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Queen of Ambition (Paperback)

by Fiona Buckley (Author) "He looked so young ..." (more)

3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books (November 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416597190
ISBN-13: 978-1416597193

Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #271,852 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Ursula Blanchard, lady-in-waiting and espionage agent to Queen Elizabeth I, shows her usual flare in dealing with murder and intrigue in Buckley's fifth engrossing Elizabethan mystery (after 2000's To Ruin a Queen). In the early summer of 1564, Ursula is at Withysham, her country manor house, where she and her eight-year-old daughter are waiting for the plague to end in France so that they may join her husband at their home in the Loire Valley. Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth is preparing a Royal Progress to Cambridge University. Ordered to court earlier than expected, Ursula learns that the queen's Secretary of State, Sir William Cecil, is fearful about a student play to be presented to the queen just after she enters the town and greets the public. Ursula and her good friend, Rob Henderson, are sent ahead to investigate. Going undercover in her housekeeper's dress, Ursula takes a job at the pie shop frequented by Cambridge students and across the street from where the play is to be performed. A student death, complicated ciphers and a runaway wife make for a suspenseful story. As in previous novels in the series, the author expertly blends historical fact and fiction. Although the conclusion may not satisfy some readers and minor characters are merely names, the challenging plot and winning heroine will satisfy existing historical fans and should attract new ones. (Jan. 3)Anand.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

In her fifth outing (after To Ruin a Queen), Ursula Blanchard investigates a young man's death, convinced that it is connected to a seemingly innocent student prank that could endanger Queen Elizabeth. Good historical background and affecting personal detail make this another winner.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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First Sentence
He looked so young. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Good...but not her best, Jan 8 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Queen of Ambition (Mass Market Paperback)

The plot on this one is just a bit stretched for credibility...is Fiona Buckley running out of materia?

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5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner, April 16 2002

By	Jill Shure (carlsbad, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queen of Ambition (Hardcover)

Once again, Fiona Buckley delivers a page turner. This, along with her other Elizabethan mysteries, is a rare treat, filled with historical details that seduce the reader into exciting hours of good reading.

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4.0 out of 5 stars well worth reading in spite of flaws..., Feb 9 2002

By	tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queen of Ambition (Hardcover)

There are quite a few strikes against "The Queen of Ambition" -- a tenuous intrigue plot (part of the problem here is that Buckley portrays the villains in an almost comic fashion, that it is difficult indeed to take them seriously, or the threat that they pose to the Queen); a far fetched solution to the plot (a more cumbersome cipher I have yet to come across, also there was a flaw in the whole cipher subplot, but if I pointed it out in my review, that would be giving away things); Ursula's guilt over almost having slept with her manservant Brockley (the third time she's goes into the 'thank-goodness-we-didn't-give-in' routine, and I was rooting for Fran to leave this sorry pair and find new and better employment!)... Add to this the fact that I'm not a fan of the Tudors, and found Buckley's/Ursula's whitewashing of Elizabeth quite nauseating, and you'd be right to ask why I would recommend this mystery novel as a good read?

Make no mistake about it however, "The Queen of Ambition" is a good read. As reviewer Charles Falk so accurately noted, Fiona Buckley does a wonderful job of interweaving the political and religious problems that Elizabeth I and her ministers faced, with the plot of this mystery novel. But what I also liked was the manner in which Buckley realistically interweaved the kind of life a servant at an Elizabethan pie-shop would lead -- the hard and relentless work, how much a servant's life was bound to the whims and caprices of the master, and the precious few hours off, with Ursula's covert search for proof of wrong-doing. Far too often, mystery writers never go into how an agent's cover can get in the way of his/her undercover work. This was, I thought, a splendid touch. I also liked the manner in which Ursula's confidence in her abilities as a secret agent are developing. Ursula Blanchard is not an easy female protagonist to like completely, but it is easy to respect her abilities and her competence. And I think that Buckley is beginning to make Ursula question many of her past assumptions about her past relationships (with her first husband, and her aunt in particular). More introspection would definitely add more 'spice' to the mix.

The novel unfolds interestingly enough. Buckley is very good at adding little bits of information and plot developments that adds to the tension level of this intrigue novel -- in spite of the ongoing critiquing that was going on in my mind, I was glued to the pages until I finished the novel! So all in all, I'd say that this is a book that is worth reading.

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Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars An utter disappointment
Sure, the historical aspects of this series were great in the first few books, but this book's plot fell way short of the mark. Read more

Published on Jan 28 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars Elizabethan intrigue
In this instance I concur with the opinion of the ubiquitous and easily-pleased "#1". Fiona Buckley has written an exciting intelligent historical mystery set in 1564,... Read more

Published on Jan 5 2002 by charles falk

5.0 out of 5 stars Graet historical mystey
In 1564, Secretary of State Sir William Cecil worries about the safety of Queen Elizabeth when Her Majesty travels to Cambridge on a Royal Progress. Read more

Published on Dec 18 2001 by Harriet Klausner