Her Highness’ First Murder by Peg Herring (Review #2)
Reviewed by Stephanie Nordkap
Jacob Malden, a well-known physician, and his son Simon, are called to Hampstead Castle in aid of a lady who had fallen of her horse and broken her leg. Nobody was more surprised than Simon to learn that the lady is lady-in-waiting to none other than Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, whose execution still continues to haunt the Princess’ dreams. An unlikely friendship develops between Simon and Elizabeth, and when several beautiful women are found dead, their heads missing, the bodies dressed as nuns, King Henry VIII is anxious to end the crimes.
When one of her own ladies-in-waiting becomes a victim, Elizabeth sets out, with Simon and Hugh Bellows, the captain of the guard, to solve the horrific crimes. It becomes evident that the murderer could be someone who is familiar with Elizabeth’s household and the stakes grow even higher. As Simon searches the London streets for information, we are introduced to some very interesting characters such as Peto the criminal, Pen the half-wit, Daisy, Hannah, Guy, Robin, Derwent, Mary Tudor, Catherine, and Isabella. I was mesmerized by the descriptions of London during this time period, the people, and the beautiful and humorous dialogue sprinkled throughout the novel. As the princess, Hugh, and Simon gather more information and get closer to the killer, he turns on them and those closest to him and enters the Princess’ home. Simon, Hugh, and Hannah must use all of their wits in order to save Princess Elizabeth and those she loves from this cunning and clever killer.
Elizabeth and Simon are intelligent, curious, and extremely likeable characters, living in a difficult time period. I felt for Elizabeth, a woman with a lively intellect, living in a man’s world, forced to work behind the scenes. I enjoyed watching Simon transform into a confident young man who finally discovers what he is capable of doing in life. The author showed the different aspects of London, the slums, the disease, the poverty, the death, and injustice on the part of the wealthy to the poor. The mystery was intriguing, the portrait of tempestuous Elizabeth was fascinating, the plot and politics was twisted and fun. I did find parts of it unlikely for young teens, but still enjoyed it immensely.
Peg Herring offers a delightful, intelligent read. I enjoyed it tremendously and look forward to the next Elizabeth and Simon mystery. For those interesting in reading groups, Herring offers a great discussion page on her personal web site. There are 30 questions included for discussion. These questions would also work well for teachers looking for a novel for their classroom.
The book is appropriate for young adult readers and up.
A review copy of this book was supplied to the reviewer by the author.
November 18, 2009
Tags: book review, her highness' first murder, peg herring Posted in: Mystery
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