The Gowrie Conspiracy by
Alanna Knight
hbk out November 03
Published by Allison Busby
at £17.99
Scandal, gossip and sexual indiscretion in the royal household, these are key elements
in Alanna Knight's latest book. Yet her concerns are, thankfully, far removed from
those of the vultures who hover around the House of Windsor and seek to exploit
public fascination with the late Diana. Knight's focus is on the equally intriguing
court of King James VI of Scotland. The story opens in July 1600 at Falkland Palace
in Fife. The King's wife is pregnant again but her husband seems more interested in
young men. Rumours swirl about a secret in the monarch's past, at a delicate time
politically, with union anticipated between Scotland and England.
Alanna Knight is a prolific writer – her last book, featuring Inspector Faro, was her
fiftieth – and her reputation is based on a combination of story-telling skills and
historical research. This novel involves not Faro but her second-string detective, the
time-travelling Tam Elidor. Tam earns the king's favour by saving him from a
runaway horse and sets about investigating the murder of the queen's midwife. The
scene shifts to Gowrie House in Perth, which in real life was the scene of dark deeds
in 1600. Its atmosphere chills Tam's heart: 'A long-dead house, biding its
time…waiting for something to happen.' The Faro books remain my favourites
among Knight's output, but Tam Elidor is an interesting creation and certainly worth
checking out.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
The Gowrie Conspiracy by
Alanna Knight
