Picked this up in a box lot from E-Bay, for BC.

From the cover -
Epiphany, 1193. Eleanor of Aquitaine sits upon England's throne. Her beloved son Richard Lionheart is missing, presumed dead - and the court whispers that her younger son, John, is plotting to seize the crown.
Meanwhile, on the snowy high road from Winchester, a destitute young man falls heir to a bloodstained letter, pressed into his hand by a dying man. The missive becomes Justin de Quincy's passport into the queen's confidence - and into the heart of danger, as he pursues a cunning murderer and jousts with secret traitors in Eleanor's court of intrigue and mystery...

This is the first book by Penman I've ever read (although I've been hearing for years that she's very good), and I have Bookstogive and the wishlist tag thread to thank :) I enjoyed this mystery, and the characters, although I did feel a bit let down by the solution to the mystery. (Highlight for a spoiler) I was disappointed in the solution to the mystery, that it was totally at random, and therefore not tied into any other portion of the story. That said, I enjoyed the characters: I thought Queen Eleanor was very true to her character (in the short amount of time she was in the story); I enjoyed the invented character of Justin De Quincy, including his adventure in obtaining his "Shadow;" I look forward to learning more about Nell; and the various accomplices who helped Justin solve the mystery. And I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery set in the Middle Ages. I'm looking forward to reading more by Penman, especially her mysteries including De Quincy.

This will soon be sent off on its way to Tennessee. Hope Bookstogive enjoys it!

Packaged up and ready to go to the po, Monday or Tuesday at the latest. Hope you enjoy it!

I received this great book today as part of the Wishlist Tag Game, thanks so much for "tagging" me! I am really looking forward to reading it and I am sure it won't wait it's turn on MTR :)

I really enjoyed this mystery that takes place during the reign of King Richard(the Lionheart). Justin de Quincy comes across a man being attacked and finds out that the man was carrying a message for Queen Eleanor which he gives to Justin. Justin must then travel to London, meet the Queen and give her the message and she hires him to investigate the attack and report back with his findings.

Lots of characters throughout the story and Queen Eleanor is one of my favorite royals. I have the rest of the books in this series and am looking forward to them.

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Penman is known for good research and good writing, so I'm really looking forward to this!

This is the first in a series of (so far) four mysteries featuring Justin de Quincy. I felt a little disappointed, and I think the first reason is that I don't usually care for mysteries. The second reason is, I'm afraid, that I'm turning out to be a bit of a royalist snob. I really liked Penman's other series, the Welsh Princes and the Plantagenets, because I got to read about, and possibly even dream about living amongst. various royal families.. Eleanor of Aquitaine is here, and she would NEVER be a minor character in any book in which she appeared. But once she set events in motion, we spent most of our timebeating about the roads and villages searching for clues.

On the other hand, part of what I always enjoy about Penman is certainly here: a well-researched picture of what people's lives were really like: their occupations, families, food, and problems. So I still found this a productive and interesting book, and one I'm glad I had the chance to read.

But that's just one person's opinion. Future readers, what do YOU think of this book?

On OBCZ shelves next to entrance