Poison, Your Grace: A Simon & Elizabeth Mystery

Simon Maldon, an apothecary’s apprentice, earned the trust of the future Elizabeth I in Herring’s first mystery, Her Highness’ First Murder (2010), set in 1546. Six years later, Simon’s and Elizabeth’s paths cross again in this engaging sequel after a murderer strikes in London’s Whitehall palace. It’s a particularly sensitive time, as England’s young ruler, Edward VI, is in failing health, and several would-be successors are vying for the throne. Many fear that the person who fatally poisoned Lord Amberson, a trusted adviser of the king’s, may have been trying to frame Elizabeth for the crime. When the king summons Simon’s master, Carthburt, to Whitehall to try to identify the agent of death, Simon goes along and gets involved in the inquiry. Herring does a nice job of making Elizabeth a plausible partner in detection and the life-and-death intrigues of the period fresh and compelling. (Nov.)