3 Review(s)

The Winter Queen in exile . . . All England is in mourning for King James; First of England and Sixth of Scotland. In the days following the monarch's demise, the new King Charles grants an audience to a young man who wishes to serve his country as a soldier. Francis Leslie is a boy when we begin our story; a man by the time it is told. On the way he battles foes, loses his heart, and faces death from all angles. All around him is scheming and political intrigue. Steeped in historical fact, Josephine Bell's beautifully drawn and atmospheric novel takes us to the royal courts of 17th century Europe where we follow Leslie from the Palace of Whitehall, to the low lands of Holland. There, having been moved by her tragic story, he vows to serve King Charles' gentle sister, Elizabeth of Bohemia; the exiled Winter Queen. "An imaginary historical whodunit, written in a refreshingly sparse style." Manchester Evening News