India Black and the Widow of Windsor

by Carol K. Carr

Overview

Black is back-Her Majesty's favorite spy is off to Scotland in this new adventure to ensure the Queen doesn't end up getting killed.

When Queen Victoria attends a séance, the spirit of her departed husband, Prince Albert, insists she spend Christmas at their Scottish home in Balmoral. Prime Minister Disraeli suspects the Scottish nationalists plan to assassinate the Queen-and sends the ever resourceful India and the handsome British spy, French, to the Scottish highlands.

French will take the high road, looking for a traitor among the guests-and India will take the low road, disguised as a servant in case an assassin is hiding among the household staff. India is certain that someone at Balmoral is determined to make this Her Majesty's last Christmas...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425243190
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/04/2011
Series:	A Madam of Espionage Mystery , #2
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 8.02(h) x 0.84(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Carol K. Carr is a former attorney and corporate executive. She lives in Missouri.

Editorial Reviews

When Queen Victoria hears via a medium that her late husband, Prince Albert, wants her to travel to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, the monarch decides to accede to his wish in Carr’s engaging follow-up to 2011’s India Black. Since the prime minister, Benjamin Disraeli, has learned that Scottish nationalists are plotting against the queen’s life, Disraeli recruits India Black, a feisty brothel owner with spy experience, to go undercover as a maid in the royal party, assigned to a cranky and quirky marchioness with a penchant for inhaling any powder within reach that’s not actually snuff. The irreverent Black, who refers to her sovereign as “a podgy neurotic,” has her hands full with her ostensible employer as well as fending off the lecherous prince of Wales while trying to identify the main conspirator. Fans of Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series will be pleased. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Great Scot! Queen Victoria is spending the Christmas holidays in Scotland at Balmoral, which puts her in mortal danger from a rumored Scots-nationalists assassination plot. Who better to go undercover to smoke out the traitors and prevent a murder than the unlikely trio of government spy French, London madam India Black, and street urchin Victor? India poses as a lady's maid to a crazy-like-a-fox old marchioness who's feeding her clues as often as she's inhaling her beloved snuff. When a couple of shady incidents come suspiciously close to the Queen, we know our trio is getting warm. Plenty of behind-the-scenes escapades and a bit of parry and thrust round out this immensely satisfying castle intrigue. VERDICT Following a strong debut (India Black), Carr's Victorian series just gets better. Featuring historical authenticity, sharp vocabulary, and plenty of parenthetical asides, this romantic suspense romp delivers both action and guffaws.

Library Journal