Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This book is much like Plaidy's previous novel The King's Confidante: The Story of the Daughter of Sir Thomas More (A Novel of the Tudors) in that it's not directly concerned with royalty. In fact most of the book takes place outside the Court of King James I of England, VI of Scotland.
This book is the tale of two people, one ruthless in getting what she wants, the other the unwitting object of her affection. Frances Howard, a member of that Howard family, is a young girl forced into a marriage she thought she wanted, but ended up hating once she was smitten by Robert Carr, a favourite of King James. She stops at nothing to win him for herself. She will use all manner of poison, witchcraft and murder to rid herself of her enemies and those who are even perceived to stand in her way.
Plaidy, as usual, is a master, or should I say mistress, of her art. She makes the characters who are supposed to be unlikable, completely so(Frances Howard) and those you are supposed to feel for, (her first husband and even her second) sympathetic.
One thing I do wish though is that Plaidy did actually spend more time on King James' court. I was really interested in getting to know more about him, the Gunpowder Plot is already over and done with by the time the novel starts, and you never get a true feel for the court. I definitely never got a true feel for his queen, Anne of Denmark, and Plaidy usually spends a good bit of her novels making sure you understand the feelings of the monarch's queens. I also wanted to know more about his children, I felt like they were just pretty additions to the story.
But this is still a good book and totally worth the time.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Murder in the Tower: The Story of Frances, Countess of Essex
The dashing Robert Carr is a well-known favorite of King James I. After attracting his attention by falling from a horse in the tiltyard, Robert rises quickly through the ranks. But when the cunning and beautiful Frances Howard comes to court, a very dangerous liaison changes everything. Married against her will while still a child, Frances emerges from that experience a headstrong force of nature—determined to have her own way, no matter what the consequences. Her attempts to rid herself of an unwanted husband, and later to ensnare a lukewarm lover, have led her deep into the world of spell-makers and poisoners. This is a woman to underestimate at great peril. But not until Robert finds himself ensnared in one of Frances\'s plots—imprisoned in the Tower of London and accused of murder—does he learn at last what she is truly capable of.
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