I've just started "The Queen's Man'' by Sharon Ann Penman and I'm really enjoying it! It's the first book in her Medieval Mystery series. I got the 2nd book "Cruel as the Grave'' in the mail yesterday from a PBS member.

I also have "Here Be Dragons'' but haven't read it yet.

So far, I really like her writing style, and she mixes the mystery and the history together very well.

What are her other books like??

Here Be Dragons is one of my favorites!  The whole Welsh trilogy (of which this is the first) is good and I really liked The Sunne in Splendor as well.  When Christ and His Saints Slept I liked less - it got a little tedious at times - but it's the best book I've read so far that covers that time period (the war between Stephen and Matilda).

She is my favorite historical fiction writer! The Sunne in Splendour is wonderful, one of my all time favorite books and the one that got me hooked on historical fiction. I have a hard time reading other books about the subjects she writes about. I keep thinking hers are the best, I can't get into anyone else's versions.

She has been battling a terrible bout of mono that keeps recurring and kicking her butt. It's been going on for a few years now. She is slowly working on Devil's Brood (the third book in the Henry and Eleanor saga) when she's up for it. Hopefully it will be out in 2008. Before she got sick, she talked about doing a series about John of Gaunt and Owain Glyndwr. After reading Katherine (John's mistress) I hope she can do it, it would be great!

I just finished The Sunne in Splendour a few weeks ago and I have to say it is probably the best book I have read in three or four years. I immediately started hunting for all books about Richard III and Anne Neville. I cannot recommend that book highly enough. It was my first experience with SKP btw.

I have most of hers, but have never gotten to them.  Maybe I will have to move them to the top of the TRB pile...

I'm one of those weirdos who wasn't crazy about The Sunne in Splendour. :-D It was okay, but it moved very slowly I thought and got rather repetetive in places. It took me forever to read it. VERY well researched, though, and certainly a good story. I haven't read her other straight historical fiction books yet (although I have them all on my TBR!) but I absolutely LOVED her Justiin de Quincy medieval mystery series, and I do wish she would write more of those.

Cheryl

I've loved all of her Historical Fiction - and re-read several.  The first one I read was the second in the Eleanor and Henry story (Time and Chance?) and then I bounced around until I picked all of her HF up. My only compaint is that by the third one in the Welsh trilogy she's repeating themes a bit.

However, I've not read her mysteries, I generally am not a fan.  I can't wait for Devil's Brood. I'm so sorry she's been ill.

I finished "The Queen's Man'' last night. I really enjoyed reading a mystery novel with a bit of medieval history thrown in. It was a very interesting read. :)

I got a Shakespearean mystery book in the mail yesterday. I hope I enjoy that one as much as I did Penman's book.