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Lady-in-waiting Ursula Blanchard has a mandate from the secretary of state to spy on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I. Although she has already proven herself worthy of the Queen's gratitude, Ursula now must travel to France, where civil war may break out at any moment, to hand carry a letter from Elizabeth to the Queen Mother and Regent, Catherine. The mission to mediate peace between warring Protestant and Catholic French factions seems clear, but there are hidden forces at work. Whom can show more Ursula trust? What will happen to her daughter if she fails? And what are the chances—and consequences—of a reunion with her second husband, a Frenchman and an enemy of Elizabeth's?This tale of murder, treasure, and passion effortlessly and accurately conveys the high treason in the court of young Queen Elizabeth I.
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Member Reviews
Readable but, as the kids say, "mid." I did like that the main character, Ursula, is a bit reckless and cavalier about what she does without suffering too much of a case of the stupids. But while this is marketed as a mystery, there's not really much of a mystery here—if I had to come up with a category for it, I'd say Queen's Ransom belongs to something like "cosy thriller." It was fine, but the constant undercurrent of "rational English Protestants who understand that God is love" versus "the swarthy French Catholic zealots who want to burn all heretics at the stake" got old quick.
The third of this series of engaging Elizabethan whodunnits. The characters are attractive and the stories flow well, though the remorseless anti-Catholicism can be a bit grating.
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Books Read in 2012 (Numbered)
168 works; 6 members
Books Read in 2012
816 works; 34 members
Author Information
44+ Works 3,247 Members
Some Editions
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Queen's Ransom
- Original publication date
- 1999
- People/Characters
- Ursula Blanchard; Elizabeth I, Queen of England; Catherine de Medici (Queen of France); Katherine Ashley; Ambrose Blanchard; Helene Blanchard (show all 18); Luke Blanchard; Roger Brockley; William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley; Fran Dale; Matthew de la Roche; Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester; Lady Katherine Knollys; Sir William Paulet; Alvarez, Bishop de Quadra; Sir Richard Sackville; Sir Henry Sidney; Sir Nicholas Throckmorton
- Important places
- France; London, England, UK
- Dedication
- For Dalip
- First words
- Sir Robin Dudley, Master of the Queen's Horse, had broad shoulders and swarthy good looks, a dashing taste in doublets, and a great deal of personal charm.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I had not yet brought myself to face the further question: whether Blanchepierre was, after all, the right place for her mother.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 293
- Popularity
- 109,462
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.73)
- Languages
- English, French
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 14
- ASINs
- 6
