This medieval thriller has some of the earmarks of Denvil’s The Flame Eater—a complicated romance, the darkly comical portrayal of family, and a murder mystery to keep the suspense going. The hero is Sir Alexander Quyrril, Baron Mornington, who survives the same battle in 1485 that takes King Richard’s life, ushers in the new Tudor monarchy, and brings about his family’s political downfall. Staggering from the battlefield, he tousles in a barn with Katherine Ashingham, who is in a boyish disguise and betrothed to the Earl of Sheffield. They part ways, but both end up in London in the grand Sheffield House with Alex in disguise as a servant and Katherine married to the Earl. To avoid consummating her marriage, each night Katherine enlists Alex, the spice clerk, to spike her husband’s wine. As Alex becomes the prime suspect in three murders and a kidnapping, much entertaining mayhem follows—lightly farcical at times and darkly sinister at others—and an unhinged cleric becomes obsessed with Alex’s alleged sins. Poisoning, false accusations, and the plague all play a hand. Marring the story are Katherine’s prudishness and her tortured romantic naiveté; however, the revelatory characters and medieval history will give readers much to enjoy. (BookLife)