To Ruin a Queen - (Ursula Blanchard Mystery at Queen Elizabeth I's Court) by Fiona Buckley (Paperback)

About the Book

This fourth mystery featuring Ursula Blanchard, loyal subject of Queen Elizabeth I, finds Ursula trying to build a new life in France. Ursula hears her daughter Meg is missing, and she returns to England. But Meg has been sent by the Queen to the castle of a descendant of a conspirator in the murder of Edward II. When a murderer strikes, Ursula is ensnared in a web of treason that could topple the crown.

Book Synopsis

Her devotion to her family trumps all.

Homesick for England, heartsick at being separated from her young daughter, Ursula Blanchard is struggling to build a new life in France with her husband, Matthew de la Roche. Ursula is devastated when she learns Meg has disappeared from the family that has fostered her since the French civil war forced Ursula to leave her behind. A wanted man in England, Matthew is unable to accompany her as she frantically journeys home.

Upon her arrival, Ursula is stunned to learn that Meg is not missing, but has been sent at the Queen's behest to Vetch Castle, the home of Philip Mortimer, descendant of Roger Mortimer, who was executed long ago for his part in the murder of Edward II. Ursula treads carefully as she seeks the truth about Philip Mortimer's schemes to force the Queen to restore his family's fortunes. But when a murderer strikes, she is quickly ensnared in a web of blackmail and treason that could topple the crown -- and cost Ursula her life.

Review Quotes

"[A] sixteenth-century mystery series as complicated and charming as an Elizabethan knot garden." -- The Tampa Tribune

"An absorbing page-turner." -- Booklist

"Fantastic historical fiction filled with royal intrigue....Buckley makes the Elizabethan era fun." -- The Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Fiona Buckley is the author of eight historical mystery novels featuring Ursula Blanchard: To Shield the Queen, The Doublet Affair, Queen's Ransom, To Ruin a Queen, Queen of Ambition, A Pawn for a Queen, The Fugitive Queen, and The Siren Queen. She lives in North Surrey, England.