A Murder by Any Name

August 27, 2018
The stabbing murder of Cecily Carew, a young lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I, drives the well-crafted plot of this promising series launch from Wolfe (Unveiling), set in 1585. Nick Holt, who’s “lately returned from spying for the queen on the Continent,” accompanies the monarch to Whitehall Palace, where Cecily’s body lies on a chapel altar. Rumor has it that the murder, a sacrifice of an innocent, was done by the Jews to mock the Eucharist, but the queen is sure that the killer is a member of her court and commands Nick to identify the miscreant and “bring him to me for, by Christ, I will not suffer such a man to live.” Contrary to her Gloriana Regina image, Wolfe portrays Elizabeth as a vain, acid-tongued, and frightened woman whose grasp on power is faltering. Abundant details of London daily life shed light on the customs and mores of the time. Some surprising twists lead to a startling conclusion. Fans of Elizabethan historicals will be satisfied, despite the occasional use of such contemporary terms as “body language” and “parent issues.” Agent: Carol Mann, Carol Mann Agency.

August 1, 2018
An Elizabethan spy must uncover a murderer close to the court.The Honorable Nicholas Holt has been forced to take up spying for the queen because of his family's suspicious ties to Catholicism. Someone murders Lady Cecily, one of Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting, and the furious queen orders Nick to find the killer. When he calls upon his friend Eli, a Jewish physician who escaped Spain with his twin sister, Rivkah, Eli confirms that the deed was done with a thin-bladed knife. The meager clues are a fragrant handkerchief, a note bidding Cecily to meet at midnight, and a small topaz. Nick gives his devoted Irish wolfhound, Hector, a good sniff of the parchment in hopes that he can track the killer. The handkerchief smells of a cold remedy containing expensive ingredients, but any clues it might have carried vanished when it was picked up by an unidentified servant. The Jews are already being blamed for the death, but the shrewd queen suspects that the killer is one of her large retinue. Nick, who owns the Black Sheep Tavern, is in a casual relationship with Kat, a clever madam, but knows himself to be in love with Rivkah. Given the crowd of hangers-on always near the queen, Nick can't determine who passed the note to Cecily, an innocent girl who romanticized the billet-doux. Nick is still investigating when another lady-in-waiting is murdered in an entirely different way. Mary, a friend of Cecily's, was different from her even before they died: She had many lovers who must be considered suspects. The queen sends away all her remaining maids except for the elderly Countess of Berwick, who refuses to leave. Though he's learned that the killer was left-handed, Nick must discover a motive for the two murders before the queen's notorious temper gets the better of her.An excellent series kickoff by Wolfe (The Confessions of X, 2016) that cleverly highlights both the mystery and the many ills of Elizabethan times.

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September 15, 2018
Wolfe makes her crime-fiction debut with this captivating Elizabethan mystery. Nicholas Holt, younger brother of the Earl of Blackwell, is asked by the queen herself to solve the murder of one of her ladies-in-waiting. People are blaming the Catholics, saying this was a message to the Protestant queen. Nick uses the skills he's picked up as a spy, as well as his brothel and bar connections, to learn more about Her Majesty's court and who had access and motive to kill the girl. Wolfe is an award-winning Christian fiction author, which may prompt some of her fans to be surprised by earthy references to the Virgin Queen, but such references are played for humor, not titillation. Fans of Fiona Buckley's Ursula Blanchard and Kathy Lynn Emerson's Rosamond Jaffrey will be delighted to add Wolfe to their reading lists.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)