THE KING'S AGENT

by Kent Clark ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 27, 1958

At fifty-five, Sir Ralph Barnard, now an exile in France with the Stuarts whose cause he has served, realizes that he wants to return to England. He applies to the English Ambassador who asks this notorious spy to submit an account of his career as a secret agent for James II. The account starts with Ralph, a young lawyer, who believes that by protecting his bumbling sovereign he is serving his country's best interests and traces his disillusionment with the bigoted king who is leading England towards revolution. Two women influence Ralph- the king's mistress and the beautiful, deadly enemy of the Stuart cause, Esther Hemphill. Love for Esther and patriotism bring Ralph to the point of killing his trusting master. He cannot commit this crime and when he learns that his beloved was willing to sacrifice his life to her cause, he decides to serve James to the bitter end. The ambassador agrees to let Ralph, his French wife and two sons return if Esther now a power in England agrees. She is in Paris and the former lovers meet. She demands he turn informer on his friends. Ralph refuses, stays in France, cuts himself off from the pathetic Stuart intrigues and plans, for the first time in his life, to be his own man. Wittier than the average historical, The King's Agent in spite of frequent anachronisms of speech, provides interesting and exciting entertainment.

Pub Date: Aug. 27, 1958

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1958

Categories: FICTION