Rating: 
Summary: Bring On the Dragons!!!
Review: Sharon Kay Penman is definitely on my list of favorite authors. Her historical novels, especially Here Be Dragons and When Christ and His Saints Slept, really grabbed me and would not let go!That said, her mysteries are a lot of fun. I'm not a huge mystery buff, but hers seem to be quite well-plotted and the action is tense. Keep the interest throughout. This one, Dragon's Lair, is perhaps my favorite of hers and I heartily recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the medieval period. No one has brought the thirteenth century to life for me like Sharon Kay Penman. She really is a master, with all those wonderful details (so stunningly accurate!) and those characters that come alive and become cherished friends! The characters in Dragon's Lair are wonderful, all her usual verve, if you will. Justin De Quincy is one of her most endearing creations. I have noted that sometimes her completely fictional characters seem to be somewhat weaker than those based on actual personages, but Justin is an exception. He goes against her sweeter heroes, like Hugh from The Reckoning or Ranulf Fitzroy, and evidences a great deal of most intriguing depth and temper, too. We get some more on his childhood in this book, which is fun and Justin's interactions with his esteemed father are especially good. I look forward to seeing more in her next one! Another great character is John Platagenet and I'm sure that anyone who has read Here Be Dragons will agree with me. He is one of my all time favorite baddest of the bad but still so cool book characters! Other fans of her earlier books will likely be ecstatic to see Llewelyn, Rhys (but where was Catrin?) and Ednevyd. Llewelyn is really a great character and he must have been so fun to write! This new perspective on him was just a blast! An earlier review mentioned that this book was his first clash with John, and I guess that's true! What a rivalry those two will develop! As far as plot goes, I found it fun, but just a little predictable. Perhaps that's because I'm so familiar with Ms. Penman's world. But it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book in the least. Here's how it went. It's 1193 and Richard the Lionheart has been abducted on his way home from the Holy Land. His mother, the formidable, indomitable Eleanor of Acquitaine throws all her considerable resources behind an effort to see him free. Her son John, cunning malcontent that he is, has been conspiring with the King of France to see that Richard remains as far from home as possible and the throne remains empty. A valuable shipment of goods intended to contribute to the ransom has gone astray in the mists of Wales. Who can Eleanor trust to see them safely retrieved? Why, Justin De Quincy, of course. Justin gallops off to Wales, where he encounters Prince Davydd and his rival nephew Llewelyn (cheers!). Through many personal trials and political intrigues, Justin must again solve the mystery and save the day. Can he do it? Just your basic good stuff. I enjoyed it very much and, as I said, I think anyone interested in medieval times will too. It was a good fix while pining away over her next historical novel about Eleanor and Henry! This was definitely a fun fun read! I heartily recommend!
Rating: 
Summary: Dragon's Lair - The Best Medieval Mystery
Review: Sharon Kaye Penman has written her best of the mystery series with Dragon's Lair. The ransom for King Richard I has disappeared in Wales and Queen Eleanor sends her man, Justin de Quincy, to investigate and find the ransom, if possible. And, thus, the story is off to a riproaring start. Along the way, we meet Prince David and his young nephew Llywelyn (later The Great). Ms. Penman's detail and research are to be commended for her excellence. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to many more in this series of mysteries starring Justin de Quincy.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent Medieval Mystery!
Review: Sharon Penman has done it again! This is the third in her series of Medieval Mysteries starring Justin de Quincy. Justin is Queen Eleanor's man and is investigating and trying to recover the stolen ransom, in Wales, meant for King Richard, The Lionheart's, release from an Austrian prison. The story is fast paced with surprises around every corner. Prince John is a deliciously wicked as he constantly schemes to thwart his mother's attempts to free his brother and place himself on the throne. Justin encounters many difficult situations but like a cat always seems to land on his feet. I believe this is the best yet of Sharon's mysteries and I could not stop turning the pages! I read it in a little less than three days but not because it was a short novel, 322 pgs., but because it was such an exciting, engrossing read. It is full of detail and description, especially about Wales and Chester. Incredibly captivating!
Rating:
Summary: BRAVO!!!
Review: Sharon Penman's medieval mysteries just keep getting better and better! Her latest, set partially in Wales, is my favorite so far ... partially, no doubt, because it features a young Llewelyn [the Great], one of my all time favorite historical figures (thanks to Ms. Penman's marvelous Welsh trilogy beginning with "Here Be Dragons"). When Justin de Quincy is called to investigate the robbery of a fortune earmarked for King Richard the Lionheart's ransom, he uncovers a number of intriguing suspects, including the kidnapped king's devious brother, Prince John, whose designs on his brother's throne are legend. As always, the author's historical research is impeccable and her ability to breathe life into her medieval characters, both real and imaginary, is nothing short of awesome in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Up There With the Best
Review: Sharon Penman's writing style is a joy. Though her books are by no means lightweight reading, the narrative just seems to flow from the pages.
This books is another of her mystery offerings featuring Justin de Quincy.
Richard the Lionheart, son of Eleanor of Aquitaine has been captured and is languishing in a German jail. At the same time his brother John is making his own plans to take the throne of England.
The Queen has already made her own plans to ransom her son Richard, but one of the ransom payments goes missing in the hills of Wales and Eleanor sends her trusted servant Justin de Quincy to investigate. Murder and mayhem soon follow.
One of the things I like about Penman is that she is at pains to try to stick to the historical facts and if she deviates from them, she gives an explanation why in her authors notes.
Rating:
Summary: Truly Enjoyable!
Review: She's done it again! Sharon Kay Penman has written a finely detailed & engrossing mystery centered around Justin DeQuincy & his quest for stolen loot. One of SKP's gifts is bringing to life the sights, smells & sounds Medieval Britain, expertly incorporating historical people and events with fiction . Her fictional characters are, for the most part, well-drawn & believable where no one is perfect and everyone has a redeemable trait or two. I recommend this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Highly detailed story...
Review: The intrigues of the royal court and Crusades intermingle with daily life when one of the ransom payments Queen Eleanor sends to try and rescue Richard the Lionheart disappears in Wales. To find out how and why, Justin De Quincy (from the Queen's Man) is sent, but finds himself in the midst of a greater mystery, murder. *** In this highly detailed story, Ms. Penman brings the middle ages to life. The lyrical Welsh speech has a beauty that almost makes one forget the graver matters. Historical notes weave easily into the plotline, educating the reader unobtrusively. Justin reveals keen insight into the world around him, and minor subplots create a greater depth to the master story. *** Reviewed by Amanda Killgore
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Summary: Justin de Quincy in Cadfael country
Review: This excellent mystery series now has a third book, and I feel it is the best of them. In this one, our hero is in Wales and Shropshire, which we Brother Cadfael fans remember fondly. Once again we have a crackling good story, very well told, with sharp characters, even those who have minor parts. There are fictional and actual historical persons involved, and it's so seamlessly done that you can't really tell the difference. I look forward expectantly to the next book to learn of the further adventures of Justin de Quincy!
Rating:
Summary: Welsh adventure for de Quincy is a winner
Review: This third mystery involving the Queen's Man, bastard son of the Bishop de Quincy, during the reign of Richard the Lionhearted, lives up to the first two books by Penman. She is faithful to history, but enlivens it with the intrigue of a stolen ransom from the Welsh, a ranson of Cistercian wool and other valuables that dowager Queen Eleanor needs to send to Germany to purchase the release of her favored son. Of course, true to history, there is the involvement of Prince John, the younger and more greedy son of Eleanor and Henry II. But the liscense that Penman uses places John in an intimate relationship with Henry's half-sister, Emma, Queen of the Welsh, and is contrived and predictable. But it does not lack in suspense and the irony that makes this book a good read. Justin de Quincy is a most sympathetic protagonist, and his youth, wits, bravery, and loyalty gain him admiration. He is indeed heroic and noble, despite his unrecognized status from his father, a high ranking cleric who has provided for his son but denies him official notice, thus keeping the scandal attached to that revelation at bay. De Quincy's time in the fictional Chester bishopric and its accompanying location is appropriate for a great story line, a time for his reacquaintance and alliance with his childhood mates, Bennet and Molly. His sexual relationship with Molly, while natural and realistic, reveals de Quincy's feet of clay, as he is the soon-to-be father of a noble lady's child, the scheming Claudine, a spy for Prince John. Yet his sins are forgiven him as he nearly misses his own execution by those aligned with a devious plot to steal the riches of the Welsh ransom and provide them to John and his usurper's cause. The characters of Bennet, Molly, Thomas de Caldecott, King Davyd of Wales, Llewellyn ab Iowerth, Angarhard, Rhun, Oliver, Queen Emma, are nice additions to the already recognizable characters of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, surviving wife of the now dead Henry II, and Durand, her other spy, who also serves her wayward son, Prince John. Reading Penman is like getting truly acquainted with a set of characters who have been lifted from the pages of history. And typical to a writer of good historical fiction, Penman always provides a detailed Author's Note with explanations of her writing devices, particularly those employed for a medieval mystery like this one. Now, I must move on to her newer historical novel, Time and Change, also about Eleanor and Henry and their power hungry offspring. I shall be glad when Penman finishes a fourth de Quincy adventure and readies it for publication. Such a book makes for a nice escape from the intrigues of the modern world.
Rating:
Summary: One of Penman's Best
Review: This was easily the best of the three historical mysteries that Penman has written. Very factual and engaging, this one makes the characters feel so real that you almost beleive you are there with them. Action packed and exciting, I couldn't put it down until the very last page! It's one of those books you wish would never end. Although I love her medieval histories more than the first two books in this series, this one easily lives up to Penman's reputation as the premier historical novelist.
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