Assassin: The Lady Grace Mysteries, Book One

Finney, Patricia. Assassin: The Lady Grace Mysteries, Book One. Delacorte Press, 2004. ISBN 0-385-73151-5

Plot

The story is written in the form of a “daybooke,” or diary, of Lady Grace Cavendish, maid of honor to Queen Elizabeth I. Grace is 13 years old. She enjoys the favor of the queen and gets away with things that other young ladies would not dare. At the beginning of the story, Grace attends the feast of St. Valentine. There she is courted by three suitors the queen has approved for her. Each man presents her with a gift, but she does not know which gift came from which suitor. She must decide which gift comes from the man she would like to marry. She chooses Sir Gerald, who she believes will be kind to her. Before the night is over, Sir Gerald is murdered. He is found in his chamber with the knife he presented to Grace sticking out of his back. Grace, along with her two friends, begins an investigation. Ellie, a laundry maid, and Masou, an acrobat, steal out in the night to view Sir Gerald’s corpse. Grace notices that his mouth is stained yellow. He was sick in his chamber earlier in the night. Grace is convinced Sir Gerald was poisoned in the same manner that her own mother was murdered. Since there is no blood coming from the knife wound in his back, Grace realizes that he was stabbed after he was already dead. The trio of young detectives decides nobody other than the Queen is above suspicion.

Critical Evaluation

The heart of this story is the friendship between Grace, Ellie, and Masou. The three friends work together to solve the mystery of Sir Gerald’s murder. Because of their different stations within the court, they are each able to contribute to the investigation in particular ways. They each have access to different people and places within the Queen’s court. The story also gives the reader an interesting introduction to the manners and conventions of Elizabethan England. The book includes a helpful glossary of terms used in Elizabethan England and endnotes about poisons, apparel, and the history of the time.

Annotations

Lady Grace Cavendish, favored maid of honor to Queen Elizabeth I, has chosen her betrothed from three suitors. But when Sir Gerald is murdered the same night, Grace and her friends, Ellie and Masou, set out to find the killer.

Author

Patricia Finney is the author of other titles in the Lady Grace Mysteries series. She began writing early in life and published her first novel at age 18.

Genre

Fiction - mysteries

Curriculum Ties

Language Arts – mysteries

Social Sciences – English history

Booktalk Ideas

Introduce Lady Grace as a character. Describe her friends, Ellie, and Masou, and the different lives they lead in the court of Queen Elizabeth.

Reading Level/Interest Age

Grade 4 (age 8) and up.

Challenge Issues and Defense

Murder is part of the story, but it takes place off stage.

Why is it here?

Lady Grace and her stories appeal to older tweens and young teens.