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Book Review of The Poyson Garden (Elizabeth I, Bk 1)

The Poyson Garden (Elizabeth I, Bk 1)
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The autumn of 1558 finds the future Elizabeth I languishing at Hatfield House under the watchful eyes of Sir Thomas Pope and his wife, Beatrice. Boredom fills her days until one afternoon when a faithful groom slips her a note -- a note that will lead Elizabeth into grave danger.

Elizabeth's aunt, Mary Boleyn, lies ill at nearby Wivenhoe and begs Elizabeth to come quickly and secretly. Mary's son, Henry Carey, wounded in a vicious ambush on his way to visit his mother, has important news for his cousin. Feigning one of her famous "sick head aches" (migraine), Elizabeth slips away from her warders. Discovering that Henry's man died from poisoned arrows in the ambush and that his mother is also being poisoned, Elizabeth plunges headlong into a maelstrom of deadly herbs, treachery, and lingering death.
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The first in the Elizabeth I mystery series. Very well done! The plot was intriguing, well thought out and with some twists and turns you didn't expect. You cannot but help liking young Elizabeth and her impromptu privy council. A page turner.