Customer Reviews

Prince of Darkness (A Medieval Mystery)

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I waited a long time to check this book out of the library, since the store price for it is $25- way too much to spend on a book, even for someone like me. However, I'm not here to comment on the price of the book (which is much more reasonably priced on Amazon); rather, the content of the book is what concerns me. My wait for Prince of Darkness was not in vain, since this was probably one of the best books I have read so far this summer, and it is definitely better than the three books which preceed it in the Justin de Quincey series.

"The Prince of Darkness" is of course John, the malevolent and generally inept future king of England. Previously, he had been suspected of kidnapping his brother Richard the Lionheart, and of attempting to steal the ransom raised to have him released. In Prince of Darkness, however, John, although still very untrustworthy, was still portrayed in a more favorable light. In the winter of 1193-4, Richard was still imprisoned; taxes were raised to pay the ransom, which people gladly paid because Richard was a much-loved king. Here there is a plot to kill Richard, suspected to be orchestrated by his brother John. Justin de Quincey is set upon to find out the truth of these rumors and prevent the murder from happening, if need be. The investigation leads him to stumble over the bodies of two monks slain at Mont St. Michel, as well as the murder of a woman who is deeply involved with the case. In his search for the killer, de Quincey encounters a deadly spy named The Breton.

The Prince of Darkness is fraught with adventure and excitement, as Justin de Quincey, now a father, proves himself to be a more reliable, mature man than he was in his first few adventures. He still serves queen Eleanor, but this time he has personal connections with John and the men who serve him. Although I've read enough mysteries to predict the endings, this is still a book that will "put you on the edge of your seat," so to speak. The book, while fictional, is rooted in the actual politics of the time period, giving this book a sense of urgency. I like Sharon Kay Penman's works because she manages to blend fact and fiction so well, and makes us care about the people she writes about. It gives a picture into the lives of not only the nobility of the 12th century in England and France, but of the common people as well. I admired the ways in which Penman drew each character, and I applaud her depiction of John, since here he is not as bad a person as other writers have made him out to be.

In addition, I am given to understand that there will be more adventures featuring the intrepid Justin de Quincey; Penman especially sets this up at the end of Prince of Darkness, and mentions in a note at the end that she wants to do more with one of the characters she wrote about here. So read and enjoy this as well as the other three books in the series; more are still to come!

If you're looking for a really good and well written medieval mystery novel that is rich in history and that fairly reeks of ambiance and atmosphere, look no further: Sharon Kay Penman delivers again with her latest Justin de Quincy installment, "The Prince of Darkness."

When Lady Claudine engineers a meeting between Justin and Prince John (King Richard I's treacherous and dangerous younger brother), Justin is understandably furious. After all this was the prince who had had put a death sentence on Justin's head because Justin had got in the way of his plans. But when Justin discovers why it is that Prince John needs his help, he knows that as Queen Eleanor's loyal henchman, he must help him. For Prince John now finds himself in the middle of a plot not of his making and that may cause him his place as Richard's heir, and perhaps, even his life. It turns out that Constance, the Duchess of Brittany and the widow of Geoffrey (King Richard's & Prince John's dead brother) claims to have in her possession evidence that Prince John and the Count of Toulouse had planned to murder Richard. Constance has always hated her Angevin relatives, and has plans to make her six year old son, Arthur (Richard's & John's nephew), the next King of all the Angevin lands after King Richard's death. And if she manages to discredit Prince John once and for all, her son will get everything. Prince John must prove that this document is a forgery, and for that he needs Justin's help. And so, once again, for his Queen's sake, Justin finds himself riding into danger in order to sort this latest royal mess, totally dependent on help from those he quite cordially loathes (like Durand) and one lovely lady that he loves but dare not trust -- the Lady Claudine...

This series just keeps getting better and better, and "The Prince of Darkness" definitely lived up to my expectations that I would be in for a thrilling and utterly riveting read. The period details and the historical ambiance were fantastic -- Sharon Kay Penman does a wonderful job of explaining the complex realities of the Angevin royal family and their various satellites, and making the characters and their relative situations comprehensible (even if I did get a little tired of nearly everyone's hero worship of Richard I). I liked how she seamlessly incorporated a very perplexing murder investigation into the real political and historical happenings of the time, and especially how she made Morgan Bloet a vital part of this story. Fast paced, suspenseful, tightly plotted and intriguing, the author successfully help my attention and interest from beginning to end. And need I say it? I eagerly waiting for the next Justin de Quincy installment when he will "ride again." A fantastic read.

This time Justin De Quincy (The Queen's Man) finds himself HELPING Lord John while his mother Queen Eleanor is in Germany securing the release of King Richard. I had a bit of trouble finding sympathy for John's plight - but that helped me to related to Justin who felt the same. I always find Penman's descriptions of 12th century England fascinating - and this time she she took me along with Justin to 12th century France as well. When it comes to her history, Penman is a terrific writer. As for the mystery of her books, I am not as impressed. I think she has improved with each of the three books, and this one is again much better. I did not have it figured out and I did enjoy the excitement of the hunt for the killer at large. It was a little anti-climactic but did set the scene for another book, and I hope she writes one. I like the character development and I find all of them interesting and pleasantly familiar. I look forward to more adventures with them.

Sharon Kay Penman's fourth medieval mystery novel, "Prince of Darkness," continues to offer appeals of a more intellectual than visceral nature, but the novel's appeal is nevertheless considerable.

Justin de Quincy, hero of the first three novels in this enjoyable series, remains the "Queen's Man," dedicated to Eleanor of Aquitane. But in "Prince of Darkness," Justin is tricked into working at the behest of his nemesis, the diabolical Prince John. John's elder brother, Richard Lionheart, remains locked away in a Bavarian dungeon (and John has not-so-quietly conspired to keep him there) but is on the verge of winning his freedom thanks to the tireless efforts of Eleanor. John, who will take the crown on Richard's death as long as he stays in Richard's good graces, has an alliance with King Phillipe of France to further that end, but what is a man to do when a forged letter appears offering false proof of the kind of treachery everyone suspects of John -- namely, that he wants to keep Richard in a Bavarian dungeon? John must clear his name of the letter's slander if he has any chance of succeeding to the throne -- the only unforgiveable sin is the one for which you get caught!

John has no conscience and few allies, so he enlists Justin's assistance even though he tried to have Justin killed in the last novel. Against his better instincts but out of devout loyatly to Eleanor, Justin agrees to help the Prince.

Like Penman's previous murder mysteries, "Prince of Darkness" actually doesn't have that much violence in it. To be sure, there are murders and swordfights, but the novel's strengths lie in its solid grounding in its time period as Penman makes twelfth century France come alive, and in the logical yet unpredictable progression of the story. Penman doesn't depend on eleventh-hour arrivals of surprise witnesses or other cheap stunts -- she crafts solid, if not exceptional, mysteries that gain strength from their plausibility.

If you like your mysteries of the Agatha Christie mold where likely suspects are killed off in droves, Penman's mysteries are likely to disappoint. If you are intrigued by a solid mystery set among the pell-mell lives of England's most tumultuous family, then "Prince of Darkness" is just the novel for you. Check it out.

Once again, this historical mystery series hits another high note. Our hero travels across the Channel, not once but several times, and spends much time in France. He is actually "employed" by Prince John, which should come as a shock to the series readers, but the author explains the seeming contradiction. In fact, Prince John comes across as more human than evil personality in this book, and that does make himn a more believeable character. Now that Richard has returned to England, it's going to be interesting to see where next the author takes us!

The fourth installment in this series sees Justin de Quincy's adventures as the "Queen's man" continue. I found the first part of this story hard to delve into, probably because of the large gaps between books in this series. However, once past some of the more unfamiliar names and events the story began to come alive again. Justin is enlisted to help Prince John prove that a letter implicating him in a plot to assassinate his brother King Richard is a forgery. He unwillingly teams up with the man who originally tried to murder him at John's command, Durand. Plots and subplots abound in this story and Justin is also pressed upon to find the murderer of a lady, whom he grew to like and who was also an ally (spy & lover) of Prince John's.

Surprises are found around nearly every corner, mysterious characters are revealed and the plot thickens. Constance the Duchess of Brittany (widow of Geoffrey, John & Richard's brother) is believed to be at the center of the plot against Prince John. She wishes to see her own son, Arthur, John's nephew on the throne instead of another Angevin.

This mystery was a veritable page turner and ended much too soon for me! Alas, we will just have to wait to see what Justin is up to next as we await the next book in this series. Read this series, in order (The Queen's Man: A Medieval Mystery, Cruel as the Grave and Dragon's Lair), as any one of them are really not a "stand alone" novel and are deeply entwined with one another.

In this, the fourth mystery by Penman, Justin de Quincy answers the call of his former lover, Claudine, only to find that she was acting on behalf of Prince John. A document has surfaced implicating John in a scheme to kill his brother, King Richard I, still imprisoned by Henry VI, King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor.

In a surprising twist, de Quincy finds himself not only working as "John's man", but also partnered with his nemesis, Durand. The two must work together to prove that the document is a forgery, and must look past their hatred and disdain for each other to do so.

The book started slow, and I was worried that Penman had become bored with her mysteries. But it picks up quickly, and becomes, perhaps, her most intricate mystery to date. She challenged herself in this book, as there were more plot threads than we have seen in previous efforts, and indeed it read more like a mystery. Also, a flower that bloomed in this book found its seed planted in the previous book, Dragon's Lair

As always, Penman weaves history and fiction together to create an altogether enjoyable read.

Sharon K. Penman has written many historical novels, many of them large volumes of several hundred pages, all diligently researched and all of them highly acclaimed by the reading public. The novels featuring Justin de Quincey have been equally popular and take place in the late 12th century.

This is the fourth book in the Justin de Quincey series, a character we first came across in The Queen's Man, published in 1996. De Quincey can be likened to a modern day private detective, although he does his detecting work in the late 12th century. He is proud to call himself the Queen's man, the queen in question being Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of the late Henry II and mother of Richard the Lionheart.

Bowing to an urgent summons from his former lover, Justin de Quincey races to Paris. On arrival he is more than a little annoyed to find that the Lady Claudine was acting on behalf of a man he dislikes intensely, Prince John. Because of his closeness with John's mother Justin has already seen what John is capable of doing and also his intense desire to take the throne of England.

When John tells him of a document implicating him in a plot to depose his brother Richard, Justin is not sure what to make of the fact. The document is in fact a forgery and John on this occasion is innocent of the charge but the prince needs the help of Justin to locate and destroy the document before Richards hears of it . . .

Do you know what I think the best thing about this mystery series is? Justin de Quncy is only 21 years old. That means that there should be lots more of these great stories in store!The de Quincy series is a great medieval series because Ms. Penman so intricately weaves historical facts in with her own creative facts, and she has a cast of characters that are unforgettable. This book has lots of twists and turns and takes our hero, Justin all over the place. He's in Brittany, France, London, and back and forth again. Even though Justin is "the Queen's man", he has been recruited by her least favourite son John to help him out of a tight spot. de Quincy does not trust John, but he feels that in his Queen's absence, he must do what he can to help this Prince of Darkness. He is also teamed up with one of his least favourite people on his quest to find a forged letter that has been circulating. So Justin and the Knight Sir Durand set out to track down the letter that states that John plans to kill his brother, King Richard the Lionheart. Ms. Penman's gift is that she makes these ancient political machinations and her characters' passions so real to us in today's world. At least, they certainly are to me. She deals it up with wonderful, believable characters, a fast-paced plot with many unexpected twists and authentic period details. I can't wait for the next de Quincy. (And she promises in her "Author's Afterword" that there will be more).

As an historian, I find Penman to be flawless. I enjoyed her historical detail through 12th century England and France tremendously. I am not sure Justin De Quincy is my favorite character but he is growing on me. His problem is that his father is a Bishop. This bishop does seem to have feelings for him and Penman can sure develop this relationship more in future novels. justin is also a father in this one and we see a nurturing side that I am not convinced added anything to the plot of this novel nor to his character.

On the other hand, King John is certainly complex and gave a view of his personality that, while lacking in some historical proof, is certainly plausible given his experiences as the younger child of that incredible pair of monarchs as Henry II and eleanor of Aquitaine.

My favorite character, though, was Durand and here Penman may want to start something in his direction. As John's man, the character was interesting bu the development of his personality in the novel is the richest part of this adventure. Truly a medieval man.

All in all, a good read.