A Time For The Death Of A King by Ann Dukthas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is in the first in a series featuring a mysterious stranger who never dies. Nicholas Segalla is suspiciously long-lived, and he plays a critical role in solving the mystery behind several historical events. In this debut novel, Segalla solves the mystery of who murdered Henry Darnley, the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.
The premise of the series is imaginative and an excellent way to set the stage for the various books. However, the answer arrived at in the actual mystery in this first novel is unconvincing.
For those interested in this period of history, there are two types of people. You are either on Team Elizabeth Tudor or Team Mary Stuart. I’m on Team Elizabeth, and I find the characterization of Mary unconvincing. The author tries to convince the reader that Mary is a shrewd judge of character and on the cusp of uniting Scotland under her rule, so her enemies set up an elaborate plot to murder Darnley and discredit Mary. It’s difficult to believe in this perceptive and politically astute Mary when she chose to marry Darnley in the first place and then compounded her mistake by marrying Bothwell after Darnley’s death, convincing everyone of her guilt and consequently committing political suicide.
That being said, reasonable minds do disagree on this issue. I really do like the book, as I very much enjoy the premise. The author’s writing style is informative without being lecturing, and the subplots in this book keep it well-paced and suspenseful. I look forward to reading the others in this series!