The Tudor Secret

Gortner's (Confessions of Catherine de Medici; The Last Queen) third historical novel and the first in his "Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles" details the rivalries struggling for power during the demise of the young King Edward VI. Narrator Brendan Prescott, a lowly page in the employ of the once powerful Dudley family who saved him as a foundling, takes readers into the Tudor court as he is sent on a secret mission to protect the king's sister, the Princess Elizabeth, from the scheming of King Edward's uncles. Opening with great promise, the novel begins to disappoint after the first few chapters. Gortner breaks one of the unspoken rules of historical fiction: if it's not true, it must at least be believable. There is nothing plausible about Brendan being the royal personage he is later discovered to be or his many escapes from danger. Most problematic, though, is the lack of emotion behind Brendan's supposed love of Elizabeth, who is portrayed as without intelligence or wit. Overall, Gortner's uninteresting plot goes nowhere, in an unfortunate contrast to his acclaimed previous novels.