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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Historical mystery, taking place in 1546, involving a fictional account of a chess tournament in Constantinople. Players are invited by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Among those players, an Englishman who is accompanied by the girl Princess Elizabeth and her tutor. While the contest gets underway dead bodies start showing up and Elizabeth and her tutor become the gum-shoes to help solve the mystery of who killed them. I know it is fictional, but it seemed just too out there for me. I did not hate it, but I struggled to finally finish it. There was grossly described ( and I am not a prude) sexual encounters that in my opinion were unnecessary.
Not really what I was expecting from this book. One of the MPG tags should have been "alternate reality".
Not really what I was expecting from this book. One of the MPG tags should have been "alternate reality".
Not the classic Reilly stuff, but it never claimed to be. So that's not an issue. The book chugs along at a great pace, keep the thrill high. Some readers might be turned off by the sexual descriptions, but that's a part of the book and gives it a unique flavor. I'd suggest reading the QnA with the author at the end of the book first to get a better understanding of why the sex is there.
That said, would love to see the character of Roger Ascham in another book, too. He is like a strange mix of Race and West Jr.
That said, would love to see the character of Roger Ascham in another book, too. He is like a strange mix of Race and West Jr.
interesting but not historically accurate. very much a Matthew riley book
Quite different to Mr Reilly's usual action fare but a very good & interesting historical murder mystery.
I was reading this book on the walk from the train station to work and I stepped in some dog shit so despite not being the best written book (with a lot of stuff left to be desired about women) I could not put this thing down and recommend it to anyone who loves a thriller or a good bit of Tudor fiction.
This is a fantastic book which manages to combine a great murder mystery into a middle-ages world that holds several leaders of history and not only that but the story is told through the eyes of a young Elizabeth I, one of the world's most iconic female leaders of all time.
Elizabeth I gets a chance to travel to Constantinople to a world chess tournament with her treasured mentor, Roger Ascham. She takes a long Elsie, her companion who cares more about boys and dresses than she does about chess and world politics unlike a much younger Elizabeth. It's not long before Ascham and Bess get caught up in a murder mystery after a cardinal is found murdered in the Sultan's own palace.
The reader ends up on an adventure, solving things along with the duo and seeing a world in which possibly shaped Elizabeth into the Virgin Queen she became. We heard conversations with scholars talking about the worth of a woman and the power she can have, all of which Elizabeth one day proved to be true.
I found this a captivating tale of both mystery and adventure. I would recommend it to any historic fiction lovers and indeed those who love a good crime/mystery novel!
Elizabeth I gets a chance to travel to Constantinople to a world chess tournament with her treasured mentor, Roger Ascham. She takes a long Elsie, her companion who cares more about boys and dresses than she does about chess and world politics unlike a much younger Elizabeth. It's not long before Ascham and Bess get caught up in a murder mystery after a cardinal is found murdered in the Sultan's own palace.
The reader ends up on an adventure, solving things along with the duo and seeing a world in which possibly shaped Elizabeth into the Virgin Queen she became. We heard conversations with scholars talking about the worth of a woman and the power she can have, all of which Elizabeth one day proved to be true.
I found this a captivating tale of both mystery and adventure. I would recommend it to any historic fiction lovers and indeed those who love a good crime/mystery novel!
Fast paced full of action loved it ! I know the history isn't entirely accurate and what happened to Elizabeth would never of happened but the fun of the story made it amazing and interesting ! Would love the author to follow more of the historical murder route as it suits him fantastically so !