COURTING DRAGONS

Westerson’s new series introduces a reluctant detective who’s no fool.

Well, actually, he is a fool, the court jester for King Henry VIII, who’s currently passing the year 1529 in Greenwich. In the four years Shropshire lad Will Somers has served as Henry’s beloved jester, palace politics have never been more fraught than now, as Henry seeks to rid himself of Queen Catherine so he can marry Anne Boleyn. Henry’s genuinely fond of Will and often listens to bits of his advice and court gossip, giving Will protection against those who might harm him. That’s more people than you might think, for the future inheritance Will’s been promised is not enough to gain consent from the father of Marion, the woman he loves, a courtier’s bastard daughter. To make matters worse, Will also has a dangerous secret. Despite wanting to marry, he’s bisexual, and a night’s pleasure with Don Gonzalo, a handsome member of the Spanish delegation assigned to protect Catherine’s interests, plunges him into a nightmare of suspicion, blackmail, and murder. Will and Nosewise, his newly adopted dog, work to keep Henry amused, no easy task while the king’s will is thwarted. After Nosewise sniffs out Gonzalo with his throat cut, Will uses his role as the overlooked and underestimated jester to gather information. When Will himself is blackmailed, he and Marion work to unmask a killer.

Familiar historical figures seen from a different viewpoint add spice to the mystery.