Publisher: Orion
SYNOPSIS:
England, 1546: A young Princess Elizabeth is surrounded by uncertainty. The Black Death stalks the land and with it deadly conspiracies against her. She is not currently in line for the throne, but she remains a threat to her older sister and brother. In the midst of this fevered atmosphere comes an unprecedented invitation from the Sultan in Constantinople. He seeks to assemble the finest players of chess from the whole civilised world and pit them against each other. The prize? Fabulous wealth but also the honour of Christendom. Roger Ascham, Elizabeth's teacher and mentor, is determined to keep her out of harm's way and also continue her education in the art of power and politics. Ascham resolves to take Elizabeth with him when he accompanies the English chess champion to the Ottoman capital. But once there, the two find more danger than they left behind. There's a grotesque killer on the loose and a Catholic cardinal has already been found mutilated in the grounds of the palace. Ascham is asked by the Sultan to use his razor-sharp mind to investigate the crime. But as he and Elizabeth delve deeper into the murky world of the court and the glittering chess tournament, they find dark secrets, horrible crimes and unheard-of depravity. Things that mark the young princess for life and define the queen that she will become...
REVIEW:
I love something a little different and to be honest whilst it was a little slow to start, it was a book that I had a lot of fun with as I loved the way that the author built up the principle characters where we, the reader get to see a different size to Elizabeth 1st as the young Princess is given one hell of an education from a master of strategy, tactics and thoughts.
The prose works wonderfully well and when the reader is taken on an almost unthinkable journey for many of the time period, it’s a tale that works deeply into the psyche. All round I was more than engrossed with this title and when added to some great twists alongside cracking characters it was a book that more than hit the spot. Great stuff.
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