The Hooded Hawke: An Elizabeth I Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

I have long been a fan of Harper's Queen Elizabeth I mystery series and have avidly read each book. They began so steeped in history and rich in character that the reader was transported back to another place and time. However, with her recent offerings something has been lacking. It seems as though the series is petering out and Harper seems to be giving it something of short shrift.

The strong point of the novel is in her strong, vibrant, and fascinating Elizabeth. Harper does an excellent job of portraying a complex woman of great intelligence and passion who also had a formidable temper. I especially like how Francis Drake was drawn into the picture and how his arrival led to Elizabeth's realization that she could have feelings for a man other than her dear Robin. The beginnings of this love triangle are interesting and help to illustrate what was perhaps Elizabeth's greatest tragedy--though a great and powerful leader, she could not succumb to those passions lest she lose said power and all for which she strives to accomplish.

Elizabeth's conflicted feelings about Mary, Queen of Scots are also nicely done and there is a palpable tension to the setting as England is on the even of the northern rebellion. The mystery is nicely interwoven in this and the perpetrator is quite surprising as he has managed to hide himself very effectively from some of Elizabeth's most astute advisers. The attempts on Elizabeth's life nicely portray just how perilous her position was, poised as she was between her adoring public and her scheming nobles.

What is disappointing about this novel and about the last couple of books in general is how little page time some of Harper's interesting tertiary characters get. Over the course of the series, I have grown to care about them as much as Elizabeth and the addition of their trials and tribulations are what has helped lend this series such richness. Meg Milligrew in particular is a character about whom I care a great deal and a great tragedy that she has suffered is given almost a passing mention in the story and is used more as a plot device than anything. Ned and Jenks have also been given precious little time in the last couple of books though both of them have experienced some major life changes about which I would like to know more.

All in all, while I do think that Harper is still as fascinated as ever with Elizabeth I, it seems to me that she is starting to tire of her series. This book and the last lent me the distinct impression that she is in a hurry to wrap the series up and move on and that is really too bad.

The Hooded Hawke

Karen Harper

Dunne, Feb 2007, $23.95

ISBN: 0312338872

In 1569 Queen Elizabeth I continues her effort to strengthen her control of throne while her prime rival Mary, Queen of Scots, and several northern lords brew rebellion. Though concerned over her safety, Elizabeth refuses to be a prisoner as she was when her late stepsister was queen. Accompanied by Francis Drake, she goes out on an outing, but someone tries to assassinate her; killing her falconer instead. A second attack comes close to her while she consulted with her herbalist.

Not one to sit around as a target, Elizabeth begins an investigation as to who is behind the attempts on her life as she suspects it is not the obvious suspects like Mary. She enlist her loyal servants and Francis to help her unravel the truth as she begins to suspect she is not the objective, but that someone else close to the crown is and the assailant also has to be in the inner royals circle. If her theory is wrong, a dead Elizabeth would be the proof.

As always with this delightful sixteenth century mystery series, readers must accept Queen Elizabeth I as a private investigator extraordinaire. If one can accept that basic axiom, the exciting story line is fascinating as the audience obtains a deep look at Elizabethan England inside a cleverly devised whodunit with suspects galore.

Harriet Klausner

Karen Harper's Elizabeth I Mysteries are delightful. The characters are well-drawn, well-written and believable. She has done a ton of research and uses actual historical incidents as jumping-off points for her mysteries. I read many historical mysteries and this series is one of the absolute best. I became addicted after one book and have read every one in the series. Harper knows how to keep the pages turning! I've lent them to everyone in my family and we all adore them, men and women alike. We wish Ms. Harper would write some more!