Dragon's Lair: A Medieval Mystery [Hardcover]

Sharon Kay Penman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penman, Sharon Kay | Publication Date: October 9, 2003

The long-awaited third novel in Sharon Kay Penman's much-loved medieval mystery series.

July 1193: Richard Lionheart, eldest and most favored son of Dowager Queen Eleanor of Aquitane, languishes in an Austrian dungeon, held for ransom by the Holy Roman Emperor. Lusting after the crown in England, his brother John plots with his country's bitterest foe, King Philippe of France, to see to it Richard never leaves Austria alive. But the Queen has already begun to meet the ransom demands, and it is only a matter of time before the Austrians turn over their royal prisoner. And then one of the ransom payments vanishes in the fastnesses of Wales, itself wracked by rebellion and intrigue. Into this maelstrom, Eleanor sends her trusted man, Justin de Quincy-and murder soon follows.

First introduced in The Queen's Man-an Edgar nominee for best first mystery-Justin de Quincy returns in what may well be Penman's strongest mystery to date.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Penman's third polished medieval mystery (after 1998's Cruel as the Grave), her dedicated and resourceful hero, Justin de Quincy, tries to recover, quite literally, a king's ransom in coffers of precious metals and bales of wool, which are as valuable as gold, that have been stolen in northern Wales. It's 1193, and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine fervently needs to ransom her eldest son, Richard Lionheart, from the Holy Roman Emperor before King Philippe of France can interfere and her younger son, John, can seize the crown. Justin proceeds into the thickets and wild forests of Wales, where he's deeply mistrusted both as an Englishman and an outsider. He must penetrate abundant Welsh intrigues and deceptions in order to discover the treasure as well as solve murders and comfort bereaved lovers. Despite a large cast of characters from every social class, Penman keeps them all clearly distinguishable. Her familiarity with Cheshire and Wales is evident in her descriptions of the terrain and verdure, while her use of modern language, with only an occasional "for certes" to remind readers of the period, makes the story a pleasure to read.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School--In this sequel to The Queen's Man (Ballantine, 1998), Dowager Queen Eleanor is desperately trying to rescue her son Richard Lionheart, imprisoned by the Holy Roman Emperor. Meanwhile, her youngest son, John, plots to ensure that his brother never leaves prison alive. Justin De Quincy, the illegitimate son of the Bishop of Chester, is sent to Wales by the queen to recover one of the ransom payments, which has mysteriously disappeared. It was primarily in the form of fine Cistercian wool sent in wagons under guard to Chester. De Quincy investigates the theft and delves into the labyrinthine politics of Wales. Davydd, a prince of North Wales, claims the payment was stolen and the guards slain. Using friends and contacts and his own wits, De Quincy comes close to tracking it down, and then becomes a target himself. Amid scheming, murder, and mayhem, he ultimately prevails. Medieval Britain comes alive in this fast-paced tale. Students of history and those just looking for a good mystery will be equally rewarded.--Molly Connally, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 322 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399150773
• ISBN-13: 978-0399150777
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #941,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am an American of Irish-English-Welsh heritage, and I currently live in New Jersey, although many of my readers imagine I am happily dwelling upon a Welsh mountaintop--but no such luck. I was once a tax lawyer, which I looked upon as penance for my sins. Like most writers, I was born with a love of the written word, although I never expected to be able to support myself as a writer; when you read about starving artists in their garrets, most of them have starving writers as roommates. But I was very lucky and I have been blessed to make my living as a writer for the past twenty-seven years or so. All of my novels--eleven at last count--are set in the Middle Ages, and focus upon England's most colorful dynasty, the Plantagenets. It is almost as if they lived their dramatic and often wildly improbable lives with future historical novelists in mind, and I am very grateful to them--especially to the Angevins,Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and their equally famous children, known to their contemporaries as the Devil's Brood.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent medieval mystery, October 9, 2003

By 

Lesley West (St James, Western Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon's Lair: A Medieval Mystery (Hardcover)

I am a huge fan of Sharon Penman and she has once again given us a finely crafted story of life in the time of Eleanor and Aquitaine, Richard the Lion Heart, and of course, our ficticious hero Justin de Quincy. This story revolves around a true incident - Eleanor's frantic quest to raise an enormous ranson to secure the freedom of her favoured son Richard, but of course there are the little side stories that allow for the most fun, and this is where Justin comes in. He is asked to travel to the border of Wales, and so solve the whereabouts of a portion of the ranson payment. Along the way he encounters many characters who aren't what they seem, for good or bad, and of course solves the mystery. Don't be fooled - this is an elegant and complex mystery, and one not easily figured out.

Along the way we encounter other characters that Penman fans will be familiar with from her other fantastic Welsh tales, butof course in a different time, and somewhat different place, and this makes the story all the more detailed.

If I have one very small criticism, it is that the book assumes that you have been with Justin since he first appeared in the equally fine "The Queen's Man", and that you are familiar with his life and loves, paternity and other lifetime issues. I am, as would all devoted Sharon Penman fans, but for others who are new to her work through this book, it may be a little distracting. Similarly however, as a fan I would probably find all the re-intoductions somewhat tedious, so I appreciate that this is a fine line when writing a story in a series. But it is a very small criticism, and in no way detracts from the mastery of her writing, her meticulous attention to historical research and retelling, and the ability to spin a mighty good mystery.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dragon's Lair, January 6, 2004

By 

"leda_au" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon's Lair: A Medieval Mystery (Hardcover)

This, the third installment in Sharon Kay Penman's mystery series featuring her intrepid sleuth Justin de Quincy, is sure to delight new and old readers, and should read well even as a standalone. In this novel Justin is despatched by his employer, Eleanor of Aquitaine, into the wilds of medieval Wales to solve the mystery of a vanished 'king's ransom' in wool bales. This may not sound exciting but Penman is a master storyteller and weaves an engaging adventure. At the same time, while Justin is separated from his love interest and friends for the majority of the action, there are interesting shifts in his relationship with his father which foster the development of this endearing lead character, and while not perhaps as strong as CRUEL AS THE GRAVE, DRAGON'S LAIR is a worthy addition to de Quincy's adventures.

Fans of Penman's historical fiction who, like myself, find the mystery format not essentially to their taste will likely enjoy DRAGON'S LAIR more than previous de Quincy novels because it takes Justin firmly into the territory covered by Penman's first Plantagenet novel, the classic HERE BE DRAGONS. At times passages from HBD are inserted almost verbatim into DRAGON'S LAIR, but this is managed relatively seamlessly, though Penman employs distinctly different writing styles for her mysteries and historical novels. The treatment of one of her greatest heroes, Llewelyn ap Iorwerth of Gwynedd evokes the best of both these styles. The elevated and slightly archaised 'history' language evokes the Llewelyn so carefully characterised in HBD, while the more down-to-earth and distinctly humorous style of her 'mystery' gives Llewelyn a chance to shine as the high-spirited and light-hearted man the weightier concerns of HBD rarely permitted him to be.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Justin de Quincy Rides Again!, March 16, 2005

By 

Scott Schiefelbein (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon's Lair: A Medieval Mystery (Hardcover)

Sharon Kay Penman's "Queen's Man" series of historical mysteries is starting to rival her other, longer novels of a more pure "historical fiction" bent. It's no surprise -- her historical mysteries demonstrate better research and command of the period than many "pure" historical novels.

"Dragon's Lair" again features Penman's fictional hero, Justin de Quincy, bastard son of the bishop of Chester. Justin is educated, resourceful, clever, and, as he admits, lucky. As a result, he's the perfect choice to serve Queen Eleanor. Beset by a tide of troubles in her later life, Eleanor in 1193 is trying to ransom her beloved son, King Richard, currently held captive in Germany. While the call has gone out across the realm for the ransom to be compiled, many less-than-loyal subjects desire to keep the ransom for themselves. The leading candidate for betrayal comes from within the royal family, as Eleanor's son John has no desire to see Richard return from confinement.

And so it is no great surprise when a valuable shipment of coin and luxurious wool (worth its weight in gold) goes missing en route from Wales. Eleanor immediately dispatches Justin to this remote, wild kingdom, charged with recovering the lost ransom. Justin soon finds himself in Welsh intrigues as wild and tangled as the Welsh countryside, and there's more than a wee spot of murder afoot, too.

Along the way, Penman feasts the reader on a host of precise details that evoke the time period, but does so in a highly readable fashion. We also delight in learning more about Justin, including meeting some players from his misspent youth.

An entertaining mystery (very realistic in its details) populated by a vivid cast of characters, "Dragon's Lair" keeps you guessing from page to page. A very enjoyable read!