Customer Reviews

In the Time of the Poisoned Queen

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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

Was Queen Mary Tudor, who died while relatively young, poisoned? Was it the poison that prevented her from bearing children? Nicholas Segalla, who has lived for centuries, travels to England, at the behest of the Pope, to find some answers and, if necessary, save the life of the queen. Or so he believes.

In the Time of the Poisoned Queen is a YA novel with elements time travel, The truth is not always what it seems, and the fact that nearly everyone is lying to protect a damaging "state secret" presents Nicholas with a daunting task. The secret is a vacuous one; many subjects during the long era of the Tudor dynasty speculated about it, and "proof" was never found. But there's enough adventure here to entertain young readers who enjoy history, with political machinations abounding and lots of danger. But kids who read this book should be reminded that the poisoning and the secret remain fictitious.

This is a novel by Paul Doherty writing under the pseudonym of Ann Dukthas. Paul Doherty is the consummate professional when it comes to writing historical mystery novels. I for one do not know how he can be so prolific with his offering of books and yet make sure that each of them is well researched. Whether they be 13th, 14th, or fifteenth century they are always true to the period. He also writes about Ancient Egypt and the Greek period in history of Alexander the Great.

This is the fourth book in the series featuring Nicholas Segalla, scholar and mystery solver who is capable of travelling through time and has been involved in the solving some of the most famous mysteries in history. In this book he is investigating the very real possibility that Queen Mary is being poisoned by one of her many rivals . . .