Like many history fans, I have heard a few ‘scandalous’ rumours about King James V of Scotland who also became James I of England. Son of Mary Queen of Scots, he has left his mark on history for being the monarch who unified England and Scotland in the early 17th century. Yet having recently read and thoroughly enjoying Susanna Kearsley’s new historical novel The King’s Messenger, I’m now aware of another dark rumour surrounding this monarch – one that alludes to a truly heinous crime.
Although King James is not a main character in The King’s Messenger, his vanity, thirst for power and insecurity are eerily present throughout the narrative. Kearsley primarily uses a compelling love story to skilfully convey the cold ugliness of this dark power which I think is sheer brilliance. The love story of two of the main characters run alongside the themes of friendship, maternal love and loyalty, further enhancing the sinister undertone of this novel. This is a novel that is subtle, poignant and powerful – it left me gasping at the end, and scouring Google to discover more about this perilous period of court rivalry.
The novel is set in 1613, a decade after James became King of England as well as being King of Scotland. Prince Henry, the popular 18 year-old Prince of Wales has recently died. Many at court suspect murder, with Sir David Moray, a trusted courtier and the man tasked by the monarchy to practically bring the Prince up, viewed as the main suspect. Andrew Logan, a loyal messenger to the King is instructed to travel to Scotland to arrest Sir David and bring him back to London to face trial.
Phoebe cannot suffer Andrew, yet due to family circumstances, finds herself volunteering to accompany the king’s messenger on this very intriguing and complicated mission. It is a mission rife with danger, especially as Sir David’s family are in hot pursuit, desperate to save the courtier from standing trial and certain death.
In some ways The King’s Messenger is a simple but beautiful love story. This was a story that I wanted to read about, and when I finished reading the novel I found myself really missing the characters. However in many ways, the narrative is so much deeper than a compelling love story; especially as it is told from the point of view of two real life characters; Sir David and Queen Anne, James’s wife and Henry’s mother; as well as the fictional characters of Andrew and Phoebe.
Another dimension of the novel that I thoroughly enjoyed is the portrayal of the second sight, and how dangerous this was for individuals experiencing it at the time. Especially as King James was so scared of anything viewed as witchcraft, actively pursuing witch hunts to punish and torture any individuals deemed as being witches.
Although Susanna Kearsley is an established and bestselling writer known for interweaving romance and historical intrigue with modern adventure, The King’s Messenger is the first and only novel by this award winning author that I have read. This is something I aim to rectify as I am very keen to read more of her books.
The King’s Messenger was published by Simon & Schuster in the UK on 1 August 2024
Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to the blog tour of this great book. To follow the blog tour, please see below.
Thanks for the blog tour support x