Publisher's Weekly Review
Early in Buckley's atmospheric 19th Tudor mystery (after 2020's The Scent of Danger), Ursula Blanchard, a prosperous widow and half-sister to Elizabeth I, receives a strange visitor at her Surrey home. Etheldreda Hope has come from the village of Chenston, where her mule giving birth to a foal is arousing her neighbors' fears that she's a witch. Even more worrying, Etheldreda reports that secret rites are being committed in the forest outside Chenston, and the group's unknown leader says they must "bring about the death of an evil queen, to save an honest queen." Since Ursula works as an agent on Elizabeth's behalf, off to Chenston she must go. There she finds the villagers in thrall to odd beliefs and pagan practices, but do these have anything to do with a conspiracy to put Mary, Queen of Scots, the queen's rival, on the throne? The well-defined secondary characters who accompany Ursula add to the intrigue, notably her resourceful manservant, Roger Brockley, who's determined to protect her from the dangers they encounter, but sometimes fails to do so. Only a flat and abrupt ending disappoints. Buckley makes full use of a fascinating time and place in British history. Agent: David Grossman, David Grossman Literary (U.K.). (June)
Kirkus Review
A half sister to Queen Elizabeth I continues her life of deceit and danger. Upon her return home from her latest adventure in 1586, Ursula Stannard is confronted by an unwanted visitor. Etheldreda Hope is afraid to return to her own village of Chenston in the New Forest, whose native inhabitants have treated her as a witch ever since her mule gave birth to a filly. Etheldreda's account of strange goings-on in the woods, where the leader of the strange pagan rites--a man with antlers--has been speaking against an unnamed evil queen, brings Ursula to immediate attention. After consulting with Elizabeth's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, she departs with her loyal servants, Brockley and Dale, for the estate of Sir Henry Compton, near Chenston. Also with her is Mildred, a young woman recovering from a disastrous love affair. The village of Chenston is certainly odd, and its geographical isolation has kept its population inbred. The minister, Daniel Atbrigge, is little help, but he and the susceptible Mildred are instantly attracted to each other. When Brockley is taken ill, Ursula spies on a midnight meeting and is horrified to see villagers wearing masks and the horned leader sacrificing a goat and lying with a village virgin. After she reluctantly agrees to let Mildred marry Atbrigge, the filly is stolen, and only Brockley's quick action on Lammas Eve saves the horse from becoming the next sacrifice. Despite the dangers, Ursula must continue to seek out any possible danger to the queen while Walsingham plots Mary Stuart's downfall. Pagan rituals combine with a thorny mystery and the ongoing adventures of the franchise mainstays. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In 1586, Ursula Stannard, Queen Elizabeth I's half sister and a secret agent working under the direction of Sir Francis Walsingham, goes to a small village in the New Forest where midnight gatherings on traditional pagan dates are becoming more frequent. The leader is masked and urges the "death of an evil queen." Walsingham is concerned that these gatherings might be part of the ongoing threats to Elizabeth by followers of Mary, Queen of Scots. Ursula travels eight days from her Surrey manor with an entourage, staying long enough to observe both the Midsummer and Lammas gatherings and putting herself and a manservant in danger in the process. Like her half sister, the queen, Ursula is a strong woman, holding her own in a world of men. She undertakes risky assignments, all the while managing a household, including nursing those who fall ill. Buckley's narration and dialogue feel modern, but she presents daily life and historical events realistically. The result is a satisfying mix of mystery, history, and a touch of romance.
