Customer Reviews

Face Down Upon An Herbal

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Even better than the first of the "Face Down" series, Face Down Upon an Herbal an outstanding example of the historical mystery genre. Susanna, Lady Appleton, is an intelligent and engaging sleuth. The plot never hurries yet has definite direction, always leading toward the eagerly anticipated denouement. And the secondary characters are well-drawn and equally engaging. I can't wait for future entries in this series and hope there will be many more.

Every time I read an Elizabethan mystery by Kathy Lynn Emerson, I feel like I've been transported back in time. I hear the sounds of carriages passing by, smell the smells of the herbs in their kitchen, & feel I've met the most authentic characters I've ever encountered in a historical novel. This is a 'feel like you've been there' read - Susanna deals with her falling from grace husband in a way that makes me long for the next installment in the series. An incredible read!

Lord Glenelg is an odious man. He is also a traitor. Now, a guest in Lord and Lady Madderly's castle, he has been murdered, though no one seems terribly upset about his loss. Enter Susanna, Lady Appleton, and her half-sister-in-law Catherine, enjoined by the Queen to visit Madderly Castle to assist its Lady with her herbal. Coincidence? Susanna thinks not, but that does not keep her from trying to solve this, and subsequent, murders.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel in this series, but did not like this one so well. The mystery was not as interesting, and the fact that Susanna was not at home hurt the entertainment value, I thought, particularly since it meant that her companion and confidante became half-sister Catherine rather than the feisty, outspoken Jennet from that first outing.

The author writes well about herbs and the times, informing us effortlessly of things we might not otherwise know, but while this was a pleasant read, it was a letdown from the first, though I'll probably try another in the series.

This is a wonderful series of historical mysteries. The characters are strong and grow in the course of the series, and the stories are fun--although not terribly hard to figure out, in this case at least. This did not deter me from enjoying this book at all. The pleasure of Elizabethan England is the greater joy here--all the more so because the historical details are correct!

A perfect book for a rainy day. Ms. Emerson embellishes an intriguing mystery with fascinating historical details about Elizabethan England. I have read both books in the series, and look forward to her next!

Lady Appleton, still married to the prigg of the local century, keeps herself busy collecting and writing her own herbal book and, oh yeah, solving a murder. The series is the perfect book for all you historical murder mystery buffs. It is sure to please.

After her husband's death, Mary Queen of Scots, returns from the continent to her home in Scotland. Her return polarizes the populace between her and the English Queen Elizabeth, who expects her cousin to denounce any claim to the English throne. When a Scottish nobleman, Lord Glengly, is murdered in the English home of Lord Madderly, the situation becomes even more tangled. Elizabeth orders renowned herbalist Lady Susanna Appleton to Madderly Castle, allegedly to assist the lady of the manor with a herbal she is working to produce.

In actuality, Susanna is the ticket to gain easy access to the castle for her spouse Robert, an intelligence officer, working for the Queen. His assignment is to ferret out the murderer and to determine whether an anti-Elizabeth conspiracy has formed in the region. When the killer strikes again, Susanna willinly places herself in danger in order to make sure that justice to be served.

Any person interested in the intrigues, politics, and lifestyles of the Elizabethan era will want to devour FACE DOWN UPON AN HERBAL. Kathy Lynn Emerson's impeccable and detailed research is on every page, making the period seem alive in the mind of the reader. From the role of females deferring to their male superiors with the irony of two Queens in charge of two countries and the lives of the men who serve them to the adjustments partners must make in marriages of convenience, this authentic feeling mystery could serve as a very interesting history text. The who-done-it is fully constructed and loaded with viable suspects. Added to the mystery and historical perspectives, is a touch of romance. The bottom line is that this is one of the best historical mystery series on the market today.

Harriet Klausner

One of the weakest historical mysteries I have ever read. The plot rambled, the detective seemed to go nowhere with the solution of this mystery, and the distant and rather cold relationship between the Appletons make the "cozy" character epithet used by some reviewers a mystery to me. Skip this series and read the far superior Ursula Blanchard books by Fiona Buckley.