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Kathy's Reviews > The Queen's Man
The Queen's Man (Justin de Quincy, #1)
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The Queen’s Man
By Sharon Kay Penman
Reviewed July 3, 2022
It is Epiphany in the year 1193 and Richard I (The Lionheart) is missing, supposed to have returned to England after being away on Crusade.
In Winchester, young Justin de Quincy, who all his life has been told that he is the bastard son of a whore and an unknown man, learns the truth. Yes, he is a bastard, but his father is far from unknown. He is the bishop who took him. But rather than treating him as the son he is, the bishop allowed Justin to think of himself as a kind of charity case. Having no desire to live any longer under the same roof as his father, Justin leaves, heading toward London and a new life.
Along the way, Justin comes upon the scene of the brutal robbery of a goldsmith. Before the man dies, he gives Justin a letter that needs to be delivered personally to Queen Eleanor.
Thus starts Justin’s new life as the queen’s man, as Eleanor tasks him with finding the murderer, and learning how this murder ties in with events surrounding the disappearance of her son, King Richard I.
This is a fast-paced, exciting mystery, filled with court intrigues, beautiful damsels (not always in distress), heartless killers, plots and counter-plots, and spies. Who to trust is something Justin must learn, and learn quickly, because trusting the wrong person can lead to dire consequences.
The Queen’s Man is a really good Medieval who-done-it, and the first in a trilogy featuring Justin de Quincy, and if the next two are as good as the first, this is going to be an excellent mystery series.
By Sharon Kay Penman
Reviewed July 3, 2022
It is Epiphany in the year 1193 and Richard I (The Lionheart) is missing, supposed to have returned to England after being away on Crusade.
In Winchester, young Justin de Quincy, who all his life has been told that he is the bastard son of a whore and an unknown man, learns the truth. Yes, he is a bastard, but his father is far from unknown. He is the bishop who took him. But rather than treating him as the son he is, the bishop allowed Justin to think of himself as a kind of charity case. Having no desire to live any longer under the same roof as his father, Justin leaves, heading toward London and a new life.
Along the way, Justin comes upon the scene of the brutal robbery of a goldsmith. Before the man dies, he gives Justin a letter that needs to be delivered personally to Queen Eleanor.
Thus starts Justin’s new life as the queen’s man, as Eleanor tasks him with finding the murderer, and learning how this murder ties in with events surrounding the disappearance of her son, King Richard I.
This is a fast-paced, exciting mystery, filled with court intrigues, beautiful damsels (not always in distress), heartless killers, plots and counter-plots, and spies. Who to trust is something Justin must learn, and learn quickly, because trusting the wrong person can lead to dire consequences.
The Queen’s Man is a really good Medieval who-done-it, and the first in a trilogy featuring Justin de Quincy, and if the next two are as good as the first, this is going to be an excellent mystery series.
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Pauline
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rated it 4 stars
Jul 03, 2022 04:33PM
I thought you would enjoy it--and glad that you did. There are actually three more books in the series. Cruel as the Grave which you have, Dragon's Lair, and Prince of Darkness. Let me know if you want me to send the latter two.
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Pauline wrote: "I thought you would enjoy it--and glad that you did. There are actually three more books in the series. Cruel as the Grave which you have, Dragon's Lair, and Prince of Darkness. Let me know if you want me to send the latter two. "Yes, I will definitely want to read all four. I'll message you when I'm ready. And thanks again for recommending these!
SKP was planning to write further adventures for Justin, apparently revealing his mother’s real identity, but her publisher wanted her to write those long epics.
Sometimes I don't want to read a lengthy, epic tome. Sometimes I just want a fast and easy read, something to take my mind off of whatever else is going on in the world.
Kathy wrote: "Sometimes I don't want to read a lengthy, epic tome. Sometimes I just want a fast and easy read, something to take my mind off of whatever else is going on in the world."Me, too. Sometimes I want just to read something fast-paced and entertaining, and make it a Medieval and a mystery and I couldn’t be happier.
Pauline wrote: "Me, too. Sometimes I want just to read something fast-paced and entertaining, and make it a Medieval and a mystery and I couldn’t be happier."Exactly!
