Doublet Affair
A tantalizing re-creation of Elizabethan life and manners told with intelligence and wit," raved Library Journal upon the publication of To Shield the Queen, the volume that introduced twenty-six-year-old Ursula Blanchard, Lady of the Presence Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I, and one of the most entrancing mystery heroines to come along in many a season.\ Young Ursula knows it can be treacherous easing herself into the petty foibles at court, but now, having once saved the Virgin Queen from...
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A tantalizing re-creation of Elizabethan life and manners told with intelligence and wit," raved Library Journal upon the publication of To Shield the Queen, the volume that introduced twenty-six-year-old Ursula Blanchard, Lady of the Presence Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I, and one of the most entrancing mystery heroines to come along in many a season.Young Ursula knows it can be treacherous easing herself into the petty foibles at court, but now, having once saved the Virgin Queen from political disaster, she faces an even greater challenge. Sortie of Ursula's old acquaintances may be plotting to overthrow Elizabeth in favor of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the re-establishment of the Catholic faith. Ardent, some would say fanatical, believers will stop at nothing — smuggling, counterfeiting, civil war, perhaps murder — to further their cause. One of Elizabeth's spies is already dead and the clues to his death point in a troubling direction.Most disturbing to Ursula is whether her old friends Ann and Leonard Mason could be mixed up in a treasonous plot against the Queen. There have been rumors that all is not as it should be with the Masons.Secretary of state Sir William Cecil needs his own spy in the Mason home and Ursula is the obvious choice, She knows the family, she can justify her visit by helping to care for the Masons' five children, and she can perhaps use her newly acquired skill at lockpiching to uncover some surprising truths.Torn between her devotion to Elizabeth, still a young woman like herself, and her longing to be reunited with her exiled Catholic husband, Matthew, in France, Ursula makes a difficult bargain that balances personalhappiness against duty to Queen and country. Her journey takes her into dangerous territory eventually into the underground cells of the Tower of London itself Whatever happens, she will never again be quite as trusting or quite as secure.Publishers WeeklyElizabethan sleuth Ursula Blanchard returns in a worthy follow-up to To Shield the Queen (1997). Ursula, lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I, is the only female spy employed by the queen's right-hand man, William Cecil. A widow with a small daughter, she has been forced into a clandestine marriage with Catholic aristocrat Matthew de la Roche, who has escaped the Protestant Elizabeth's clutches and returned to France. Ursula is requested by the queen and Cecil to retire temporarily from court and to stay--and spy--at the home of Leonard and Ann Mason, who are suspected of harboring sympathies for the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots. Working undercover as a governess, Ursula seeks to gather information on a conspiracy that may involve a London clockmaker and the Masons' tutor. She is helped significantly by her married servants, Fern Dale and Roger Brockley, whose homespun wholesomeness provides a nice foil to the intrigues of the bluebloods who drive the tale. Witty and courageous, Ursula finds her life threatened but forges on, unraveling the conspiracy and, ultimately, making a fateful decision regarding her future. Once again, Buckley pens an intricate tale rich in period detail and vivid characters. Among writers of historical mysteries, she stands out for the attention and skill she brings not only to suspenseful plotting but to the setting that supports it. (Nov.)
\ Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly\ Elizabethan sleuth Ursula Blanchard returns in a worthy follow-up to To Shield the Queen (1997). Ursula, lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I, is the only female spy employed by the queen's right-hand man, William Cecil. A widow with a small daughter, she has been forced into a clandestine marriage with Catholic aristocrat Matthew de la Roche, who has escaped the Protestant Elizabeth's clutches and returned to France. Ursula is requested by the queen and Cecil to retire temporarily from court and to stay--and spy--at the home of Leonard and Ann Mason, who are suspected of harboring sympathies for the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots. Working undercover as a governess, Ursula seeks to gather information on a conspiracy that may involve a London clockmaker and the Masons' tutor. She is helped significantly by her married servants, Fern Dale and Roger Brockley, whose homespun wholesomeness provides a nice foil to the intrigues of the bluebloods who drive the tale. Witty and courageous, Ursula finds her life threatened but forges on, unraveling the conspiracy and, ultimately, making a fateful decision regarding her future. Once again, Buckley pens an intricate tale rich in period detail and vivid characters. Among writers of historical mysteries, she stands out for the attention and skill she brings not only to suspenseful plotting but to the setting that supports it. (Nov.)\ \ \ \ \ VOYA - John Charles\ Ursula Blanchard knows firsthand the hell that working women endure when they feel torn between their jobs and their personal lives. As a Lady of the Presence Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I, Ursula has served her royal mistress well-even going so far as to help uncover and quell a plot designed to discredit the queen. Due to her role in this earlier affair, as well as her natural sleuthing skills, Ursula has been retained by the Queen's Secretary of State as a spy for England's monarch. Unfortunately, Ursula's new husband, who does not share the same religious beliefs as the Queen, fled the country for France once his role in the plot was discovered. After wondering if she would ever see her husband again, Ursula finally receives a letter from Matthew asking her to come to France so that they can start a new life together. Elizabeth offers permission for Ursula to leave her service and join her husband only if Ursula will wait until spring, when the weather for traveling overseas is better. Of course, while Ursula is waiting, Elizabeth and her Secretary have another mission for her: they want Ursula to investigate a treasonous plot that threatens to put Mary Queen of Scots on Elizabeth's throne. The author has a rare gift for blending historical fact and fiction together in a thrilling mystery that brings Elizabethan England to life for readers. The second in a series featuring Ursula, The Doublet Affair has it all: great characters, fast-paced story, treachery and danger, and a smidgen of passionate romance. Teens who have enjoyed the recent spate of movies featuring England's dynamic queen (Elizabeth, Shakespeare in Love) will latch onto this entertaining historical mystery. VOYA Codes: 4Q 3P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, Will appeal with pushing, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12 and adults).\ \ \ J. AshleyI'd recommend this book to anyone interested in the time of Elizabeth the First. All the historical characters appear: Elizabeth, Sir William Cecil, Dudley, and though the story is entirely fictional, it's a much more accurate portrait than the recent movie about Elizabeth. Ursula is an engaging character, and I like seeing that world through the eyes of a woman.\ — Over My Dead Body.com\ \
