A Perilous Alliance

In Buckley’s riotous but initially labored 13th Elizabethan mystery (after 2014’s A Traitor’s Tears), foreign policy matters trigger the action, but the focus is on domestic relationships. Ursula Blanchard, a half-sister of Elizabeth I, refuses one offer of marriage, but cannot easily turn down another advocated by the queen herself. A servant’s death precipitates several members of Ursula’s household to pursue the prospective bridegroom, Gilbert Renard, a French count, and his companions to Dover on suspicions of murder and espionage. Complications abound due to impulsive decisions by several headstrong youths, requiring Ursula and her manservant, Brockley, to use their combined wits to get them all out of a life-threatening scrape. Though she’s an English lady of means, Ursula is beset by demands more typical of a single parent in the 21st century, including work commitments and whining loved ones. She also treats some staff members more like pals than employees. Still, series fans will enjoy the exciting plot twists. [em](Oct.) [/em]