The Doublet Affair (Mystery at Queen Elizabeth I's Court) [Mass Market Paperback]

Fiona Buckley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mystery at Queen Elizabeth I's Court | Publication Date: December 1, 1999

Ursula Blanchard is "audacious, intensely loyal, and beguiling," said Publishers Weekly of Fiona Buckley's historical sleuth in her mystery series debut. Now, the young, widowed lady-in-waiting is back, once again defending her mistress, Queen Elizabeth I -- this time from a plot to overthrow the Queen and usurp her throne, a task that will test Ursula's sharp wits and investigative skills to the limits.

Torn between her duties and her personal life, Ursula has asked permission from the Queen to leave the court for a time. But Queen Elizabeth will only grant that request if Ursula will first assist Sir William Cecil in his investigation of a troubling plot against Elizabeth -- one that could place her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne of England.

Ursula's role will test her sharp eyes and cunning wiles. Already, one of Cecil's most trusted spies is dead. As Ursula follows directions and joins the household of her old friends Ann and Leonard Mason -- now under suspicion of involvement in this Catholic plot -- Ursula knows her own life may depend on her abilities to discover the truth in a dangerous web of deceit.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The novel begins as Ursula Blanchard, waiting woman to Queen Elizabeth I, is having a lesson in picking locks under the watchful eye of her majesty's secretary of state. An unusual lesson indeed for a respectable woman of the court, but Blanchard is no ordinary lady in waiting. She does have the proper antecedents for her place, but an eye and an ear for suspicious dealings helps her to earn additional income. She is a spy, paid to seek out traitorous deeds. In The Doublet Affair, Lord Burleigh sends her to watch some erstwhile friends whose dealings have become more suspicious than keeping the odd Catholic priest under their roof. The plot is enriched by Ursula's own ambivalence about her role: not only does she have a fondness for the family under suspicion, she longs to leave court entirely to join her French husband.

The central mystery is an appropriate one for the period. There are the usual mysterious deaths as well as hints of treachery against the crown. Indeed, one of Fiona Buckley's strengths is her historical appreciation for the fact that Elizabeth, despite her longevity, was never completely secure on the throne; Catholic plots and other schemes of usurpation abounded. Buckley's weakness is her certainty (and Ursula's) that Elizabeth was gentler in religious persecution than her sister. Regardless, Buckley's imaginative sense of quotidian life in Elizabethan England is delightful, and the mystery reaches a satisfying conclusion--with Ursula's lock picks put to good use.

Fiona Buckley is a pseudonym for an established author venturing into historical whodunits. The Doublet Affair follows her first effort, To Shield the Queen. --K. Crouch --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers 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.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067101532X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671015329
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,139,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the first, but still a good story, June 16, 2000

By 

Heather L. Williams "Heather" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Doublet Affair (Mystery at Queen Elizabeth I's Court) (Mass Market Paperback)

I quickly bought this second book of Fiona Buckley's after reading the first book, "To Shield the Queen". Although I didn't find this one quite as intriguing as the first, it was a quick-moving, fun, interesting story. Although it helps if you have read the first novel before reading this one so that you will understand who all the characters and their relationships are, it is not required. This was one that definitely kept me guessing until the end. And again, Ms. Buckley's fictional account of historical events is creative and fun to read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant read, with elements that puzzle., September 30, 2005

By 

Adrienne Wilson "Adrenalin" (Virgina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Doublet Affair (Mystery at Queen Elizabeth I's Court) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a good book, not great, but good. The main character, Ursula, is a sprited young woman who is a lady in waiting at court, a spy for the queen, a mother of a six year old girl, a widow due to a smallpox outbreak, and wife of a catholic traitor living in exile in France. All of these elments would seem to make her either far-fetched or highly entertaining. Yet, you'd be amazed at how quickly you will tire of her adventures. Her relationship with the queen is an odd mix of distant and inproper intimacy. Her initial assigment in spying is utterly vague to the point of confusion. So often we are wondering just what is she trying to ascertain. So much of the book is Ursula following hunches that the reader is left ignorant of. Subtle witty exchanges lose there fizzle because you don't know the underlying meaning. And regretfully you never will. Many of the characters in the novel are quite charming, though undeveloped, and enter and exit in the strangest and at times grusome ways. Others such as the daughter are never heard from at all ,yet there mere mention is supposed to pull at our heartstrings.
The author would have been better served by writing in 3rd person. Then leaving the reader in the dark in so many ways would have so much more excusable. Do not read this book if you are particular about the history in your historical fiction, at times Ursula is very 21st century. Her "atenna is alerted" at one point and a young boys face is described as being "marred by acne".

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, March 29, 2000

By 

FireSign "TheHeights" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Doublet Affair (Mystery at Queen Elizabeth I's Court) (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone that likes a good mystery. From what I know of English history, it is not only historically accurate but also plausible.

It is a story about Ursula Blanchard, a Lady in Waiting to the young Elizabeth I of England. The story is set during the beginning of Elizabeth's reign. Mary, Queen of Scots, Elizabeth's cousin and a Catholic, wants to return to England from France, take over the English throne and return England to the "true religion." There are plots afoot to discredit Elizabeth and set the stage for Mary's return. Ursula Blanchard is requested to spy on the Leonard family, who are Catholics that she happens to be friends with, resulting in all sorts of unexpected twists and turns in the plot. The man that had been spying on the family previously has been found dead under suspicious circumstances. The thinking is that because she is a woman no one will suspect Ursula of being a spy. However, there are those that apparently know what she is and they are loyal to Mary. Her intense loyalty to the Protestant Queen Elizabeth is also tested by the fact that her husband, a French Catholic that she loves dearly, demands that she join him in France or the marriage is over. The Queen will not let her go until the plot against her is found out and routed. This is court intrigue at it's best, and a pretty good read. I think I'll have to read some other works by this author.