Description (from cover):'A female spymaster will face mortal danger to protect her queen and husband...
London, 1582: Mistress Rosamond Jaffrey, a talented and well-educated woman of independent means, is recruited by Queen Elizabeth I's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, to be lady-in-waiting to Lady Mary, a cousin of the queen. With her talent in languages and knowledge of ciphers and codes, she will be integral to the spymaster as an intelligence gatherer, being able to get close to Lady Mary just at the time when she is being courted by Russia's Ivan the Terrible.
However, there are some nobles at court who will do anything they can to thwart such an alliance and in her quest to protect her ward--and her estranged husband--Rosamond must put herself in mortal peril.'
My thoughts:
I remember stumbling across this author years ago. I had just gotten my Nook e-reader and was discovering e-books and came across Emerson's Lady Appleton historical mystery series. I immediately fell in love with the author's writing style and flair for historical fiction. I soon began reading all of the books in the series and it quickly became one of my favorites. I have read the majority of that series, but soon it became hard to be able to find the books as the local library stopped carrying them. I try to catch up with that series as I come across the books, but it seems like it is harder these days. When my local library announced that it would be carrying this new series that is a spin-off of the Lady Appleton series, well I knew that I would love it. I was correct.
Rosamond Jaffrey is an independent noblewoman in Elizabethan England. She is stubborn and knows a little too much for her own good. She is content with her life and is surprised when she comes to the attention of Queen Elizabeth I's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham. He wants her to become a lady-in-waiting to the queen's cousin, Lady Mary. Lady Mary is currently being wooed by Ivan the Terrible of Russia for her hand in marriage and there are many plots afoot to prevent the marriage from happening. When Rosamond stumbles across a dead body, well that changes everything. She is determined to seek justice for the victim and to protect Lady Mary from people who want to do her harm at any cost.
This book had just the right amount of mystery and plot twist and turns to keep the reader begging for more. I couldn't put this one down and in a lot of ways it reminds me of the caliber of my beloved Lady Appleton mysteries. Although it isn't the same series, some familiar faces make their way into this book. I am anxious to continue reading this series as it is a good one. I am currently going to be starting the next book in this series, Murder in the Merchant's Hall and it seems that Lady Appleton makes an appearance in that book. Another fantastic historical murder mystery by an already fantastic author.
Overall Rating: 4.5
Title: Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe
Author: Kathy Lynn Emerson
Series: Mistress Jaffrey Mystery #1
Publisher: Severn House
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Pages: 256
Genre: Historical Mystery
Get It: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Disclaimer: This book was selected from the library by myself and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
