Kearsley, Susanna THE
KING’S MESSENGER
I wish to report today a truly happy discovery. It is an enchanting novel by Susanna Kearsley titled The King’s Messenger. If you like historical fiction, it is based on an office that dates far back into English history. Andrew Logan is a fictional King’s Messenger during the reign of James 1st of England or James VI of Scotland in the early 1600’s and he is a deeply thoughtful, and complex character with a dark secret. He is assigned to find and bring, Sir David Moray, a real historical figure, to London from Scotland to be interrogated and probably executed by the King or some of his scheming accolytes. A fictional scrivener is assigned to accompany Andrew and because he is not in good health, his daughter (also a fictional character) goes along. A young fictional stableboy named completes the traveling group and the interplay amongst them makes for a true love poem.
The book is fiction, but it delves deeply into a true historical
mystery—the fate of the young Crown Prince Henry, son of James 1st and his
Queen Anna. Did he die an early and natural death by disease or was he poisoned
by the King and and/or his minions. Each new twist draws you deeper and deeper
into the characters and their connection to the scheming going on above their
station. I was taken especially by an overnight stop made by the group that was
set inside one of the old mile forts on Hadrian’s Wall.
From the author: History is composed mostly of “people of
name.” Authors try to give significance
to the “none else” of name by creating memorable people with complex, even
heroic lives who never made the history books. This novel is full of them.
Sir David fond of quoting Marcus Aurelius “We have but a little time upon this earth.
If we do not take the chances we are given, they will go and we will go and not
return.”
Definitely a 5 out of 5
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