Dark Queen Rising by Paul Doherty ISBN 9781780291079

England during the 14th and 15th Century was a bloody mess of wars and a pretty serious game with the throne. The 100 years war really took its toll on England and all its people. The war of the roses, the infamous battle between the Lancastrians and the Yorks was the pivotal turning point for England as a whole.

Fast forward to the tail end of the war and we find Margaret Beaufort. Ruthless, intelligent and the matriarch of the Tudor dynasty, knows she could never take the throne in her own birth right so pins all her dreams on her malleable son Henry.

During this time being a Lancaster may as well be wearing a bright neon sign saying traitor to the throne right here. This still did not stop Lady Margaret.


I adore historical fiction. It’s been my go to genre for quite some time. I am well versed in the Tudor dynasty and have a vast knowledge base starting with the war of the roses, all the way to the death of Elizabeth I. I half wondered if this would be a blessing or a curse and it turned out to be a curse for the author. There are some pretty acute inaccuracies in the historical parts of the book. They did grate on me a bit, I have to be honest but for for the most part, the writing is good enough for me to overlook the inconsistencies. The beginning of the book didn’t flow well for me, way too much talking and no story building. I hated that. Building into the story would have been better. I rather felt that the first chapter was picking up from somewhere else. It felt like I was starting a book from the middle of the story rather than the beginning.

Margaret Beaufort comes across a little less of a tyrant in this rendition. The author gives her a certain motherly humanity that made her a little easier to swallow. I couldn’t imagine having my only son so far away from me and not knowing if he was going to stay safe or if he was even alive. It must have taken its toll on Margaret being in fear constantly. I really can’t help wondering if the hardening of her heart started as young girl with no stabilty, rather than from all the upheaval with the realm.

When I read the synopsis for the book I was excited! A Tudor murder mystery!! How creative. I felt very let down with the whole story. The whole mystery surrounding the murders were not the star of the book as I was lead to believe. For me, if the part about the murders were removed from the summary, I would have gone in with a different mind set and I think you would have seen a very different review from me.
Instead this book is about a highly ambiguous woman with an ambition to rival any man. You never fully understand if it’s her love for her son that drives her or whether she loves the glory her son can give her by claiming the throne and ultimately, giving her the control of the realm.

‘She was determined to weave the web she wanted..’ That doesn’t sound like a woman who is just trying to navigate her way through a dark time in history. She is actively going against the grain and is putting her life and her sons in mortal danger in the process.


This book switches between the points of view of Margaret and Christopher Ulswicke. Ulswicke was one of only two people Margaret trusted in the world. I actually enjoyed his story more so than Margarets. He's funny, determined and could feel his need to do his very best. He was much more genuine a character than Margaret. He did what he did for the good of his mistress and for someone who kills people, was a much more believable human than Margaret comes across as. Other than the gruesome and overly descriptive deaths being described, there wasn’t much that stood out.

The pace of the book wanes a lot and other times you get far too much information thrown at you. I can still see the potential this book has but for a seasoned reader like me, it didn’t hold the water it should have. There were no twists and turns, nothing to drive you forward to continue to read. I did finish it. It was mediocre at best and a real let down for me. I did a happy dance when I first started to read it. I was excited. By the end I was just glad it was over.

I have never read any other of his work and in all honesty, I probably won’t be seeking his work out again. It’s a real shame that I didn’t have something better to say about this book. I really wanted to love it.

I would give it 2.5 stars out of 5. I even had to go and read parts again because my mind wandered and that never happens to me.

This was a fun book about the Tudors era in England, I thoroughly enjoyed reading something that I really didn't know too much about.

A Literary Chimera of a Mystery/Thriller Wrapped In a Historical Setting

The novel opens in the maelstrom that was the Battle of Tewkesbury where the forces of the House of Lancaster forces totally defeated the forces of the House of York and the bloody aftermath where every Lancastrian that could be found was killed mercilessly. Out of this chaos three historical figures arise. They are Margaret of Beaufort, with her Steward, Reginald Bray, and henchman, Christopher Urswicke, arise. The novel is told essentially from Urswicke’s perspective. His actions always support Margaret who has her feet in both camps. She wants to help her son, Henry Tutor, to flee England. She needs to solidify her own safety with the new York king but also to sow the seeds of destruction of the House of York. The main storyline is how Urswicke helps Margaret in proceeding methodically to achieving her goals.

The B-storyline primarily centers on Urswicke who also has very strong and filial ties to the supporters of the new king. Not only into seeing Urswicke’s personality, his thoughts and actions in integral to the main story line.

My major criterion for a high star rating is how well and quickly the story grabs and holds my attention and compels me to continue reading at every chance. Unfortunately, the first third of the novel did not do this. It is at this point that the flow of the novel coalesces into a subset of characters that I could follow easily. At this point, it captured my attention. One aspect that contributed to this was the author incorporating murder in a locked room conundrum. The unravelling of this mystery added an enjoyable aspect in this novel. I call this a thriller set in a historical setting because one of the major characters is not the same as the historical figure, but this is a novel. Some liberties were necessary to facilitate the flow of the novel. Lastly, this novel is the first novel in a series. How the novel ends ties up the major threads of this novel and was not awkward for me. There is much introduced near the end that sets the stage for the next novel.

For those readers who are sensitive to sex and vulgar language, there are not any of this in this novel. There is graphic violence with much of it described in the first person, that is, as it happens. There are executions murders, and what happens to the bodies after death. The level of violence was a fact of life in that period, but reader beware.

I found reading this novel as an e-book because the author makes extensive use of the terms and language of that time. Half the time, the embedded dictionary had the definitions. The easy access to the Internet facilitated finding the meaning of the remaining half.

I have read several of this author’s Brother Athelstan series of novels. This novel isn’t up to that level. With that said, this novel was in the end, a satisfactory read for me. For me, this novel was between three and four stars. For me, it was closer to four stars than three, so I rate this novel with four stars. If you are interested in this period, you may enjoy reading this novel.

I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Black Thorn with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Black Thorn for the opportunity to read this novel early.

Margaret Beaufort is one tough woman who played a major role in the history of the English monarchy. Dark Queen rising tells the story of the events surrounding Margaret as she deals with the aftermath of the War of the Roses and does everything possible to protect her son, Henry, as he rises to the throne. While this book is advertised as a mystery on the cover, there was really not much of a mystery to be solved. The author did a good job of covering the events of the bloody battles and politics during this time period in history. There is plenty of scheming, betrayals, and murder to go around. I had expected Margaret to be the central character of the book, but felt this fell short. It is told predominantly through the events witnessed by her personal clerk Christopher Urswicke. The book was definitely more historical fiction than historical mystery. I had a hard time with the writing style. I felt like the conversations the characters were having were a bit long winded. This also carried through to the storytelling outside of the conversations. This was just an okay book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Dark Queen Rising is a mystery series by Paul Doherty about, however, is the political machinations between the Houses of Lancaster and York.

The story goes back and forth between Margaret and her trusted henchman, Ulswicke.

I enjoyed reading this book, even though I did find myself skipping a few pages to get the the mystery.

I love Paul Doherty's books … particularly the Hugh Corbett and Brother Athelstan's mysteries .

However this book whilst extremely enjoyable is not a mystery in the same vein - it is however
a particularly good view of the Court Politics of the time and how a strong woman is able to navigate
her way whilst keeping not just herself but her son and servants alive .

After the battle between the Houses of Lancaster and York , Margaret Beaumont , mother to Henry Tudor , finds herself navigating the delicate balance of showing no fear whilst trying to maintain her powerbase that reflects the Court politics of the time . Her son must be secreted out of the Country before he is found and executed …….he has a real claim to the throne that cannot be tolerated by the victors . Using her servants as spies and decoys she uses her status to deflect suspicion from the new King and his brothers as to her real motives .

The Author is a master at bring the sights and sounds , the politics of whatever time he sets his novels in to life . We become engaged in the characters lives , investing time and effort into the story's outcome and their survival .

Another excellent book by the author BUT not quite a mystery on a par with the likes of Hugh Corbett etc .

I was given an arc of this book y the Publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

What a fantastic read! Historical fiction + Mystery
This book transports you into the War of the Roses. You are immediately thrown into the scheming, vengeance, and ruthlessness of the times.
We follow the "dagger man" of Margaret Beaufort, mother of young Henry (future Henry VII). The world is filled with intrigue and it is fun to see that a woman in those times in out-witting/maneuvering these self important men!

Definitely recommend!

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

It took me a while to get into this book. I found the writing style difficult to get used to. I also like to know the sources used in the authors research.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I find the War of the Roses to be particularly gruesome and to make things harder, everyone is either an Edward, Margaret or Richard! This book deals with the latter days of the conflict between the Lancasterians and the Yorkists in Tewkesbury.
I went on holiday to Tewkesbury eight years ago, and attended Sunday service at the Abbey. The service was a bit ' clap- happy' for me, so I took the opportunity to look around and tried to visualise the absolute horror of the events that unfolded there, when the wounded soldiers were massacred whilst under the protection of sanctuary . Tewkesbury is a fascinating place, every shop, business and private house proudly displays a banner, heraldic shield or flag relating to the noblemen and their houses, that fought and died there. There is also a trail leading across the water meadows of the Severn river, that is so evocatively described in this book. This would make a marvellous guide and history book combination, it vividly shows the filth and poverty of this time period , the political machinations and the numerous, yet convenient accidents that befell Royal family members that had outlived their usefulness !!
I found the strongest and most believable person to be Christopher Urswicke, a man who had conflicting loyalties to both Father and Crown. He could spy, cause trouble, and apparently , had a foot in both camps. He was loyal to Margaret Beaufort, yet played liege man to George, Duke of Clarence, rather well.
I wasn't a fan of the ending, unless there is another book in this series to come. There were murders , betrayals and rather convoluted plots that came to fruition very neatly. Throw in a secret marriage, that threatens the Royal succession , and this book has everything!! Marvellous if you like this period of history, a handy tease and come and get me, if you want to know more. It would make a marvellous, intelligent addition to the local Tourist Information Board. These are my own views, freely given. Thank you for the chance to read another book from Paul Doherty, he has this history malarkey sorted! .

I am conflicted on how I feel about this book, Dark Queen Rising. I chose to read this book because it was about Margaret Beaufort and I love to read about anything to do with the Plantagenet's (my guilty pleasure). I think the problem I had with the book was that I prefer books with lots of dialogue and their was more descriptive than I like and it seemed to slow the book down. Near the end of the book though it just took off and I couldn't put it down.

The author, in my opinion, thoroughly captured what we believe to be the personalities of Richard III, Margaret and George, Duke of Clarence. Overall, I would continue to read the rest of the books in the series and it is intriguing if you stick with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for providing me with a free digital copy of this book. This in no way influenced my review.

I have long been a fan of Paul Doherty, but this book is truly wonderful. So much more than a murder mystery, Dark Queen Rising tells about the last days of the war between the Roses. The french queen has been driven from the throne, her saintly but sometimes crazy husband the king is in the hands of the Lancastrians, and the prince is in hiding with his mother. Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, widow of Jasper Tudor and mother of Henry Tudor, potential heir to the throne, walks a delicate line to protect her son, and her life, from the depredations of the Yorkists as they take revenge on those they have defeated. Particularly horrendous is Clarence, brother to Edward, now King of England (or will be, once he's gotten the old king permanently out of the way). Clarence is wily, untrustworthy and truly vicious and will stop at nothing to get what he wants...which may include Margaret's life and that of her son, as well as a throne! Yet Margaret, along with her son and her faithful retainers, may yet survive Clarence's murderous machinations.

Dark Queen Rising is fast paced and exciting, as well as historically accurate. The introduction to the time period that Doherty provides at the very beginning takes you immediately into that troubled and terrible time. Margaret is truly wonderful figure - intelligent, creative, faithful to family and values - and you so want her to win. Blessed with her two faithful retainers, she is wily enough to successfully negotiate with those enemies who want the best for England, and escape the fate designed for her by those who are only in it for themselves. Dark Queen Rising is a must read for any devotee of historical fiction!

This book wasn’t for me. I had a hard time understanding what exactly the plot was.
I know it was about Margaret Beaufort and her betrayer but there didn’t seem to be a cohesive storyline for me to enjoy. It was also pretty historically inaccurate.

Genre: Historical fiction

The War of the Roses continues....

Edward of York is King and those who support the Lancastrian cause are being hunted and killed.

Hope remains for the House of Lancaster in the form of Margaret Beaufort. As mother of Henry Tudor she is well aware her son is in danger.  Christopher Urswicke is her hope and together they aim to turn the sons of York against each other. for protection. But will Urswicke remain loyal?

Great insight in to the history we all know about York and Lancaster. The characters are well formed and you can almost imagine them and the surroundings.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend to those with an interest in the war of the roses.

Dark Queen Rising by Paul Doherty is a difficult book to get into. There's a huge amount of information in the first third of the book to process, even for those who might think they know enough about the Wars of the Roses - and it takes some time to work out who everyone is, and what's going on, and why.
However, it is well worth persevering with. Once the action moves from Tewkesbury to London, and into the stable hands of Christopher Urswicke, this reads very much more like a Paul Doherty book and is very enjoyable. Not to say that Margaret Beaufort is not an interesting character, she is, and she also has her moments in London, but I believe it's Urswicke who carries much of the story.
Doherty is, as ever, in his prime, when ensuring we understand just how yucky the London of the 1470's was, and the attention to detail is to be lauded - not just place names, but street names as well.
I look forward to the next book, which no doubt, will contain some quite explosive fallout from the end events in Dark Queen Rising.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy

When I first saw this book I thought "Ooh, another War of Roses book" and I looked forward to sitting down and reading it. Dark Queen Rising was not what I thought it would be. The "mystery" occurred after more than half the book. By the time it did happen and at the end I found I didn't care anything about it. This is my first time reading Paul Doherty and I will more than likely try reading another book by him. I just didn't care for this one.