First sentence: "Even on this day, damned death so near..." William Cecil whispered to himself, but the queen overheard him as she walked just ahead. The band is back together again. Queen Elizabeth and her court are spending the summer at Hampton Court to escape the danger of the plague in London. Unfortunately, not every danger has stayed in London. After Elizabeth herself is attacked in the hedge maze and the next day a body is found in the same maze, there is another mystery on hand for the Privy Plot Council. I did not find this book to be as good as The Queene's Cure, but it was still quite good. The red herrings were a bit obvious (especially since some of them were historical characters), but it still took me a bit to figure out who the perp was. The parts of the story that dealt with mazes and the different types of mazes were quite fascinating to me. I also liked the working in of psychological disorders; what we would consider now to be postpartum depression and Alzheimer's disease. It is something historical novels do not often address. All in all, it was a fun romp through the mazes and I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.
Another awesome, well done Elizabeth I mystery! Elizabeth finds herself attacked in her Thorne Maze one evening during a masquerade, while waiting for her would be love, Robert. She immediately pulls together her Privy Plot Council to start investigating what seems to be a ghost murderer who has a notion for Mazes. Cecil's wife, Mildred, becomes a suspect along with her dear Kat who's suffering from dementia. All this during plague time in London which has Elizabeth's court on the move from the city, away from the deadly disease. Filled with mystery and murders and the finale when you find out who did it! What am I going to do now? I've read all the books in this series and I'm left craving more! I'm going to miss all these characters I've grown attached to; Meg, Ned, Jenks, Kat, Cecil, and the Queen herself. I enjoyed every book to the fullest.
What do You think about The Thorne Maze (2003)?
I have really enjoyed reading the series of books by Karen Harper on Queen Elizabeth the 1st - Queen and solver of mysteries.I think I may have enjoyed this book most of all.A distinguished visitor is found murdered within the famous maze of Hampton court. The Queen herself is attacked. When later on, yet another person is found dead, the Queen decides she must find out if the person doing the killing is after her, or has another purpose. It is difficult to do some of the dectecting because the plague has found London. The queen's on Privy Council is somewhat smaller this time - her dear friend Kat continues to become less of herself. There are many suspects, even Lord Cecil's wife Mildred, as well as Lord Darnley. Who it is may surprise the reader.
—Jody
I'm glad I decided to stick with this series b/c I really enjoyed this one. It seemed to move along and it grabbed my attention. Even having skipped three in the series (not at my library), I don't feel as though I've missed pertinent information. One thing that I do find irksome is how prolonged the encounter is between Elizabeth and the "bad guy" at the end. I do realize the entire premise is far-fetched so I shouldn't nitpick, but I found myself thinking, "Oh, come on! You're killing me here!" All in all, though, a very enjoyable read.
—Maureen
Intriguing garden mazes with a murderer on the loose! #5 in the Elizabeth I Mysteries by local author, Karen Harper. Bear in mind, the series is MUCH better if you start with book #1 and read them in order! In this book, the queen is nearly assassinated, her cousin shows a vicious side, and her long-time favorite is slowly drifting into a state similar to Alzheimer's disease. I especially like the way the author brings up possible childhood memories of the Queen and shows how they may have affected her as an adult.
—Denise
