The King’s Messenger

Kearsley (Vanished Days) draws on the mysterious 1618 death of Henry, Prince of Wales, in this noteworthy historical. Andrew Logan, a messenger for King James I, is tasked with investigating the prince’s untimely death after rumors swirl that he was poisoned. The first order of business is tracking down Sir David Moray, who served as Henry’s Gentleman of the Robes and who had aroused suspicion by traveling to France soon after Henry’s death. Logan travels to Moray’s native Scotland, accompanied by scrivener Laurence Westaway, to arrest Moray there. Because Westaway is in poor health, his daughter Phoebe joins the party to tend to her father. After Logan locates Moray, he comes to doubt Moray’s guilt and leads the group back to London in hopes of finding the truth. A detailed afterword lays out the historical record and where Kearsley has taken creative license, and her reveal of how Henry died is both surprising and logical. Kearsley’s deep character work includes flashbacks depicting Moray’s close relationship with Henry and an unexpected but convincing bond between Logan and Phoebe. Fans of C.J. Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series will appreciate this. (Mar.)