In the Time of the Poisoned Queen

by Ann Dukthas

In England, 1558 was a year of sinister and bloody conspiracy. Queen Mary, deserted by her husband, Philip of Spain, faces an ever-tightening circle of conspiracy and deceit. Rumors and whispers... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312180306
• ISBN13: 9780312180300
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 273 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Fourth in the Series

This is a novel by Paul Doherty writing under the pseudonym of Ann Dukthas. Paul Doherty is the consummate professional when it comes to writing historical mystery novels. I for one do not know how he can be so prolific with his offering of books and yet make sure that each of them is well researched. Whether they be 13th, 14th, or fifteenth century they are always true to the period. He also writes about Ancient Egypt and the Greek period in history of Alexander the Great. This is the fourth book in the series featuring Nicholas Segalla, scholar and mystery solver who is capable of travelling through time and has been involved in the solving some of the most famous mysteries in history. In this book he is investigating the very real possibility that Queen Mary is being poisoned by one of her many rivals . . .

A great addition to this series

Nicholas Segalla feels history is about to dramatically change and so he needs to talk to someone. He chooses his friend Ann Dukthas, who he once told that he has been around forever due to an ancient curse. He decides to tell Ann about his involvement in the regal politics of England, circa 1558. Queen Mary is dying, most likely a victim of poison. There are many people who potentially can gain something if the current Queen is removed from the throne. Catherine de Medici would like nothing less than her daughter-in-law, Mary Stuart, to become the next ruler. Then there is Mary's sister Elizabeth who probably has the best claim to the crown. Finally, Queen Mary's spouse could just as easily be looking elsewhere like at Elizabeth to gain more control over England. Pope Paul IV sends Nicholas to London to ferret out the identity of the royal poisoner before England and perhaps Europe falls into an age of devastation. The third novel in the Segalla historical mysteries, IN THE TIME OF THE PURLOINED QUEEN, is another brilliant story constructed around real events and an unsolved who-done-it. As with the first two books, Nicholas is a great conduit into the genuine historical figures of sixteenth century England. The story line is a crisp combination of a political thriller and historical mystery that works. Ann Dukthas has given readers a brilliant glimpse into the past and anyone who has had the pleasure will impatiently wait for the next book to be released. Harriet Klausner

New historical mystery by pseudonymn of P.C.Doherty

Ann Dukthas is now known to be none other than the highly prolific author P.C.Doherty (see also Paul Harding, C.L.Grace, Michael Clynes and Anna Apostolou!) and whilst I'm not so keen on putting fantasy into my mysteries (time travel) his depiction of the period is always spot on. None of the Dukthas books is published in the U.K. so the U.S. edition is the only chance you have of enjoying these fun reads.