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Title: The Queen's Man: A Medieval Mystery (Medieval Mysteries (Paperback)) by Sharon Kay Penman ISBN: 0-345-42316-X Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 05 July, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.85 (47 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: very enjoyable medieval mystery
Comment: This is the first book I've read by Sharon Penman, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Told in the third-person, the narrative describes the actions and feelings of a queen, a criminal and a slew of London archetypal characters, but primarily our perspective is that of Justin de Quincy, the well-educated but illegitimate son of a cleric who is trying to find his place in the world. A dramatic chance encounter leaves him with an introduction to Eleanor of Aquitane, who subsequently engages De Quincy as her agent in solving a local mystery that may have international implications.
The plot is interesting, the dialogue is authentic without being heavy-handed, and the characters are realistic in their histories and actions. Penman knows her period, which shines through many details.
This is the first book I've read by Sharon Penman but it won't be the last.
Rating: 2
Summary: Disappointing, as was her last short book.
Comment: I am an unabashed Sharon Kay Penman fan. Having found my first SKP novel some years ago, I devoured the others as they became available and anxiously awaited each new book; I've now read them all, some more than once. I remain enthralled by the author's special gift of telling a full-length story without losing the reader's attention and still attending to accurate historical detail.
However, her recent attempt to weave another short tale of mystery has once again fallen far short of her previous success with the longer novels. I implore the author to return to her gift: historical stories with a sound factual basis. These two mysteries (Cruel as The Grave and The Queen's Man), similar to the Ellis Peters genre, are clearly mediocre in comparison to "When Christ and His Saints Slept", etc. I feel as if I have listened to someone with the voice, reputation and character of Winston Churchill try and read Ann Landers' column over the radio; no matter how one hears it, it's just all wrong.
Rating: 3
Summary: A bit of a let down
Comment: I'm not normally a mystery reader. Perhaps I was expecting too much. I liked this book for the author's wonderful depiction of medieval society and the main character Justin De Quincy is well written. However, the solution to the mystery was a bit of a let down. I guess I hoped for some twist and turn in the story that led to a dramatic ending that I least expected. That was sadly not the case. I nearly gave the book 4 stars because the writing was excellent. However, the plot was less than thrilling at times and the ending was blah. So, 3 stars it is - and I hope that I'm not being too harsh simply because of my lack of mystery reading experience. Maybe the obvious is the usual solution????
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Title: Cruel As the Grave: A Medieval Mystery (Ballantine Reader's Circle) by Sharon Kay Penman ISBN: 0345434226 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Dragon's Lair: A Medieval Mystery by Sharon Kay Penman ISBN: 0399150773 Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group Pub. Date: 09 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: Time and Chance (Ballantine Reader's Circle) by Sharon Kay Penman ISBN: 0345396723 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 04 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman ISBN: 0345396685 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 1996 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman ISBN: 0345363132 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 1990 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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