Barbara Kyle

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Barbara Kyle

Goodreads Author


Born
in Toronto, Canada
Website

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Genre

Member Since
September 2008


Thanks for visiting!

Here’s a little about me. Before becoming an author, I enjoyed a twenty-year acting career playing Shakespearean heroines on stage, leading roles in daytime TV dramas, and characters in Disney made-for-TV movies. It felt like a natural extension of my acting to create characters for fiction, and I hope you'll enjoy my novels. Over half a million copies have been sold worldwide.

My seven-book Thornleigh Saga series is set in 16th-century England and follows a middle-class family’s rise through three generations and three tumultuous Tudor reigns. ("Riveting Tudor drama" - USA Today). I’m also the author of acclaimed thrillers.

My new novel, THE DEADLY TRADE, is a murder mystery. I hope you’ll love it!

As a writing mentor I’ve
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Popular Answered Questions

Barbara Kyle Be willing to work your ass off.
Barbara Kyle Hi Krystal - Thanks for your question. The Traitor's Daughter is the latest in my Thornleigh Saga series. I doubt that it will be the last, but, yes, …moreHi Krystal - Thanks for your question. The Traitor's Daughter is the latest in my Thornleigh Saga series. I doubt that it will be the last, but, yes, it's the last for now. The series books are, in this order: The Queen's Lady, The King's Daughter, The Queen's Captive, The Queen's Gamble, Blood Between Queens, The Queen's Exiles, and The Traitor's Daughter. I've definitely enjoyed writing these adventures of the Thornleigh family!(less)
Average rating: 3.88 · 5,647 ratings · 662 reviews · 15 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Queen's Lady (Thornleig...

3.80 avg rating — 2,362 ratings — published 1994 — 24 editions
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The King's Daughter (Thornl...

3.76 avg rating — 1,135 ratings — published 1995 — 20 editions
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The Queen's Captive (Thornl...

3.88 avg rating — 537 ratings — published 2010 — 15 editions
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The Queen's Gamble (Thornle...

3.92 avg rating — 463 ratings — published 2011 — 18 editions
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The Queen's Exiles (Thornle...

4.25 avg rating — 271 ratings — published 2014 — 7 editions
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Blood Between Queens (Thorn...

4.07 avg rating — 280 ratings — published 2013 — 8 editions
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The Traitor's Daughter (Tho...

4.15 avg rating — 162 ratings — published 2015 — 5 editions
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Page-Turner: Your Path to W...

4.57 avg rating — 68 ratings3 editions
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Entrapped

4.48 avg rating — 50 ratings — published 2011 — 6 editions
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The Man From Spirit Creek

4.58 avg rating — 33 ratings3 editions
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More books by Barbara Kyle…

What Makes a Killer Mystery?

Are you writing a mystery novel? Or thinking about it? If so, my checklist below might help you.

The Man From Spirit Creek by Barbara Kyle There's a mystery at the heart of my new thriller,
The Man From Spirit Creek.



What’s the difference between a "thriller" and a "mystery"?

Well, there's a lot of overlap. Both center on a crime. Thematically, the essence of both is that a terrible wrong has been committed in the world of the main chara Read more of this blog post »
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Published on February 20, 2020 08:27
The Queen's Lady The King's Daughter The Queen's Captive The Queen's Gamble Blood Between Queens The Queen's Exiles The Traitor's Daughter
(7 books)
by
3.86 avg rating — 5,210 ratings

Barbara’s Recent Updates

Barbara Kyle rated a book it was amazing
Tiny Revolutions by Sara Best
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It’s not often a book is so good it leaves you glowing with delight and also moved to the brink of tears, but Sara Best’s “Tiny Revolutions” did this to me. Reading it is like settling into a comfy couch for coffee with a stimulating new friend: ever ...more
Page-Turner by Barbara Kyle
"Written by a best-selling author, this craft book offers clear recommendations and examples that both remind writers of solid writing principles and extends those principles."
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Hill of Secrets by Galina  Vromen
Hill of Secrets
by Galina Vromen (Goodreads Author)
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Family secrets a-roil within world changing wartime secrets drive Vromen’s yearning characters and vibrant prose to produce an evocative and deeply satisfying story.
The Deadly Trade by Barbara Kyle
"A very worthwhile story delving into humans’ cruelty to animals in its many forms. We have so much to account for. "
The Deadly Trade by Barbara Kyle
"The difficult realities of animal abuse and lack of animal protections in Canada today are eye-opening and painful to come to terms with. The so-called "...Animal Safety Act" actually prohibits animal rights activists and journalists from conducting " Read more of this review »
Barbara Kyle rated a book it was amazing
The Deadly Trade by Barbara Kyle
The Deadly Trade
by Barbara Kyle (Goodreads Author)
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More of Barbara's books…
Quotes by Barbara Kyle  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Fenella Doorn watched the unfamiliar wreck of a ship ghosting into her bay. Crippled by cannon fire, she thought. What else could do such damage? The foremast was blown away, as well as half the mainmast where a jury rig clung to the jagged stump, and shot holes tattered the sails on the mizzen. And yet, to Fenella’s experienced eye the vessel had an air of defiance. Demi-cannons hulked in the shadowed gun ports. This ship was a fighter, battered but not beaten. With fight still in her, was she friend or foe?”
Barbara Kyle, The Queen's Exiles

“Isabel Valverde was coming home. The brief, terrible letter from her brother had brought her across five thousand miles of ocean, from the New World to the Old, and during the long voyage she thought she had prepared herself for the worst. But now that London lay just beyond the next bend of the River Thames, she dreaded what awaited her. The not knowing – that was the hardest. Would she find her mother still a prisoner awaiting execution? Horrifying though that was, Isabel could at least hope to see her one last time. Or had her mother already been hanged?”
Barbara Kyle, The Queen's Gamble

“Snow crunched under the feet of three cloaked figures – a queen, her lady, and a gravedigger – as they hurried along a moonlit path in Windsor Castle's lower ward. The gravedigger pushed a cart that held a slab of marble, his pick and shovel, and some straw. When the trio reached the steps of St. George's Chapel, Queen Mary stopped. She turned her head, pushing aside the fur of her hood, and a gust of wind needled her with crystallized snow. She looked back at her attendants. Was she wrong to trust them with this night's work?”
Barbara Kyle, The King's Daughter

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Book Buying Addic...: July 2010 Purchases 99 118 Aug 02, 2010 02:08PM  
European Royalty: This topic has been closed to new comments. Dec 15 - Jan 15: Nominating 10 31 Nov 13, 2011 06:08AM  
Tudor History Lovers: Polls Closed - Group Read for December 2013 59 185 Dec 02, 2013 09:32AM  
Clube de Leitores...: Leitura Conjunta de Junho - Sugestões 31 71 Jun 01, 2014 04:37AM  
The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Completed Tasks (Do Not Delete Posts) 2519 651 Aug 01, 2014 02:12PM  
“Isabel Valverde was coming home. The brief, terrible letter from her brother had brought her across five thousand miles of ocean, from the New World to the Old, and during the long voyage she thought she had prepared herself for the worst. But now that London lay just beyond the next bend of the River Thames, she dreaded what awaited her. The not knowing – that was the hardest. Would she find her mother still a prisoner awaiting execution? Horrifying though that was, Isabel could at least hope to see her one last time. Or had her mother already been hanged?”
Barbara Kyle, The Queen's Gamble

“Fenella Doorn watched the unfamiliar wreck of a ship ghosting into her bay. Crippled by cannon fire, she thought. What else could do such damage? The foremast was blown away, as well as half the mainmast where a jury rig clung to the jagged stump, and shot holes tattered the sails on the mizzen. And yet, to Fenella’s experienced eye the vessel had an air of defiance. Demi-cannons hulked in the shadowed gun ports. This ship was a fighter, battered but not beaten. With fight still in her, was she friend or foe?”
Barbara Kyle, The Queen's Exiles

“Snow crunched under the feet of three cloaked figures – a queen, her lady, and a gravedigger – as they hurried along a moonlit path in Windsor Castle's lower ward. The gravedigger pushed a cart that held a slab of marble, his pick and shovel, and some straw. When the trio reached the steps of St. George's Chapel, Queen Mary stopped. She turned her head, pushing aside the fur of her hood, and a gust of wind needled her with crystallized snow. She looked back at her attendants. Was she wrong to trust them with this night's work?”
Barbara Kyle, The King's Daughter

“Alana Marks had always known she was different. From her gypsy childhood, to the way she now made her living in the movies, she'd always lived on the edge. She'd been paid to leap from a sixteenth story window, roll a car to a cliff edge, get thrown off a speeding train and dragged into a river by a runaway horse. At the moment, she was about to set herself on fire and jump out of a burning barn.”
Barbara Kyle, The Experiment

“The night of the fireworks changed the course of many lives in England, though no one suspected the dark future as hundreds of courtiers stared, faces upturned in delight, at the starbursts of crimson, green, and gold that lit up the terraces, gardens, and pleasure grounds of Rosethorn House, the country home of Richard, Baron Thornleigh. That night, no one was more proud to belong to the baron’s family than his eighteen-year-old ward, Justine Thornleigh; she had no idea that she would soon cause a deadly division in the family and ignite a struggle between two queens. Yet she was already, innocently, on a divergent path, for as Lord and Lady Thornleigh and their multitude of guests watched the dazzle of fireworks honoring the spring visit of Queen Elizabeth, Justine was hurrying away from the public gaiety. Someone had asked to meet her in private.”
Barbara Kyle, Blood Between Queens

53412 Historical Info for Historical Fiction Readers — 1565 members — last activity Aug 11, 2022 01:41AM
Information about eras past in different parts of the world. Help for readers who may feel lost in an unfamiliar historical setting, may not understan ...more
1065386 Literally Dead Book Club — 16513 members — last activity Oct 04, 2025 05:34AM
A mostly monthly book club (February-November) focused on thriller/mystery/horror hosted by BooksandLala and a rotating set of wonderful co-hosts! li ...more
25x33 Q&A with Barbara Kyle — 4 members — last activity Jul 11, 2012 01:43PM
...July 14, 2010 to October 31, 2010...
24399 Cafe Libri — 167 members — last activity Mar 27, 2017 10:31AM
Cafe Libri (Yahoo Reading Discussion Group) is the original Cafe Libri creation. It is a Yahoo Group for all types of people. It is an informal online ...more
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Barbara Kyle You are kind, Nicola! And I will look for your books, too.


Barbara Kyle Karla, thanks for this! As you know that first book in my "Thornleigh" series became THE QUEEN'S LADY.

Here are the four so far in the series (more coming!):

The Queen's Lady (Thornleigh, #1) by Barbara Kyle The King's Daughter (Thornleigh, #2) by Barbara Kyle The Queen's Captive (Thornleigh, #3) by Barbara Kyle The Queen's Gamble by Barbara Kyle

Happy reading :)


Barbara Kyle Hi Amanda,

You clever girl, you! I'm all for your Mom getting you to the bookstore soon :)

You made me laugh with your comment about Isabel and Carlos's relationshiop being like your parents'. (Cool parents!)

BTW "The Queen's Gamble," which will be released in late August, features Isabel and Carlos again.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy "The Queen's Captive."

Thanks so much for getting in touch.

Best regards,
Barbara


Amanda Hi Ms. Kyle! Thanks for the friend invite! And yes I really enjoyed The Queen's Lady and I just finished The King's Daughter this past Thursday! I'm trying to get my mother to take me to the store to buy The Queen's Captive and I'm super excited for The Queen's Gamble since I liked Isabel and Carlos' relationship! Made me think of my mom and dad lol! THANKS AGAIN! :D


Barbara Kyle Sarah, I'm so glad you love Isabel. (She's a favorite of mine, too.) You'll be glad to know that the next book in the series features Isabel and Carlos again. It's called "The Queen's Gamble" and it will be released in mid-2011 -- so you've got lots more adventures of the Thornleigh family to look forward to!


Sarah  (sarahandherbookshelves) Thanks for the friend request Barbara! Im really enjoying The Kings Daughter. I love Isabel.
I actually bought your third novel the Queens Captive before I even bought the Kings Daughter. So I will definatly be reading it after, I also plan on reading the first in the series!:) I hope you write more novels soon!:)


Barbara Kyle Kim, thanks for your comment, but I'm sorry to say that "Guelph" is a misprint from Goodreads. I actually don't live there, but in Port Credit, ON. (Don't know how this error crept in, and must get it changed.) I do have friends in Guelph, though, and love to visit there - you're right, it's a lovely town, as university towns so often are.


message 2: by Barbara (last edited Aug 20, 2010 08:33AM)

Barbara Kyle Great to hear from you, Jenny, and thanks for your kind words about THE QUEEN'S LADY. I'm gratified by your comment about Sir Thomas More. My aim was to show his fascinatingly conflicted nature as a loving family man and brilliant scholar, but a man tragically perverted by his religion. Thanks for sharing - and I hope you'll enjoy following the further adventures of the Thornleighs.


message 1: by Jemidar (last edited Aug 19, 2010 08:58AM)

Jemidar Hi Barbara,

Thanks for the Friend invite :-). Yes, I plan to order The Queen's Captive pretty much as soon as it's released, although I do need to catch up with Thornleigh #2 first, which has been languishing in my TBR pile for far too long! I really enjoyed the first one and loved your characterization of Thomas More. I'm not a great fan of his and thought you had him pretty much spot on.

Regards, Jenny.


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