royally entangled
historical period and characters!
Stunning!
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