This is the first novel I've read written by Sharon Lay Penman and thus the first novel to include Justin de Quincy, although I know now that there are others in the series prior to this one. The start of the novel was arduous as names and characters were flying everywhere without the author presenting them properly to the reader, allowing for an introduction. I admit that I know nothing of the history of England during Queen Eleanor's time and this made it more difficult. In my opinion, if you introduce a character in the novel that is to feature as a main supporting cast then there needs to be some sort of character development or perhaps even an into as to who they are. An historical novel may beg of intro to the time and the events currently occuring. Having said that, I thought Justin's and Davyyd's characters were given sufficient development throughout the novel. The Dragon's Lair really relied on the mystery to keep the reader entertained, rather on its characters; something which I thought it did quite well. There were certain minor characters in the plot that have no bearing at all on the plot or its outcome; such as Bennet, Molly, Piers and Claudine. Maybe these characters exist and are much more solid in the other novels of Penman, so she brought them in Dragon's Lair to give that feeling of familiarity to those who've read the previous ones. But for readers such as I, they had no bearing to the story and detracted from the plot. Especially that whole affair of the warehouse burning down and everyone thinking Bennet had died in the fire! Strangely enough, one of the best written scenes in the entire book was the imitial meeting between Justin and Bennet - when the drunk loser started whaling on the student and it took Justin, another stranger and Bennet to subdue him, and the consequent recognition in each other's faces that they were old friiends. The ending of the book was rushed and left us unfulfilled, sorry to say. The real end was when Justin was hiding in the chapel and overheard the conversation between the culprits, realizing who had stolen the ransom and why. The pages after that were rushed, not well written and were just filler. Apart from the ending and the weak characters the rest of the book is well written and Penman did achieve her goal of creating an exiting mystery.
Sharon Kay Penman is my favorite author when it comes to historical fiction, and she wrote a four book mystery series that combines an exciting fictional mystery with her expertise on English history. Dragon’s Lair is the third book in the Justin de Quincy mystery series. The year is 1193, and as the Queen’s man (the Queen being Eleanor of Aquitaine), de Quincy is on a mission to Wales to find the missing ransom meant to free King Richard from his captors.Those familiar with Penman’s Here be Dragons will be pleased to reacquaint themselves with Llywelyn the Great as he plays a key role in this mystery. The story is exciting, and Penman creates characters that are memorable.While I have enjoyed the first three mysteries, Dragon’s Lair is my favorite. I can’t wait to find out what new adventure Justin de Quincy will embark upon in the next book, Prince of Darkness!
What do You think about Dragon's Lair (2004)?
The book is about another adventure of Justin de Quincy. He is a special assistant to Eleanor of Aquitaine who is trying to raise a ransom to pay for the release of her son Richard who has been taken prisoner in Germany on his way back from the Holy Land. A large amount of wool from the Cistercian monks is stolen in Wales and so Justin is sent to recover the lost property. Along the way, he meets Llewelyn ab Iorwerth who is being set up as the thief by his uncle Davydd. But others are potentially involved and so Justin is busy solving the mystery and more importantly recovering the wool. It is a reasonably good story, with lots of history along the way. Justin is a sympathetic character and tries to do the right thing. He is good about figuring things out and stops along the way to look after his friends and spend time with a pretty girl.
—Joan
"Dragon's Lair" is a mystery set in 1193 in England and Wales. This novel was the third book in the series, but you don't need to have read the first two in order to understand this one. I haven't read the first two (yet), and it didn't appear that reading the books out of order spoiled the previous mysteries.The historical detail was woven into the story and was accurate was far as I know, though the author occasionally had the characters use a modern turn of phrase. The political situation was described in a somewhat more obvious manner since it was the underlying motivating force behind the mystery and the author probably realized that most people know more legend than real history from that time period.The characters were engaging and interesting. I liked how Justin had his sense of honor and stuck to it, but not in a snobbish way. The pacing was very good, and the mystery was a true "try to guess who did it." The author played the clues out very cleverly so that the reader could guess some parts before Justin but other parts were a mystery until the very end.The novel was a bit crude at times and sex was implied or referred to, but there was no explicit sex. There was a minor amount of "he swore" style bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel as well-written and fairly clean reading.
—Debbie
King Richard the Lionheart lies in a German prison and is held for ransom. Queen Eleanor tries to buy his freedom, while his younger brother, Prince John attempts to ensure his brother's captivity permanently. When the ransom payment vanishes, Eleanor hastily dispatches her man, Justin de Quincy to investigate. In Wales, Justin is tested in every way as an arrogant border earl, a cocky Welsh prince, an enchanting lady, and a traitor welcome him with false smiles and deadly conspiracies. The queen’s treasure is nowhere to be found, but assassins are everywhere, and blood runs red in the dragon’s lair.
—Lindsay
