To Ruin a Queen: An Ursula Blanchard Mystery at Queen Elizabeth I's Court [Paperback]

Ursula Blanchard, a recently widowed woman, must leave her young daughter in the care of a servant and make her own way in the world as a lady in waiting to young Queen Elizabeth I. At court she finds herself encountering intrigue at every turn and is soon offered an opportunity to serve the Queen and earn some extra funds which she can use to support her young daughter. Rumors abound that nobleman Robin Dudley is having an affair with the Queen, and that he is poisoning his wife to free him from his marriage. Ursula must go to his home to protect Dudley's name, and through him the Queen's. But once Ursula arrives, she begins to have doubts, especially after the warnings she receives. Is there something to the rumors? And if so, is Dudley the one behind them, or is there something even more dangerous and sinister afoot?

If you know your Tudor history, you're going to love this series. It's full of people, places and customs of the period, very well researched. Even the central mystery of the plot is based on fact, like all of Fiona Buckley's books. There's a subtlety to the plot, and a great deal of political and religious intrigue mixed in. It's quite rich and pleasantly complex.

What I most enjoyed was the detailed account of the daily life of a gentlewoman. There seem to be a lot of books about daily life of the working class and peasants, many more on the life of the nobles. What you don't often see are the middle class, which is what makes Ursula Blanchard such an interesting heroine. She is caught between the two classes, at the mercy of the nobles and trapped in their plots and games, yet high enough that she can be a player (or pawn) in those same games.

This is a great start to a very intriguing series.

This latest entry in the series is, like the others, a pleasant and fulfilling mystery. I appreciated Buckley's returning Ursula to England, and the Welsh twist added some interesting new flavor. Once again, Ursula sets out to solve a "cozy" mystery that, upon closer scrutiny, turns out to have potentially thunderous ramifications for Queen and country. The whodunit aspect of the novel is tightly constructed, with some shocking twists and bits of pure cleverness. I was a bit disappointed with the fact that I was able to identify the killer long before the denouement, but that only detracted slightly from the mystery.

Most of all, I appreciate Buckley's fine flair for characterization. Ursula and all her facets are unfolding and developing beautifully; she seems more and more of a real person with each successive book. Her husband, Matthew, has deepened significantly beyond the suave courtier he was in the first book; Brockley is also becoming an intriguing character! There are some wonderfully poignant moments to be found in this book, which elevate it far above the conventional mystery.

All in all, an enjoyable read, with depth of character compensating for a slightly predictable air.