"A great book in a fantastic mystery series"

In the first few years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, there were numerous plots and counter-plots to try to put Mary, Queen of the Scots, on the throne. Many powerful nobles, especially in the north, had strong Papist sympathies and ultimately many rebelled. Elizabeth's spymaster Sir Walter Pendennis is aghast to learn his wife is in league with the rebels.

Sir Walter travels to Hamburg to ask his good friend Susanna, Lady Appleton, to help him infiltrate the rebel leaders so that he can prevent a civil war. Susanna, loyal to Her Majesty and relishing a good adventure, agrees to help. She goes to the estate of the Earl of Northumberland with false messages and soon joins the Countess' entourage. She gathers evidence on rebel activity even as someone wants her dead.

Kathy Lynn Emerson brings vivid color to a tumultuous time during the early stages of the Elizabethan era. Readers learn that the intermingling of religious conflict with politics leads to thoughts of rebellion. The heroine is independent and morally righteous, but tempered with a pragmatic streak. FACE DOWN BEFORE THE REBEL HOOVES is an exciting historical mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 6, 2001