Elizabethan Mystery & Suspense

The England of Queen Elizabeth was a time of violence, political conspiracies & personal betrayal…and there is no shortage of intrigue and suspense as evidenced in the continued popularity of mysteries taking place during Virgin Queen’s long reign.

Fiona Buckley
In 1560 widow Ursula Blanchard becomes one of Elizabeth’s ladies-in-waiting and becomes a royal spy and thus finds herself in constant danger from the political and religious turmoil around her. But Ursula's steely nerves, keen intuition and unwavering devotion to her sovereign see her through it all.

To Shield a Queen. Scribner, 1997.
The Doublet Affair. 1998.
To Ruin a Queen. 2000.
Queen’s Ransom. 2000.
Queen of Ambition. 2002.
A Pawn for a Queen. 2002.
The Fugitive Queen. 2003.
The Siren Queen. 2004.

P.F. Chisholm
Sir Robert Carey, courtier to Queen Elizabeth—as well as her favorite cousin—is appointed a Deputy Warden and tries to maintain order on the danger-filled borderlands of England and Scotland. A man of no financial means himself, the incorruptible Carey finds himself in a seemingly never-ending battle against intrigue and corruption.

A Famine of Horses. Walker, 1995.
A Season of Knives. Walker, 1996, 1995.
A Surfeit of Guns. Walker, 1997.
A Plague of Angels. Poisoned Pen, 2000, 1998,

Kathy Lynn Emerson
Unconventional, strong willed Susanna Appleton is the wife married to Sir Robert, a courtier and occasional spy for Queen Elizabeth. Susannah is also an expert herbalist and keen observer of human nature and quickly makes herself indispensable the Queen, whose court is filled to the brim with intriguers and plotters. . Robert holds as dim a view of independent and educated women as he does remaining faithful to his marriage vows. His eventual untimely death gives her a freedom she has never before experienced and which makes her reluctant to accept the marriage proposal of suitor Nick Baldwin.

Face Down in the Marrow-bone Pie. St. Martin’s, 1997.
Face Down Upon an Herbal. St. Martin’s, 1998.
Face Down Among the Winchester Geese. St. Martin’s, 1999.
Face Down Under the Wych Elm. Minotaur, 2000.
Face Down Beneath the Eleanor Cross. Minotaur, 2000.
Face Down Before Rebel Hooves. Minotaur, 2001.
Face Down Across the Western Sea. Minotaur, 2002.
Murders and Other Confusions. (short stories) Crippen & Landru, 2004.
Face Down Below the Banqueting House. John Daniel, 2005.
Face Down Beside St. Anne's Well. John Daniel, 2006.
Face Down O'er the Border. John Daniel, 2007.

Philip Gooden
Aspiring (but, alas, not very talented) actor Nick Revill stumbles into gainful employment with The Chamberlain’s Men, a theater company based in London at the Globe, whose members include a young playwright named Will Shakespeare. Nick also finds himself taking on the role of amateur sleuth, one for which he proves eminently suited. Between (and often during) engagements, the quick-witted and engaging Nick becomes involved in all manner of poisonings, knifings, blood-feuds, and conspiracies.

Sleep of Death. C&G, 2000.
Death of Kings. C&G, 2002.
The Pale Companion. C&G, 2002.
Alms for Oblivion. C&G, 2003.
Mask of Night. C&G, 2004.
An Honorable Murderer. C&G, 2005.

Karen Harper
There is no shortage of intrigue at court as the spirited, 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth--out of favor with the current monarch, her ailing half sister, Mary Tudor—begins to suspect that her enemies are planning to kill her before she can claim the soon-to-be-vacant throne after several of her relatives are poisoned. Aided by her "Privy Plot Council," a motley but intensely loyal crew which consists of look-alike herbalist, Meg Milligrew, enterprising actor, Ned Topside, and Stephen Jenks the stable hand, Elizabeth soon roots out the threat and begins her 45-year reign. But danger is never far off and treachery lurks in the highest of places.

The Poyson Garden. Delacorte, 1999.
The Twylight Tower. Delacorte, 2001.
The Queen’s Cure. Delacorte, 2002.
The Thorne Maze. T. Dunne, 2003.
The Queen’s Christmas. T. Dunne, 2003.
The Frye Mirror. T. Dunne, 2005.
The Fatal Fashione. T. Dunne, 2006
The Hooded Hawke. T. Doherty, 2007

Simon Hawke
Ever wonder where Shakespeare really got the inspiration for his plays? In this series, the newbie playwright & actor Tuck Smythe prove to be the Holmes and Watson of their time and their sleuthing provides Will with plenty of fodder in his quest for recognition .

Mystery of Errors. T. Doherty, 2000.
The Slaying of the Shrew. T. Doherty, 2001.
Much Ado About Murder. Forge, 2002.
The Merchant of Vengeance. T. Doherty, 2003.

Edward Marston
Nicholas Bracewell is the "book holder" for Lord Westfield's Men, a theatrical company headquartered at the Queen's Head Inn. He is also the prompter, stage manager and all-around trouble-shooter. A gentle, intelligent & efficient man with the physique of a wrestler, the bearing of a gentleman, and a pair of clear blue eyes that miss nothing, Nick deftly juggles dealing with temperamental thespians, fickle patrons, nervous landlords, disapproving Puritans, the company's ever-present financial woes, and the usual 16th century intrigues, plots, and, of course, murder most foul.

The Queen's Head. St. Martin's, 1989
The Merry Devils. St. Martin's, 1989
The Trip to Jerusalem. St. Martin's, 1990
The Nine Giants. St. Martin's, 1991
The Mad Courtesan. St. Martin's, 1992
The Silent Women. St. Martin's, 1994
The Roaring Boy. St. Martin's, 1995
The Laughing Hangman. St. Martin's, 1996
The Fair Maid of Bohemia. St. Martin's, 1997
The Wanton Angel. St. Martin's, 1999
The Devil's Apprentice. Minotaur, 2001
The Bawdy Basket. Minotaur, 2002
The Vagabond Clown. Minotaur, 2003
The Counterfeit Crank. Minotaur, 2004.
The Malevolent Comedy. Minotaur, 2005.
The Princess of Denmark. Minotaur, 2006.

Audrey Peterson
Murder in Stratford. Five Star, 2005.
Anne Hathaway Shakespeare relates the story of a murder for which her husband, Will, is accused (and acquitted), and how she helped unmask the real killer.

John Pilkington
Thomas (the Falconer) Finbow is ostensibly in charge of Sir Robert Vicary's hunting birds, but his quick wit and sharp instincts make him even more valuable to his master as a troubleshooter and investigator, and although Sir Robert encourages his amateur detecting, Thomas would rather be tending his beloved feathered friends.

The Ruffler’s Child. Hale, 2002.
A Ruinous Wind. Severn, 2003.
The Ramage Hawk. Severn, 2004.
The Mapmaker’s Daughter. Severn, 2005.
The Maiden Bell. Severn, 2005.
The Jingler's Luck. Severn, 2006.
The Muscovy Chain. Severn, 2007.

Leslie Silbert
The Intelligencer. Atria, 2004.
The discovery of a mysterious manuscript written in cipher that had been buried for centuries leads to the truth behind the stabbing death of Christopher Marlowe in 1593.

Peter Tonkin
Master of Defense Tom Musgrave uses logic and forensic work and a little help from his friends, like Will Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, to find the solutions to all manners of gruesome outrages in and around Queen Elizabeth’s court.

The Point of Death. Severn, 2001.
One Head Too Many. Severn, 2002.
The Hound of the Borders. Severn, 2003.
The Silent Woman. Severn, 2004.

Leonard Tourney
Time’s Fool. Forge, 2004.
Before William Shakespeare’s ailing “dark mistress” can blackmail him into paying her doctor's bills, she dies in a mysterious fire. Torn between grief and anger, the famous playwright learns that the fire was no accident, and that he is being stalked by a person obsessed with bringing his life to ruin.

Created and maintained by: Lynne M. Kennedy.

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