In the Time of the Poisoned Queen [Hardcover]

Ann Dukthas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

In 1558, heretics are being burned at the stake all over England. Queen Mary Tudor faces an ever tightening circle of deceit. Rumors and whispers abound that she, like her minister, is being slowly murdered by some subtle poison .

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-A marvelous journey into the heart of England during one of its historically intriguing moments, shrouded in unanswerable questions that have often coincided with the transfer of power. Cursed to everlasting life and seeking salvation for his soul, Nicholas Segalla has been witness to many of the great moments and mysteries of history. Here, he relates his personal account of the poisoning of Mary Tudor in 1558. Dukthas deftly spins the tale around the substance of true facts, actual personages, and historical occurrences. Details of 16th-century life clearly picture the harsh existence, filth, cold, and sickness a person dealt with on a daily basis regardless of class. The finely drawn characters possess unique strengths and weaknesses while still being examples and members of the age and situation. Focusing the plot on the poisoning of Queen Mary, the author solves the mystery of her death by building a solid theory based upon unwritten and undocumented proof. The book ends as the bits and pieces of the "truth" of Mary's death are skillfully fit together by Segalla, never to be known by the world in general. With lots of action, natural dialogue, and twists and turns of plot, the mystery becomes a page-turner as naturally as it teaches the history it describes.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

More historical embroidery from the creator of time-traveling Nicholas Segalla, whose exploits span centuries, as related to the pseudonymous author (The Time of Murder at Mayerling, 1996, etc.). The scene this time is mid-16th-century England, where a sickly Mary Tudor reigns after marriage to Prince Philip of Spain and the bloody reestablishment of the Catholic religion. Marys Protestant half-sister Elizabeth, supported by canny Henry Cecil, waits in the wings for her to die. Segalla and his cherubic companion, Dr. Cesar, arrive at the Greenwich royal court on a mission for Pope Paul in Rome: The Spanish-hating, Tudor-hating Pope wants not only a watchful eye kept on Mary but also an answer to the puzzling question of who's behind a series of obscurely threatening letters quoting St. Mark's Gospel and signed ``The Four Evangelists''letters received by the Queen and Elizabeth, among others. There appears to be a connection to one Philip Savage, erstwhile controller at the Tower of London, and to a great secret once unearthed there. Segalla has scarcely arrived at court when Dr. Theopilus, Mary's longtime physician, dies of poisonher care taken over by Dr. Cesar and Jane Dormer, her faithful lady-in-waiting. A string of killings ensues, presumably disposing of The Four Evangelists and their associates, but the letters continue. Not until Segalla returns to Rome, in the wake of Queen Mary's death and of a crime of his own, does he get to the core of the whole ugly mess. Byzantine doesn't begin to describe the absurdity of plot contrivances here, and there's little help from a prosaic style. The least appealing of Segalla's adventures so far. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 273 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312180306
• ISBN-13: 978-0312180300
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,091,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New historical mystery by pseudonymn of P.C.Doherty, December 10, 1997

By 

Post Mortem Books (Hassocks,Sussex) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Time of the Poisoned Queen (Hardcover)

Ann Dukthas is now known to be none other than the highly prolific author P.C.Doherty (see also Paul Harding, C.L.Grace, Michael Clynes and Anna Apostolou!) and whilst I'm not so keen on putting fantasy into my mysteries (time travel) his depiction of the period is always spot on. None of the Dukthas books is published in the U.K. so the U.S. edition is the only chance you have of enjoying these fun reads.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Historical inaccuracies galore!, May 14, 2003

By 

Winnie (Phoenix) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Time of the Poisoned Queen (Hardcover)

Now, I love historical fiction. And I'm willing to grant writers a bit of creative license. But, when they have obviously not done their homework, I have problems. I knew I was in trouble when the very beginning of the book stated that Catherine Howard was Henry VIII's FOURTH wife (she was, in fact, his fifth). And this was restated later, confirming that it was not an inadvertent mistake. Other little details that bothered me were the fact that the Queen called Nicholas Segalla, an emissary from the Pope, by his first name. This would NEVER have happened. He was posing as a Jesuit - she would have called him Father Segalla.

The story itself was engaging, but, as the loose ends were tied up and the secrets revealed, I became angrier and angrier, because not one of them is more than idle conjecture - and, more likely, outright fabrication.

It gets two stars simply because, if one suspends one's knowledge of history, it's a decent little story. But, for the amount of research done by the author, it merits about a handful of crater dust.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great addition to this series, April 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Time of the Poisoned Queen (Hardcover)

Nicholas Segalla feels history is about to dramatically change and so he needs to talk to someone. He chooses his friend Ann Dukthas, who he once told that he has been around forever due to an ancient curse. He decides to tell Ann about his involvement in the regal politics of England, circa 1558.

Queen Mary is dying, most likely a victim of poison. There are many people who potentially can gain something if the current Queen is removed from the throne. Catherine de Medici would like nothing less than her daughter-in-law, Mary Stuart, to become the next ruler. Then there is Mary's sister Elizabeth who probably has the best claim to the crown. Finally, Queen Mary's spouse could just as easily be looking elsewhere like at Elizabeth to gain more control over England. Pope Paul IV sends Nicholas to London to ferret out the identity of the royal poisoner before England and perhaps Europe falls into an age of devastation.

The third novel in the Segalla historical mysteries, IN THE TIME OF THE PURLOINED QUEEN, is another brilliant story constructed around real events and an unsolved who-done-it. As with the first two books, Nicholas is a great conduit into the genuine historical figures of sixteenth century England. The story line is a crisp combination of a political thriller and historical mystery that works. Ann Dukthas has given readers a brilliant glimpse into the past and anyone who has had the pleasure will impatiently wait for the next book to be released.

Harriet Klausner