Cruel as the Grave

The saga of "The Queen's Man" continues in this well written, fast paced mystery. As before, Penman weaves more than one story line throughout the narrative. A delightful book; don't miss it!

No this is not the same quality of novel as Penman's brilliant historical fiction. But this is also 200 pages and a mystery. I think the other reviewers are comparing apples and oranges and unfairly judging this book. This is remarkably better than The Queen's Man. I must admit I did not solve that mystery, but neither did the author. The ending of that book was a cheap way out of a knot into which the story had been wound. This book was much more logical. The clues where there and although I had early suspiscions of the ultimate culprit, it kept me intersted to the end. The mystery in this case evolves separately from the intrigue at court - so there are really two simultaneous situations for Justin to juggle. It is NOT 1000 pages of brilliant fiction - but it is a fun, quick-read mystery set in 1193. Take it for what it is and you'll enjoy it.

Although the Justin de Quincy series does not equal Penman's supurb historical novels (especially Here be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, and The Reckoning) and The Queen's Man is the better mystery of the two that have appeared so far, Cruel As the Grave is nevertheless enjoyable and Penman's gift for characterization is strongly evident here, as in all her novels.

I greatly enjoyed the second adventure of Justin de Quincy, the "spyman" of Eleanor of Aquitaine. The story is well-plotted and suspenseful. The characters seem to step right out of the Middle Ages in believability. The pacing of the plot is superbly handled--I found myself wanting to get back to reading the story every time I put it down and I found myself mentally cursing any distraction that interrupted my reading. I can hardly wait until another Justin de Quincey mystery is published.

Books by Sharon Kay Penman remind me that reading is one of life's finest pleasures. Her stories are full of exciting adventures, great romance, vivid history all wrapped up in a bright ribbon of excellant writing style. CRUEL AS THE GRAVE is the second book of what will prove to be another wonderful series for Penman. Murder, mayhem, honour and lack thereof battle with lust, laughter, and ambition. There are too many great things to say about it. A pure delight !!!