Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
The Poyson Garden
Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Karen Harper
Class/Genre: Mystery Historical
Series: Elizabeth I mysteries # 1
Delacorte, Feb 1999, $21.95, 310 pp.
Queen Mary loathes her half-sister Princess Elizabeth, blaming the daughter for the alleged sins of the mother having replaced her own mother at Henry's side. Though Mary cannot behead the popular Princess, she can and does exile Elizabeth.
Elizabeth soon realizes that someone is methodically eliminating her Bolyn relatives. As she begins to uncover a dastardly plot to commit genocide against anyone remotely related to the Bolyns, Elizabeth learns that her aunt, thought dead, is alive, but being poisoned. Worse yet for the young royal is an assailant is stalking her too. With few people she can trust with her life, Elizabeth starts tracing the threads back to their source, praying that her half-sister is not the ultimate culprit.
THE POYSON GARDEN is a brilliant early Tudor historical novel that quickly captures the minds and souls of the audience. The fast-paced story line strongly depicts the intrigue and peril of being a member of the royal family. The plot includes a glimpse at historical personage and a well-developed who-done-it. What really makes this novel a classy read is the passion Karen Harper obviously has for the era which beautifully rises from the superb prose. Ms. Harper strikes a chord with fiction and non-fiction Elizabethan buffs with this winner.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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