Dragon's Lair: Justin de Quincey Series, Book 3 (Penman, Sharon Kay) [Kindle Edition]

I am a huge fan of Sharon Penman and she has once again given us a finely crafted story of life in the time of Eleanor and Aquitaine, Richard the Lion Heart, and of course, our ficticious hero Justin de Quincy. This story revolves around a true incident - Eleanor's frantic quest to raise an enormous ranson to secure the freedom of her favoured son Richard, but of course there are the little side stories that allow for the most fun, and this is where Justin comes in. He is asked to travel to the border of Wales, and so solve the whereabouts of a portion of the ranson payment. Along the way he encounters many characters who aren't what they seem, for good or bad, and of course solves the mystery. Don't be fooled - this is an elegant and complex mystery, and one not easily figured out.

Along the way we encounter other characters that Penman fans will be familiar with from her other fantastic Welsh tales, butof course in a different time, and somewhat different place, and this makes the story all the more detailed.

If I have one very small criticism, it is that the book assumes that you have been with Justin since he first appeared in the equally fine "The Queen's Man", and that you are familiar with his life and loves, paternity and other lifetime issues. I am, as would all devoted Sharon Penman fans, but for others who are new to her work through this book, it may be a little distracting. Similarly however, as a fan I would probably find all the re-intoductions somewhat tedious, so I appreciate that this is a fine line when writing a story in a series. But it is a very small criticism, and in no way detracts from the mastery of her writing, her meticulous attention to historical research and retelling, and the ability to spin a mighty good mystery.

This, the third installment in Sharon Kay Penman's mystery series featuring her intrepid sleuth Justin de Quincy, is sure to delight new and old readers, and should read well even as a standalone. In this novel Justin is despatched by his employer, Eleanor of Aquitaine, into the wilds of medieval Wales to solve the mystery of a vanished 'king's ransom' in wool bales. This may not sound exciting but Penman is a master storyteller and weaves an engaging adventure. At the same time, while Justin is separated from his love interest and friends for the majority of the action, there are interesting shifts in his relationship with his father which foster the development of this endearing lead character, and while not perhaps as strong as CRUEL AS THE GRAVE, DRAGON'S LAIR is a worthy addition to de Quincy's adventures.

Fans of Penman's historical fiction who, like myself, find the mystery format not essentially to their taste will likely enjoy DRAGON'S LAIR more than previous de Quincy novels because it takes Justin firmly into the territory covered by Penman's first Plantagenet novel, the classic HERE BE DRAGONS. At times passages from HBD are inserted almost verbatim into DRAGON'S LAIR, but this is managed relatively seamlessly, though Penman employs distinctly different writing styles for her mysteries and historical novels. The treatment of one of her greatest heroes, Llewelyn ap Iorwerth of Gwynedd evokes the best of both these styles. The elevated and slightly archaised 'history' language evokes the Llewelyn so carefully characterised in HBD, while the more down-to-earth and distinctly humorous style of her 'mystery' gives Llewelyn a chance to shine as the high-spirited and light-hearted man the weightier concerns of HBD rarely permitted him to be.

Sharon Kay Penman's "Queen's Man" series of historical mysteries is starting to rival her other, longer novels of a more pure "historical fiction" bent. It's no surprise -- her historical mysteries demonstrate better research and command of the period than many "pure" historical novels.

"Dragon's Lair" again features Penman's fictional hero, Justin de Quincy, bastard son of the bishop of Chester. Justin is educated, resourceful, clever, and, as he admits, lucky. As a result, he's the perfect choice to serve Queen Eleanor. Beset by a tide of troubles in her later life, Eleanor in 1193 is trying to ransom her beloved son, King Richard, currently held captive in Germany. While the call has gone out across the realm for the ransom to be compiled, many less-than-loyal subjects desire to keep the ransom for themselves. The leading candidate for betrayal comes from within the royal family, as Eleanor's son John has no desire to see Richard return from confinement.

And so it is no great surprise when a valuable shipment of coin and luxurious wool (worth its weight in gold) goes missing en route from Wales. Eleanor immediately dispatches Justin to this remote, wild kingdom, charged with recovering the lost ransom. Justin soon finds himself in Welsh intrigues as wild and tangled as the Welsh countryside, and there's more than a wee spot of murder afoot, too.

Along the way, Penman feasts the reader on a host of precise details that evoke the time period, but does so in a highly readable fashion. We also delight in learning more about Justin, including meeting some players from his misspent youth.

An entertaining mystery (very realistic in its details) populated by a vivid cast of characters, "Dragon's Lair" keeps you guessing from page to page. A very enjoyable read!