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Ursula Blanchard #9
Queen Without a Crown
The ninth gripping murder mystery to feature Ursula Blanchard, special aide to Elizabeth I -
November, 1569 . Happily married to her third husband, Hugh Stannard, lady-in-waiting Ursula Blanchard is hoping to give up her undercover work for Queen Elizabeth l in order to enjoy domestic bliss. But when Hugh unwittingly endangers possession of his ancestral home, Ursula is forced to take on a seemingly hopeless; but handsomely paid, private assignment, which the Queen spots is the perfect cover for a covert investigation into a group of rebel barons plotting to put Mary, Queen of Scots on the English throne . . .
November, 1569 . Happily married to her third husband, Hugh Stannard, lady-in-waiting Ursula Blanchard is hoping to give up her undercover work for Queen Elizabeth l in order to enjoy domestic bliss. But when Hugh unwittingly endangers possession of his ancestral home, Ursula is forced to take on a seemingly hopeless; but handsomely paid, private assignment, which the Queen spots is the perfect cover for a covert investigation into a group of rebel barons plotting to put Mary, Queen of Scots on the English throne . . .
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
25 people are currently reading
357 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Buckley
48 books188 followersValerie Anand is a British author of historical fiction. Under the pen name Fiona Buckley she writes the series of historical mysteries, set in the reign of Elizabeth I of England, featuring "Ursula Blanchard" (whose full name is Ursula Faldene Blanchard de la Roche Stannard). Under her own name she writes historical fiction based on the royalty of England and the Bridges over Time series which follows a family from the eleventh century through the nineteenth century.
Series:
* Ursula Blanchard
Series:
* Ursula Blanchard
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 7, 2017
This was another good book in the Ursula Blanchard series. Suspense, but not too much. Interesting mystery to unravel in interesting ways. Compassion and kindness, but also some violence and death.
March 26, 2012
Fiona Buckley’s latest installment in her Ursula Blanchard mystery series set in Elizabeth I’s court, Queen without a Crown, will please her fans. (The author’s real name is Valerie Anand, and the first in the series is To Shield the Queen, 1997.) Ursula is back in action on a double mission, one from Elizabeth and a private one that Ursula hopes will reap the funds needed to save her husband’s estate from debtors. Once again champions of Mary of Scotland are rebelling in order to put a Catholic queen back on the throne, and Ursula is sent to identify where the remaining rebelling nobles are hiding after a successful suppression of the revolt. She will find more than Elizabeth I bargained for. But Ursula is also in search of evidence to prove the innocence of a young man’s father, dead some twenty-three years. Mark Easton wishes to marry but the accusation that his father poisoned a rival years ago and then took his own life hangs over him as a shadow of disgrace so that his love’s family view him as unacceptable. How to solve a mystery so lost in time? It seems hopeless from the beginning and only the dire need to save Hawkswood, the childhood estate of Hugh Stannard, her husband, gives Ursula any motivation to try such a doomed project.
Buckley has added some new engaging characters to the mix: Trewlany, an old friend of Brockley’s from his days fighting for King Henry, whose creativity in adversity will hold your attention, a curmudgeonly old woman with a tendency toward larceny who shall remain nameless so as not to spoil the plot, and Lady Ann of Northumberland, a striking example of a woman warrior. Otherwise the familiar formula of the previous books in the series is deployed with the usual attention to historical precision, moral dilemmas, and suspenseful action.
The one aspect I found distracting at times was an insertion of a different narrative voice at odd intervals. The novel is told first person from the sleuth’s perspective, as is often the case with mysteries. We are in the middle of the action, trying to sort out events past and present just as Ursula is. Except that at times, an older Ursula from some future point after the action of the book speaks up and pulls us out of the world of the book. For example, when Ursula and her family and household set off to visit a painter, Arbuckle, who is going to paint Meg’s portrait: “It was quite some time before I understood that fate was going to entangle Master Arbuckle very thoroughly in the northern rebellion and the affairs of Mark Easton, and that as I walked with the others along Peascod Street towards this first meeting, I was taking the first steps on a very perilous road.” This seems a clumsy way to build suspense, especially from an author who is so good at building it by more organic means. I prefer to stay in the midst of the action. She does this again later in the novel at a moment of intense action and grief, a moment when we least want to be distanced from the characters and the emotions: “After we left his village next day, we never again met Thomas Dennison, vicar of St John’s-On-The-Hill, but I think he was a man both loved and respected by his parishioners….” This is a small point, but I’d have sacrificed the information expressed through this device of the later-knowing narrator in favor of immediacy.
Fans of Fiona Buckley will be glad for Ursula’s reappearance on the scene in this exciting and charming mystery.
Buckley has added some new engaging characters to the mix: Trewlany, an old friend of Brockley’s from his days fighting for King Henry, whose creativity in adversity will hold your attention, a curmudgeonly old woman with a tendency toward larceny who shall remain nameless so as not to spoil the plot, and Lady Ann of Northumberland, a striking example of a woman warrior. Otherwise the familiar formula of the previous books in the series is deployed with the usual attention to historical precision, moral dilemmas, and suspenseful action.
The one aspect I found distracting at times was an insertion of a different narrative voice at odd intervals. The novel is told first person from the sleuth’s perspective, as is often the case with mysteries. We are in the middle of the action, trying to sort out events past and present just as Ursula is. Except that at times, an older Ursula from some future point after the action of the book speaks up and pulls us out of the world of the book. For example, when Ursula and her family and household set off to visit a painter, Arbuckle, who is going to paint Meg’s portrait: “It was quite some time before I understood that fate was going to entangle Master Arbuckle very thoroughly in the northern rebellion and the affairs of Mark Easton, and that as I walked with the others along Peascod Street towards this first meeting, I was taking the first steps on a very perilous road.” This seems a clumsy way to build suspense, especially from an author who is so good at building it by more organic means. I prefer to stay in the midst of the action. She does this again later in the novel at a moment of intense action and grief, a moment when we least want to be distanced from the characters and the emotions: “After we left his village next day, we never again met Thomas Dennison, vicar of St John’s-On-The-Hill, but I think he was a man both loved and respected by his parishioners….” This is a small point, but I’d have sacrificed the information expressed through this device of the later-knowing narrator in favor of immediacy.
Fans of Fiona Buckley will be glad for Ursula’s reappearance on the scene in this exciting and charming mystery.
January 15, 2018
The main character Ursula Blanchard is a half-sister to Queen Elizabeth I and often a spy for her government. Ursula is sent north to try and find out where individuals, who are trying to put Mary Queen of Scots on the British throne, are located. But Ursula also undertakes a job from a young man who believes his father was unjustly accused of murder. This is a fun easy to read historical mystery during the reign of Elizabeth I.
January 8, 2024
I was browsing the New in Paperback shelf at our library when I came upon a book called The Golden Cargoes. It was part of the Ursula Blanchard Elizabethean mystery series, in fact, it was the twenty-first book in the series. Twenty-one books already, in a medieval mystery series that I had never even knew existed! I checked the stacks to see if our library branch had any of the earlier books in the series, and I found Queen Without a Crown along with several later books. Queen Without a Crown is the ninth book starring Ursula Blanchard. Although I had not ready any of the previous works, I picked up this story without any confusion; it works fine as a stand alone novel. It is a fast read at 230 pages in hardback edition.
The queen without a crown that is referenced in the title is Mary, who, despite being called Queen of Scots, has no throne or crown of her own (she was forced to abdicate the Scottish throne in 1567, the novel takes place in 1569, at which time Mary is held prisoner in a castle on English soil, far from the Scottish border). Mary still aspires to rule, either from the Scottish throne or English throne, which makes her a threat to Queen Elizabeth. (For the longest time, I thought Bloody Queen Mary and Mary Queen of Scots were the same person, but they are not - though both were Catholics who sought to revert Protestant England back to Catholicism ).
Ursula Blanchard is the half sister of Queen Elizabeth, both were sired by King Henry VIII, though Ursula is an illegitimate offspring. Elizabeth apparently trusts her half sister, because she has previously sent Ursula on perilous missions as a "secret agent". Ursula is loyal to Elizabeth, but she would much rather stay home with her third husband, Hugh.
Ursula's career as a "secret agent" is a poorly kept secret; everyone at the court knows at least something of her previous exploits (which are doubtlessly describe in the preceding eight novels in this series). And so a young courtier named Mark Easton comes to Ursula with an offer - his father, Gervase Easton, was accused of murder-by-poison twenty years ago, and took his own life before he could be tried and hanged. But Mark has a letter written by his father before he killed himself, and the in the letter Gervase strongly states that he is innocent and that his son Mark (who just 3 when Gervase died) should always believe this to be true.
However, although Mark does believe in his father's innocence, no one else does. The parents of beautiful, spirited Jane, whom Mark wishes to marry, have decreed that their daughter shall not marry a man whose father was a murderer. The stain upon the Easton name is too great. Knowing of Ursula ability to solve problems, Mark comes to Ursula and begs her to prove that his father was indeed innocent. It seems an impossible task - the murder occurred twenty years prior. How can Ursula possibly interview witnesses or track down suspects?
Unfortunately, Ursula's husband, Hugh, invested heavily in a risky but potentially lucrative scheme - which has gone awry when the trading ships failed to return safely. Now Hugh must make good on his debts, which means he must sell his beloved Hawkswood estate. However, Mark Easton is so eager for proof of his father's innocence that he offers a hefty sum if Ursula can prove who poisoned Master Hoxton. And so Ursula finds herself on the case.
To complicate things, two powerful earls in England's north have declared loyalty for Mary, Queen of Scots, and armies are on the march. No one should leave Windsor, though Queen Elizabeth dearly would like someone to investigate the rumors of treasonous spies roaming through the countryside. Where will Queen Elizabeth turn to find someone to uncover the truth regarding this rumors? Your guess is as good as mine...
The queen without a crown that is referenced in the title is Mary, who, despite being called Queen of Scots, has no throne or crown of her own (she was forced to abdicate the Scottish throne in 1567, the novel takes place in 1569, at which time Mary is held prisoner in a castle on English soil, far from the Scottish border). Mary still aspires to rule, either from the Scottish throne or English throne, which makes her a threat to Queen Elizabeth. (For the longest time, I thought Bloody Queen Mary and Mary Queen of Scots were the same person, but they are not - though both were Catholics who sought to revert Protestant England back to Catholicism ).
Ursula Blanchard is the half sister of Queen Elizabeth, both were sired by King Henry VIII, though Ursula is an illegitimate offspring. Elizabeth apparently trusts her half sister, because she has previously sent Ursula on perilous missions as a "secret agent". Ursula is loyal to Elizabeth, but she would much rather stay home with her third husband, Hugh.
Ursula's career as a "secret agent" is a poorly kept secret; everyone at the court knows at least something of her previous exploits (which are doubtlessly describe in the preceding eight novels in this series). And so a young courtier named Mark Easton comes to Ursula with an offer - his father, Gervase Easton, was accused of murder-by-poison twenty years ago, and took his own life before he could be tried and hanged. But Mark has a letter written by his father before he killed himself, and the in the letter Gervase strongly states that he is innocent and that his son Mark (who just 3 when Gervase died) should always believe this to be true.
However, although Mark does believe in his father's innocence, no one else does. The parents of beautiful, spirited Jane, whom Mark wishes to marry, have decreed that their daughter shall not marry a man whose father was a murderer. The stain upon the Easton name is too great. Knowing of Ursula ability to solve problems, Mark comes to Ursula and begs her to prove that his father was indeed innocent. It seems an impossible task - the murder occurred twenty years prior. How can Ursula possibly interview witnesses or track down suspects?
Unfortunately, Ursula's husband, Hugh, invested heavily in a risky but potentially lucrative scheme - which has gone awry when the trading ships failed to return safely. Now Hugh must make good on his debts, which means he must sell his beloved Hawkswood estate. However, Mark Easton is so eager for proof of his father's innocence that he offers a hefty sum if Ursula can prove who poisoned Master Hoxton. And so Ursula finds herself on the case.
To complicate things, two powerful earls in England's north have declared loyalty for Mary, Queen of Scots, and armies are on the march. No one should leave Windsor, though Queen Elizabeth dearly would like someone to investigate the rumors of treasonous spies roaming through the countryside. Where will Queen Elizabeth turn to find someone to uncover the truth regarding this rumors? Your guess is as good as mine...
November 22, 2017
This is the 9th book in the series. Ursula takes on an investigation in hopes of clearing the family name of a young man and in the process, using the payment to rescue her family’s property from a debt. The private assignment seems almost hopeless; the poisoning murder took place more than 20 years ago, but Ursula works diligently to search out potential clues. Her investigation dovetails with an assignment from the queen who is worried about treachery involving Mary, Queen of Scots. Ursula travels a dangerous path as she goes deep into enemy territory to find out the truth. While I figured out a key clue early on, the author uses a clever and rarely used skill of the time to prove the case.
May 14, 2021
I like my historical mysteries to have mainly female protagonists and be set during the 1700s up to WW II. Because I want them to be realistic and stay true to the period. Because I can imagine the relative freedom and education women of this era would have to be able to solve mysteries. This book is set in Elizabethan England but I still liked it. I guess being a half sister of a queen would give you the education and freedom necessary to be a spy and informer. I liked that is did stay true to the period where manners and customs and writing style is concerned. The attitudes of the protagonist may have been a bit advanced for her time but then female detectives have to be like that I guess. I would definitely read more of this series.
April 1, 2019
I supposedly read this one already.... I know I've read a goodly part of the series, but this one I do not remember.
Ursula Blanchard Stannard is secretly the 1/2 sister of Queen Elizabeth & is often sent on secret missions by the Queen to ferret out intrigue, murder & mayhem.
In this selection, Ursula, is sent to investigate the treasonous goings on in Northern England that would put Mary of Scotland on the throne at the same time as she is working to clear the name of a man falsely accused of murder.
Ursula Blanchard Stannard is secretly the 1/2 sister of Queen Elizabeth & is often sent on secret missions by the Queen to ferret out intrigue, murder & mayhem.
In this selection, Ursula, is sent to investigate the treasonous goings on in Northern England that would put Mary of Scotland on the throne at the same time as she is working to clear the name of a man falsely accused of murder.
November 22, 2017
Ursula Blanchard is now happily married to her third husband and is still a lady in waiting at Queen Elizabeth I court. Ursula has done some spying for the Queen in the past and now has been asked to assist again as Mary Queen of Scots is trying to form a rebellion against her sister. Ursula and her husband have two estates in the country but they need to money to save one of their homes. Ursula's travels take her to the north of England.
November 2, 2018
A slight deviation from the standard in this series, Ursula is helping a young man clear his father's name so that he can marry the girl of his heart. However, the Queen, always quick to take advantage of a situation, sees a way to use Ursula to spy for her. The plot is slow at first, with successive, sudden escape action. Not necessarily the best in this series, but still good.
Read
April 13, 2020The intrigue never ends. In the midst of the machinations around Mary Queen of Scots, Ursula is asked to look into a death from 20 years ago (for the happy purpose of advancing a marriage). Then Queen Elizabeth needs her to look into some troubling activity in the north of England. All is resolved, but for how long?
November 26, 2021
3.5
Intersting cold case involving a poisoner while at the same time, more intrigue and plotting taking place to depose Queen Elizabeth and put Mary Queen of Scots on the throne... Urusla is sent on a mission to discover where there might be some insurgents hiding in the northern counties. moving the reader along the historical struggles of England during the early reign of Elizabeth I
Intersting cold case involving a poisoner while at the same time, more intrigue and plotting taking place to depose Queen Elizabeth and put Mary Queen of Scots on the throne... Urusla is sent on a mission to discover where there might be some insurgents hiding in the northern counties. moving the reader along the historical struggles of England during the early reign of Elizabeth I
January 25, 2018
This was by no means brilliant literature, but the writing was interesting enough to make me want to read other books in this series.
January 19, 2023
Incredible book
June 17, 2014
This is part of the series about Ursula Blanchard in the court of Queen Elizabeth the first. In his novel, Ursula has two missions. She has an assignment from the Queen as well as a personal one that involves saving her husband's property.
The author recreates the English villages of the is period and makes the settings interesting as well as describing how clothes were produced and portraits painted for people so they could remember how their children looked. Something we take for granted with all the pictures we are able to take.
Since this is a mystery, I won't spoil the ending, but I think readers will enjoy this story.
The author recreates the English villages of the is period and makes the settings interesting as well as describing how clothes were produced and portraits painted for people so they could remember how their children looked. Something we take for granted with all the pictures we are able to take.
Since this is a mystery, I won't spoil the ending, but I think readers will enjoy this story.
May 24, 2012
I would actually give this a 3.5 if I could.
It is about time there was a new Ursula Blanchard mystery; I have been waiting for this book for far too long. I did not find it as compelling as its predecessor The Siren Queen but I read it quickly enough and could not put it down and enjoyed that it continued series without seeming to deviate from established characters and plots.
It is about time there was a new Ursula Blanchard mystery; I have been waiting for this book for far too long. I did not find it as compelling as its predecessor The Siren Queen but I read it quickly enough and could not put it down and enjoyed that it continued series without seeming to deviate from established characters and plots.
December 30, 2012
The start of the book seemed slow to me, but the author once again does a great job laying out a tidy story with details that fall together intelligently. Loved the suspense she builds during a chase scene! I'm looking forward to the next book, but wonder what more Buckley can do with these characters that she hasn't already done.
January 8, 2013
An enjoyable read with a really interesting antagonist in Lady Anne - although I do want to know how she knew about Ursula's relationship to the queen. I am unexcited about her relationship with Hugh - and his constant need for reassurance that she doesn't want to return to Matthew is a little annoying.
November 1, 2012
I am so happy to getto read more about Ursula and her adventures in the service to Queen Elizabeth I. I had missed this series and was glad Fiona Buckley wrote more. This is one of my favorite series and I was not disappointed with this book.
June 12, 2012
Continuing adventures and perils of Ursula, lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth and some-time spy. Fun and a good read as usual. Now I have to figure out which ones I have read and go find the others!
November 16, 2013
The joys of having a Nook - I found another Ursula Blanchard book, which are rare locally. Some of the best of Victorian mysteries in my view. I always have to look up some of the history because I get so interested in it. This one didn't disappoint me.
December 14, 2013
Just finished reading this one for the second time. I wanted to refresh my memory before moving onto Buckley's recent additions to the series. I thoroughly enjoy the character development, intrigue and plot twists.
July 19, 2014
I confess that this series is beginning to get a little stale for me. But I am committed to keeping up with Ursula and her family. I like the characters better than the intrigue. But Valerie Anand (aka Fiona Buckley) knows her history and so the details are fun too.
April 8, 2012
I can't tell if this the last she will write about Ursala Blanchard. It was a good series, but I wouldn't be sad if this was it.
July 8, 2012
So glad there's another Ursula Blanchard mystery after so long! Is it too much to hope there will be at least one more in the future?
December 1, 2013
Another decent historical from Fiona Buckley. I especially enjoyed the food and utensil fight in a manor's kitchen.
June 19, 2012
I am 3/4 finished, and so far Ms Buckley is following her standard formula for these books. They are light reading and the heroine is fun No sex in them so that is good
December 14, 2012
I do enjoy this series but find Ursula and her husband's relationship oddly unexciting. I felt disconnected from the characters in this installment. Hope next one has a little more umph in it.
November 30, 2015
I have an emotional attachment to these books that undoubtedly makes me overrate them but they are perfect for me as warm, comforting reads.
June 6, 2013
This book started out slow, but the first half was only laying a foundation for the rest of the book. Then, as usual, Ursula and Brockley got themselves into one fine mess.
June 17, 2013
This was the first of the series I'd read. It was interesting enough that I want to go back to the beginning and see how it all started.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews