The Queen's Man mysteries (retail mobi-epub)

The Queen’s Man mysteries by Sharon K Penman (retail mobi/epub)

1. The Queen’s Man



AD 1193. England lies uneasy, a land without a king. Richard the Lionheart is feared drowned on his return from Crusade, his brother John conspires to usurp the crown. On the throne, in the Lionheart's stead, sits Eleanor of Aquitaine. She is determined to prevent a civil war, but there are few she can trust.

Justin de Quincy is bastard-born son of the Aubrey de Quincy, Bishop of Chester. The Bishop never acknowledged Justin, bestowing on the boy - in lieu of name or fortune - only an education. As it happens, it is a gift that, together with a blood-stained letter given to him by a dying man, will take de Quincy to the very centre of power - and into the heart of danger.

Moving from the Tower of London to the alehouses and stews of Southwark, from to the mountains of Wales to the wild coasts of Brittany, de Quincy will prove his mettle as the Queen's Man - or find an early grave - as he uncovers the dark intrigues of Eleanor's court.

2. Cruel as the Grave



AD 1193. England lies uneasy, a land without a king. Richard the Lionheart has not returned from Crusade, his brother John conspires to usurp the crown. On the throne, in the Lionheart's stead, sits Eleanor of Aquitaine. She is determined to prevent the outbreak of civil war, but there are few she can trust. Justin de Quincy - a man without title or land - is one of the few.

April: Richard the Lionheart languishes in an Austrian dungeon, prisoner of the Holy Roman Emperor. While Eleanor of Aquitaine searches for a way to free her eldest son, her youngest plots to seize the crown. When John seizes Windsor castle, Eleanor summons her trusted agent, Justin de Quincy, to do the impossible - mediate a truce with her rebel son.

De Quincy cannot but heed his Queen's demand, but he is already ensnared in another matter: the cruel murder of a young girl, daughter of an itinerant Welsh peddler. He is determined to bring her killer to justice and nothing, not even the threat of war, can keep him from pursuing her murderer.

3. Dragon’s Lair



AD 1193. England lies uneasy, a land without a king. Richard the Lionheart has not returned from Crusade, his brother John conspires to usurp the crown. On the throne, in the Lionheart's stead, sits Eleanor of Aquitaine. She is determined to prevent the outbreak of civil war, but there are few she can trust. Justin de Quincy - a man without title or land - is one of the few.

July: The Lionheart languishes in an Austrian dungeon, held for ransom by the Holy Roman Emperor. While his younger brother John plots with with England's bitterest foe, King Philippe of France to ensure that he rots and dies in chains, Eleanor ransacks England for gold to buy his freedom.

When one of the ransom payments vanishes in the fastnesses of Wales, Eleanor sends Justin de Quincy into a maelstrom a intrigue if not outright rebellion, De Quincy's devotion to the queen will be supremely tested as he crosses the border to be met with false smiles and deadly conspiracies. The queen's treasure is ellusive, but danger is everywhere...

4. Prince of Darkness



AD 1193. England lies uneasy, a land without a king. Richard the Lionheart languishes in an Austrian dungeon, his brother John hungers for the crown. In the Lionheart's stead, Eleanor of Aquitaine rules. Mother to both Richard and John, Eleanor is no stranger to the game of thrones. She is determined to prevent the outbreak of civil war, but at court treachery is endemic and there are few men she can trust.

Justin de Quincy is one of the few. Sharp-witted and bastard-born he is the Queen's most trusted agent, a foil to John's machinations. But now John himself has asked for de Quincy's aid.

De Quincy mistrusts John's sly charms, but with the welfare of Queen and Country at stake he will have to prove his mettle - or find an early grave - as he searches for the dark heart of a conspiracy that threatens the course of history.