Face Down O'er the Border (Lady Appleton Mysteries) [Paperback]

Kathy Lynn Emerson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Emerson's engrossing 16th-century mystery (her 11th, after 2006's Face Down Beside St. Anne's Well) plunges readers into the middle of Scottish domestic drama and political intrigue from the first page. Series heroine Susanna, Lady Appleton, is distressed to learn that her friend Catherine has gone missing. Catherine's mother-in-law, Jean, was found strangled after the two women got into a fight, and though Susanna is sure of her friend's innocence, Catherine could be executed if found guilty of murder. To make matters even more complicated, Catherine was last seen with a woman who once had an affair with Sir Appleton; her daughter has been spirited away by her nurse, Avise; and her son is trapped in Stirling Castle, a reluctant schoolmate of young King James. Vividly realized strong female characters, well-paced plot, seamless dialogue and intriguing historical details add up to a compelling period tale. (Sept.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Perseverance Press (September 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188028491X
• ISBN-13: 978-1880284919
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,224,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Scotch Broth, October 5, 2007

By 

Ted Feit (Long Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Face Down O'er the Border (Lady Appleton Mysteries) (Paperback)

The continuing saga of these characters during the Elizabethan Age moves to Scotland in the year 1577, the year Mary, the Scottish abdicated Queen, is held prisoner in England. Her 11-year-old son James is heir to the throne and rule is in the hands of a series of regents who keep dying. Amid this political unrest, Catherine Glenelg is found unconscious down a flight of stairs and her mother-in-law dead on top of her, presumably murdered.

Catherine has no memory of the event and is accused of the murder. She disappears with the help of her friend, the mysterious Annabel. Her friend Susanna Appleton travels from Kent to try to rescue her and learn who the real murderer is. Even if Catherine is found, she won't cross the border without her daughter and son, who is assigned to wait on the boy-king in Sterling Castle.

Thus the stage is set for the unraveling of the mystery of the mother-in-law's death and the rescue of Catherine's eight-year-old son from the castle. Portrayals of the period are undoubtedly genuine, and the language real for the time and place. Descriptions of the political conspiracies are intriguing, as is information on the vagaries of Scottish law (for instance, charges against a murderer could be either criminal or civil, and if compensation is paid to the survivor there are no criminal charges brought).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What an enjoyable series, December 13, 2009

By 

kashew (Zurich Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Face Down O'er the Border (Lady Appleton Mysteries) (Paperback)

Whenever a modern day, too depressing mystery gets me down, I reach for a "Face Down" book. I can't think of a nicer way to spend an afternoon than escaping into Lady Appleton's world. It is just a shame that I never find these in the local bookstore, but have to wait for their delivery. The plot details are covered already in the synopsis, so I won't repeat. This was not my absolute favorite of the series, but was well worth reading. Not great literature, but who wants to spend their days with Proust when one can enjoy an historical mystery with a familiar character?