The Poyson Garden

This is the first in a series of Queen Elizabeth I books. I loved the twist of including a mystery to solve with the life and times of Queen Elizabeth.

If the story of the Tudors were written as fiction we probably wouldn't believe it - but would have a good time with the story. Karen Harper does a great job of taking this most improbable piece of history and winding a nifty mystery fiction into the life of young Elizabeth.The strongest part of the book are the characters. Harper had plenty of material for Elizabeth and makes her come alive. Bess is both sympathetic and, at times, annoyingly regal. Her nemisis, known as "she" for much of the book, makes Cruela de Ville look like a PTA president. She may be a bit overdrawn but is lots of fun (in an evil sort of way). The supporting cast of Bess' Privy Council work well - with Harper regularly casting doubts on whether one or more are spies for Mary.The pacing moves well and kept me turning pages (well, turning tapes as I listened to the unabridge audio version). Bottom-line: a fun historical mystery series that I'm eager to read more of soon.

And her followers are prepared to do just that... Karen Harper has successfully evoked Bloody Mary's England on the eve of Elizabeth I's ascent to the throne. She's created a human, believable young woman, terrified of plots against her royal person, trusting her loyal retainers despite warnings that no one is to be trusted, and truly regal, withal. The historicals details are many and fascinating and this is a terrific mystery, too! The identity of the poisoner, and the poisoner's ties to Queen Mary, is keep in abeyance to the very end; the suspense is excellent. 'Tis often said that a certain book is "hard to put down"---in this case, it's absolutely true. I look forward to Harper's next Elizabeth I adventure, The Tidal Poole.

I read it in one day. Highly recommend

Queen Mary loathes her half-sister Princess Elizabeth, blaming the daughter for the alleged sins of the mother having replaced her own mother at Henry's side. Though Mary cannot behead the popular Princess, she can and does exile Elizabeth. Elizabeth soon realizes that someone is methodically eliminating her Bolyn relatives. As she begins to uncover a dastardly plot to commit genocide against anyone remotely related to the Bolyns, Elizabeth learns that her aunt, thought dead, isalive, but being poisoned. Worse yet for the young royal is an assailant is stalking her too. With few people she can trust with her life, Elizabeth starts tracing the threads back to their source, praying that her half-sister is not the ultimate culprit. THE POYSON GARDEN is a brilliant early Tudor historical novel that quickly captures the minds and souls of the audience. The fast-paced story line strongly depicts the intrigue and peril of being a member of the royal family. The plot includes a glimpse at historical personage and a well-developed who-done-it. What really makes this novel a classy read is the passion Karen Harper obviously has for the era which beautifully rises from the superb prose. Ms. Harper strikes a chord with fiction and non-fiction Elizabethan buffs with this winner.Harriet Klausner