I supposedly read this one already.... I know I've read a goodly part of the series, but this one I do not remember.

Ursula Blanchard Stannard is secretly the 1/2 sister of Queen Elizabeth & is often sent on secret missions by the Queen to ferret out intrigue, murder & mayhem.

In this selection, Ursula, is sent to investigate the treasonous goings on in Northern England that would put Mary of Scotland on the throne at the same time as she is working to clear the name of a man falsely accused of murder. ( )

At one time I really enjoyed this series (so maybe it's where I am these past few months)...but I did not get past the second chapter.

Ursula is asked once again to go undercover for Elizabeth I (they look very much alike) to help uncover the plot against the Crown by the Scots Queen. Ursula is also investigating the innocence of Lord Sussex's envoy's deceased father against the false accusation of murder.

I was bored from the outset. ( )

After a gap of several years, this is the ninth book in the Ursula Blanchard series. The political plot concerns the Northern Rebellion by the Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland to restore Mary to the throne of Scotland and then to replace Elizabeth as Queen of England. The personal plotline that intermeshes with this and provides human interest involves solving a 23 year old mystery and proving the innocence of a dead man so his son can marry the girl of his choice. The details of this are a bit implausible but it's very readable stuff and it's great to see Ursula and her circle, wonderfully drawn and likeable characters, in a story again when I thought this series had ended. At least two more have been published as well and I look forward to them. 4/5 ( )

An uprising in the north of England has Elizabeth keeping her court close at Windsor, including her half-sister and sometime agent, Ursula Blanchard. Ursula is commissioned by a family friend to discover if his father was really a poisoner. This--and Elizabeth's need for a spy in the north--sends Ursula and her cohorts into danger.

Interestingly twisty, and I like Ursula's third husband much better than her second. ( )