1546. When one of her maid is killed presumably by the same person who has killed before, 13 year old Princess Elizabeth decides she wants to investigate. With the help of the physician's son Simon Maldon and Captain of the Guards Hugh Bellows, they question all who they can, including the suspects, and pool their answers to determine the guilty party.
I enjoyed this historical mystery, a good solid start to the series, and look forward to reading the next one. ( )

Elizabeth Tudor and Simon, a physician's son, set out to discover who is murdering, decapitating, and dressing young women in nun's garments on the streets of London. I found this novel fascinating in that the plots twists were interesting, the development of the characters was intriguing, the description of 16th century London was amazing, and the witty dialogue kept me interested from beginning to end. I especially loved the development of the relationship between Elizabeth Tudor and Simon, and how Elizabeth might have developed some of her tendencies and strategies when she became ruler of England (and why she surrounded herself with powerful and intelligent people). This is a novel that would be interesting to both teens and adults. And for those who are interested, the author has a book discussion page on her personal website that is really good for either book clubs or for teachers to use in their classrooms. ( )