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A Traitor's Tears
(Ursula Blanchard #12)
by
July, 1573. Recently widowed, Ursula Blanchard is living a quiet life on her Surrey estate, caring for her infant son. But her peaceful existence is shattered when Ursula's neighbour Jane Cobbold is found dead in her own flowerbed, stabbed through the heart with a silver dagger - and Ursula's manservant Brockley is arrested for the crime. Determined to prove Brockley's
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Hardcover, 230 pages
Published
March 1st 2014
by Creme de La Crime
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A Traitor’s Tears is the twelfth book in Fiona Buckley’s Ursula Blanchard mystery series. Blanchard is an illegitimate half-sister of Elizabeth I who regularly finds herself stumbling upon mysteries and working for William Cecil and Frances Walsingham. In this case, what starts out as a murder investigation expands into a more complicated effort to bring Jesuits into Elizabeth’s England with the goal of putting Mary, Queen of Scots, on the English throne and restoring the country to Catholicism.
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Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....
Fiona Buckley's A Traitor's Tears is a tough book for me to review. The mystery is solid enough, not as gripping as I might have liked, but interesting in its way. Problem is I couldn't help feeling I would have enjoyed this piece more if I'd been already familiar with the Ursula Blanchard series.
I can't speak for the rest of the books, but this installment is particularly reliant on pre-established relationships and while ...more
Fiona Buckley's A Traitor's Tears is a tough book for me to review. The mystery is solid enough, not as gripping as I might have liked, but interesting in its way. Problem is I couldn't help feeling I would have enjoyed this piece more if I'd been already familiar with the Ursula Blanchard series.
I can't speak for the rest of the books, but this installment is particularly reliant on pre-established relationships and while ...more

When a character we'll call Dale describes to another character we'll call Ursula things that Ursula saw, and Ursula does not smack Dale in the head and say "I was there, you idiot," one becomes very aware that Ursula is not a real person.

1573, Recently widowed by her 3rd husband, Ursula (Queen Elizabeth's 1/2 sister) has returned home to Hawkswood & is raising her son, who is the child of her 2nd husband (conceived after the death of #3)....
Her neighbor, Jane Cobbold, a self-righteous gossip-monger, has purposefully spread malicious rumors of Ursula & her son. When Jane is murdered in her garden, a fanciful but cheap knife thrust into her heart, Ursula's man, Brockley is arrested for Jane's murder, even though it was not ...more
Her neighbor, Jane Cobbold, a self-righteous gossip-monger, has purposefully spread malicious rumors of Ursula & her son. When Jane is murdered in her garden, a fanciful but cheap knife thrust into her heart, Ursula's man, Brockley is arrested for Jane's murder, even though it was not ...more

Another good Ursula Blanchard read. I think it's time for Buckley to introduce a new interesting character.

Enjoyable book
The story flows with the mystery to be solved, the troubles of that time period and the characters interrelationships. This Is the second book of this author that I've read and there's no extra wording to act as filling. Just a tight well written mystery. I do think the price of the books are too high and I read this book on the Overdrive library site.
The story flows with the mystery to be solved, the troubles of that time period and the characters interrelationships. This Is the second book of this author that I've read and there's no extra wording to act as filling. Just a tight well written mystery. I do think the price of the books are too high and I read this book on the Overdrive library site.

Widowed with a young son, Ursula wishes nothing more than to stay happily at home. But she cannot escape the events of the wider world. On a visit to a neighbor, Ursula is invited to accompany her to visit her parents, Anthony and Jane Cobbold. Despite not particularly caring for Jane, Ursula agrees. Unfortunately, they soon discover that Jane has been murdered, and Ursula's manservant Roger Brockley is arrested for the crime. Positive that he is innocent, and determined to clear his name,
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Fiona Buckley’s 12th installment of her Ursula Blanchard mystery series has Ursula setting out on an independent quest for information to clear her servant Roger Brockley of murder charges.
While it’s not as good as some of the earliest books in the series (read "To Shield The Queen," "Queen's Ransom," "To Ruin A Queen," and "A Pawn for A Queen"), it’s mostly free of the contrived circumstances that have made some of her latest books in the series disappointing.
My main problem with this ...more
While it’s not as good as some of the earliest books in the series (read "To Shield The Queen," "Queen's Ransom," "To Ruin A Queen," and "A Pawn for A Queen"), it’s mostly free of the contrived circumstances that have made some of her latest books in the series disappointing.
My main problem with this ...more

**Appears in the February 2014 edition of the Historical Novel Review**
A Traitor’s Tears is the twelfth installment in Fiona Buckley’s Ursula Blanchard mystery series. Ursula has been everywhere and seen pretty much everything in her nearly forty years, and as such, hopes to retire to the country. But her half-sister, Queen Elizabeth, keeps pulling her from sequestration. However, this time it is Ursula’s loyal manservant Brockley that needs her help when a gossipy neighbor turns up dead. There ...more
A Traitor’s Tears is the twelfth installment in Fiona Buckley’s Ursula Blanchard mystery series. Ursula has been everywhere and seen pretty much everything in her nearly forty years, and as such, hopes to retire to the country. But her half-sister, Queen Elizabeth, keeps pulling her from sequestration. However, this time it is Ursula’s loyal manservant Brockley that needs her help when a gossipy neighbor turns up dead. There ...more

In July of 1573, Ursula Blanchard is living a quiet existence on her estate in the Surrey countryside. Recently widowed, she and her infant son are trying to put the past behind them, but her peace is shattered when her neighbour is found dead in a flowerbed. Ursula’s manservant, Brockley, is arrested for this heinous crime, and seeking to prove his innocence, Ursula enlists the help of her mentor and friend, Lord Burghley. What then follows is a convoluted murder mystery which takes in the
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I read all the books between #7 (the last one I made note of here) and this one which is #12, I think I tore through them too fast to bother noting all of them but I liked this one especially well. I felt my interest flagging somewhat around book 9 or 10, took a little break to binge watch some old tv shows, but then picked up again with book 11 which was really enjoyable and went straight to this one which I could hardly put down. The ongoing complicated relationships between the 3 main
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I keep reading this series even though the heroine, Ursula Blanchard, keeps telling herself that she is tired and just wants "peace". This was a better read than its immediate predecessor. The writer's research into the period helps her add new characters into the drama. As in Elizabeth's reign, Walsingham is growing in importance as Cecil ages. From the perspective of this writer, the threat of Spanish invasion in support of Mary Stuart was constant. Mary herself is a charming, but ruthless.
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One of the more recent in a series of books featuring the protagonist, it was the only one available as an e-book at the library and I downloaded it on a whim. I didn't find it much of a hindrance to be coming in without a backstory, however.
As far as mysteries go, I found it somewhat lackluster. I appreciated the strong female protagonist, but found her also a bit wearying. Perhaps if the entire series were available electronically through the library, I would go back and read the first ...more
As far as mysteries go, I found it somewhat lackluster. I appreciated the strong female protagonist, but found her also a bit wearying. Perhaps if the entire series were available electronically through the library, I would go back and read the first ...more

I always enjoy historical fiction for the little nuggets of history that often aren't even part of the general plot line, and was not disappointed in this one, with the story of the changes to the weaving industry in Elizabethan times. As for the mystery, I figured it out about half way into the book, but it was a good plot with several potentisl killers and a couple of twists. I had read mixed reviews on this book, with people either loving or really disliking it, and although I sometimes found
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This is the latest in this series of Ursula Blanchard mysteries set in Elizabethan England. This is an intriguing story of spies and the ongoing struggle between religions at this period of English history. I like the way the main character changes in her position in life as the novels progress. The books chronicle her marriages, children,and romances while helping the Queen to catch spies and those who would undermine the monarchy.

I've read the first 11, might as well keep going. Writing, especially at the beginning, was very repetitive. The details about the characters are known to us who have read previous books, and do nothing to move story along for newcomers. Murderer was easily predicted, but some of the plot twists were interesting. It was a quick, enjoyable read.

This is the twelfth book in the Tudor Mystery series featuring Ursula Blanchard. The story starts in July,1573 when Ursula finds her neighbors dead body. Ursula's servant, Brockey, is arrested for the murder. Naturally Ursula starts her own investigation into the murder. Shortly after this murder another happens while Brockey is in jail so that makes Ursula even more curious.

Good historical mystery about a woman who solves crimes in the mid 1500s. Buckly does a good job of describing class differences (though Ursula seems a tad forward for the ladies of this time) and the politics of the Elizabethan era. In this case, Ursula's friend and manservant is accused of murdering a local gossip, and she must find out the truth to save him.

Apr 13, 2014
Rachael
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Valerie Anand is a British author of historical fiction. Under the pen name Fiona Buckley she writes the series of historical mysteries, set in the reign of Elizabeth I of England, featuring "Ursula Blanchard" (whose full name is Ursula Faldene Blanchard de la Roche Stannard). Under her own name she writes historical fiction based on the royalty of England and the Bridges over Time series which
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