Murder at the Queen's Masquerade

Book excerpt: Queen Elizabeth’s chief musician Kate Haywood must unmask a thief and murderer in this Elizabethan Mystery Novella from the author of Murder at Westminster Abbey… 1560. Whispered speculations drift through the shadows of Windsor Castle. Who are the Queen’s suitors? Who is her heir? To distract her political enemies from gossip, Queen Elizabeth stages a masquerade ball… Tasked with organizing the lavish preparations, Kate, the Queen’s musician, is overjoyed when her dearest friend, Lady Violet, arrives at court, eager and willing to help. Accompanied by her demanding mother-in-law, Violet welcomes any opportunity that will rescue her from the attentions of her husband’s mother. But just days before the masquerade, one of the Queen’s guards is found dead in front of the chamber that holds her most precious jewels. With no sign of foul play, the court believes the man perished from natural causes, but Kate suspects otherwise. And when Her Majesty’s pearl pendant necklace, an heirloom from her mother, Anne Boleyn, disappears on the night of the ball, Kate must once again play sleuth to uncover the culprit’s identity among the aristocratic masked merrymakers… “Amanda Carmack’s talent for creating a richly drawn setting, populating it with fully realized characters, and giving them a tight and engaging narrative is unparalleled.”—New York Times bestselling author Tasha Alexander INCLUDES A PREVIEW OF MURDER AT WHITEHALL