Rating: 
Summary: The Queen's Man Rides Again
Review: A 2nd episode for DeQuincy, Queen Eleanor's "man" from the mind of Sharon Penman. Her feel for the medieval England of Henry & Eleanor from her previous historical novels form the basis for this unique historical murder mystery set in England in 1193, which also serves as a nice encore for the first murder mystery "The Queen's Man".Penman emerged long ago as one of the best historical novelists and continues to solidify her reputation with each new release. The "Queen's Man" novels are unique side trips where she plays with fictional characters based on her strong historical story lines. Penman's special genius lies in the bright and shining historical detail that she can weave into both plot and dialog (she's a very good student of history and at
times is absolutely brilliant in conveying to us the workings of medieval minds). Penman's true genius is the broad historical scope that is painted on top of the shimmering details of brief moments. It truely does feel as if you
are living the story yourself, and it is this bringing us readers in as witnesses that stands as Penman's contribution to the art of the historical
novel. If you prefer to read in chronological order:
1101-1154 When Christ And His Saints Slept (Vol 1 of Trilogy)
1156-1171 Time And Space (Vol 2 of Trilogy)
12th Cent Devil's Brood (Vol 3 of Trilogy)- not yet released
1192-1193 The Queen's Man
1193 Cruel As The Grave
1183-1232 Here Be Dragons (Vol 1 of Welsh Trilogy)
1231-1267 Falls The Shadow (Vol 2 of Welsh Trilogy)
1271-1283 The Reckoning (Vol 3 of Welsh Trilogy)
1459-1492 The Sunne In Splendour
Rating:
Summary: Justin de Quincy solves another murder
Review: I really enjoy reading mysteries set in the fairly distant past, and this series about Justin de Quincy, the "Queen's Man" of Eleanor of Aquitaine is uniformly excellent. The writing is crisp, the dialogue appears authentic, and the little touches concerning everyday life give the books that perfect ring of truth that is important when writing about so long ago. If the author can't make you believe in the scenario, nothing is going to help the work to be successful. This one is, and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first book in the series. Now I will wait (as patiently as possible) for the next book in the series to appear, for I'm sure that I will enjoy it also.
Rating:
Summary: another fine historical mystery from author Penman
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this second novel about Justin de Quincy, who we first met in Penman's The Queen's Man, referring to Justin's career as aide to Queen Eleanor, mother of Richard the Lion-Hearted and Prince John. It is 1193 and Richard is being held for ransom. While Eleanor tries to raise the money and keep John from a treasonous grab for the throne, Justin gives her invaluable assistance and also solves a murder closer to home. Penman brings the 12th century to life with details about the everyday existence of people as they go about their business. Her style is wonderful, flowing easily and beautifully, and she writes well for different characters -- the conversations with Prince John and Justin's enemy/ally Durand fairly sizzle with malice and innuendo. A notable undercurrent in this novel is the relationship between parents and children, and we see the consequences of familial dysfunction in the case of Justin and his estranged father, the two murder suspects and their bullying patriarch, and Prince John and his politically astute mother. This is a terrific novel and I can't wait to read more of this series -- Justin de Quincy is a fun protagonist and Eleanor and John and Durand are compelling historical figures who jump right off the page. Lovely.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant as all her books have been
Review: In 1193 London, fifteen-year old Melangell, daughter of a Welsh peddler, is found murdered in the St. Mary Magdalene churchyard. Her clothing was torn and blood was spewed all over a nearby cross. While the teen lies dead, across town, Justin de Quincey knows where his duty lies. Being the "Queen's Man", Justin works for Eleanor in her quest to locate her missing son, Richard. Justin understands that part of his job is to keep Richard's devious younger brother, John, in line even though that dubious task seems at times to be impossible. The bellicose John will do anything to change his job title from prince to king. Would that include having his minions murder the young daughter of a poor Welshman as Justin is beginning to believe? The second de Quincey Medieval mystery, CRUEL IN THE GRAVE, is a fantastic historical who-done-it that profoundly brings to life all of the scheming and intrigue that surrounds yet is abetted by John. The characters are al! l genuine with many of them stepping out of the history books into an exciting murder mystery. Only someone with the talent of Sharon Kay Penman could have penned this spectacular story because only a skilled author could manage to take readers on an amazing trip back to the twelfth century as happens with this book. This reviewer recommends this novel and its prequel THE QUEEN'S MAN, for anyone who loves historical fiction, but especially mysteries. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Great historical fiction
Review: In Cruel as the Grave, Justin Quincey is back in his second adventure as "the Queen's man." When we left The Queen's Man, the queen's eldest son Richard had been found, and the murder of a merchant had been solved. The mystery this time lies in the murder of a 15-year-old Welsh girl, killed in a graveyard. The two main suspects are a pair of brothers, both of whom knew the girl intimately and neither of whom is saying anything. While the murder isn't all that original, to be sure, and its frustrating to read a murder mystery in which DNA and fingerprinting hadn't been discovered yet, its still intriguing to see how investigators of the period used what they had to solve a case. Justin comes to most of his conclusions by deductive reasoning, but still manages to catch the girl's killer.
While the royal aspect doesn't figure as much into the mystery at hand, Justin once again has to sift through the fascinating intrigues of court life and make sense of the complicated relationship between Eleanor and her younger son, John. Justin is there at the seige of Warwick Castle, and has the chance to observe John's character with close scrutiny.
While Penman's medieval mysteries aren't as fine as her epic historical novels, she gives us an excellent, approachable look into one of the most fascinating periods of English history.
Rating:
Summary: Quincy redux....
Review: Justin de Quincy, the likeable hero in CRUEL AS THE GRAVE, is the sleuth fashioned by Sharon Kay Penman in her first mystery novel THE QUEEN'S MAN. Penman has written a number of non-mystery works of historical fiction and set them in the 12th and early 13th Centuries in England. In her author's note in CRUEL AS THE GRAVE, she says she will remain happy as long as she can write about Queen Eleanor of Aquataine. And, I as the reader will be happy as long as I can read about Queen Eleanor, the grandmother of European royalty. Justin de Quincy works for Queen Eleanor, wife of Henry II (deceased) and mother of King Richard and his brother John. CRUEL AS THE GRAVE is set in 1193. King Richard is being held hostage (for an enormous ransom) by the German Emperor, following his capture enroute home from the Holy Land and the First Crusade. In Richard's absence, brother John covets the throne to the point of entertaining thoughts of treason. Eleanor wishes to preserve the throne for son Richard, and prevent John from committing an act that will land him in the Tower. She calls on De Quincy to help her in her efforts to deal with her family problems. In the hours when he isn't serving the Queen, De Quincy is frequently called upon to help various common folk in the Cheapside neighborhood where he keeps a room. In CRUEL AS THE GRAVE, a merchant's sons have become implicated in the death of a young woman from Wales and De Quincy is asked to help exonerate the boys. I find the storyline in CRUEL AS THE GRAVE interesting because Penman explores the psychological effects of parental love or lack thereof with a great deal of honesty. And, she has done a credible job of contrasting Queen Eleanor's difficulties with her two conflicted offspring, with the tortured relationship of the merchant father and his two sons. In the background hovers De Quincy's own questionable relationship with his father. I find De Quincy an incredibly likeable hero and I want to know him better. I hope Penman continues to write books in this series.
Rating: 
Summary: Part Two Two Medieval Mystery Sleuthing
Review: Penman wrote these medieval mysteries to take a break from her more flowery medieval prose. Unlike the latter, she didn't necessarily know what the outcome would be to various mysteries so it gave her a new stretch in her writing career. The dialogue and descriptions are sparse compared to her more Historical works. If anything, this series focuses on movement
and pacing. I would say this is more of a fun and quick read than the usual elegant, flowery and heart breaking Historical pieces Penman is usually known for in her works.
Rating:
Summary: A little thin
Review: Penman's books are well written and thus a pleasure to read. Additionally, she has researched what life was like in 12th century England and so her historical fiction, including this mystery, are great fun if for no other reason than to learn what everyday life was like. The mysteries are particularly good for this in that they allow Penman to write about everyday people rather than just the Court. Thus I must say I enjoyed Cruel As the Grave. But... as historical fiction, there is very little plot here and the mystery will disappoint mystery fans. Even stranger (and unlike the first of Penman's mysteries) there is no connection between the events surrounding Eleanor and her son, the future king John, (i.e. the historical fiction if you will) and the murder her protagonist must solve (the mystery). It left me wondering what the point was except as an excuse to write another book in which Eleanor appears.
Rating:
Summary: Ms. Penman Does it Again!
Review: Sharon Kay Penman is a very good author. Her writing is wonderful and her research faultless. Her love of the Aquitaine era in England is very apparent since that is where she concentrates her research and her novels. This second book in the Justin de Quincy series, I think was actually better than the first. I do hope that she writes more in this particular series. The characters in this book are wonderful as always, and her craftsmanship ensures that the reader is placed right into the era and the plot. In this book Justin is asked by his friend Nell to find the killer of a young Welsh girl who was found dead in a church graveyard. Justin sets out to find this killer while at the same time he is asked to undertake a very dangerous mission for his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. He doesn't have to look far for suspects in his murder case as it appears that there were only two - two brothers from the same family. Justin tries to prove their innocence, and instead uncovers a situation and a homelife that mirrors ones that he is familiar with - his own and his queen's.
Rating:
Summary: Ms. Penman Does it Again!
Review: Sharon Kay Penman is a very good author. Her writing is wonderful and her research faultless. Her love of the Aquitaine era in England is very apparent since that is where she concentrates her research and her novels. This second book in the Justin de Quincy series, I think was actually better than the first. I do hope that she writes more in this particular series. The characters in this book are wonderful as always, and her craftsmanship ensures that the reader is placed right into the era and the plot. In this book Justin is asked by his friend Nell to find the killer of a young Welsh girl who was found dead in a church graveyard. Justin sets out to find this killer while at the same time he is asked to undertake a very dangerous mission for his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. He doesn't have to look far for suspects in his murder case as it appears that there were only two - two brothers from the same family. Justin tries to prove their innocence, and instead uncovers a situation and a homelife that mirrors ones that he is familiar with - his own and his queen's.
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