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Titles in Order of Publication:
 #1: ASSASSIN
by Lady Grace Cavendish
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0385731515
Ages 8-12
208 pages
"I am supposed to use this book to write all my prayers and meditations in... But why should I drone on about Improving Passages and Sorrowful Meditations on my sins? How boring! Anyway, I don't commit any very terrible sins, apart from once ruining my gown when I jumped off a log. And losing things. That's why I haven't written anything in this before --- I lost it under my bed for a while. But now I've found it I'm going to write everything in it. It can be a book about me, Lady Grace Cavendish, Maid of Honour. And all my favourite things. Why not?"
So begins the first entry in the daybooke of Lady Grace Cavendish. What starts out as a journal about her life as one of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's Maids of Honour soon becomes a tale of daggers, death and daring.
The fourteenth day of February 1569 is a momentous one for Lady Grace Cavendish. At the palace's feast of St. Valentine, Grace must decide among three suitors chosen for her by the Queen. First, though, she must solve a riddle. Each of the three gentlemen has presented her with a gift, and she must determine which present comes from the man she most desires to marry.
But the night of revelry turns deadly when one of her suitors is found murdered with a jeweled knife in his back --- the very gift he had offered to her only hours before --- and standing accused of the crime is the man she has chosen to marry. Lady Grace is determined to save her betrothed from the gallows and sets out on a quest to find the real murderer. What she uncovers is a plot of deception far more treacherous than she --- or anyone at court --- ever suspected.
Aided by her friends Ellie, a laundry maid, and Masou, an acrobat and juggler in the Queen's Troupe, Lady Grace solves the mystery, restores order to the court...and becomes a detective in the process, Queen Elizabeth's very own Lady Pursuivant.
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 #2: BETRAYAL
by Lady Grace Cavendish
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0385731523
Ages 8-12
208 pages
"I can't believe all that has happened since last I wrote in my daybooke! I must begin at the beginning and try and keep it all straight in my head, because if ever there was a perfect new case for Her Majesty's Lady Pursuivant, this is it!"
It's the high seas and high adventure for Lady Grace Cavendish as she sets off on her second exciting mystery.
When Lady Sarah Bartelmy, one of her fellow Maids of Honour, disappears with a dashing sea captain under suspicious circumstances, Lady Grace is determined to fulfill her duty as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's very own Lady Pursuivant and find Lady Sarah. Her investigation leads to an Elizabethan galleon under the command of Sir Francis Drake, and to gain access to the ship, Lady Grace dresses as a boy!
When the ship sets sail with Lady Grace and her friend Masou still on board, she has more to worry about than just Lady Sarah's whereabouts. How will she and Masou, an acrobat and juggler in the Queen's Troupe, make it back to the palace? Lady Grace soon realizes that she'll need all her wits about her to uncover clues...and keep up her disguise, for pretending to be a boy is not at all easy.
A raging battle at sea, a double cross, and a daring rescue make Lady Grace Cavendish's second daybooke an adventurous and thrilling read.
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 #3: CONSPIRACY
by Lady Grace Cavendish
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0385731531
Ages 8-12
176 pages
"As I am acting as Her Majesty's Lady Pursuivant, I must make a record of my findings, I think. So, no matter what Mrs. Champernowne says, I have decided to carry my daybooke and penner in my embroidery bag wherever I go. And here I am, sitting upon a stone bench hidden in the maze, and this is my record of my investigation..."
Lady Grace Cavendish, Maid of Honour to Queen Elizabeth I, is back in a third adventure filled with mystery and intrigue. The royal court is on "progress," traveling in the English countryside to escape the plague that sweeps through London during the summer months.
The court makes its way to the estate of Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester and the Queen's best friend. Here masques and other merriments are planned, but there also is another surprise. The Queen is to receive a suitor, a Swedish prince. But the summer days take a deadly turn when the Queen narrowly escapes a series of accidents. Are they really accidents, or is someone trying to harm the monarch? The Queen personally asks Lady Grace, her most trusted pursuivant, to investigate. With the help of best friends Masou, a tumbler in the Queen's troupe, and Ellie, a laundry maid, Lady Grace must unmask the perpetrator and bring the truth to light.
Like the previous two books in the series, CONSPIRACY is told through entries in Lady Grace's daybooke. She records the events that have taken place, which gives her the chance to offer her thoughts about them and provide wonderful descriptions of the characters and settings. This approach makes CONSPIRACY not only a terrific read but also a fascinating and fun history lesson. Details about life in Elizabethan England and the royal court are as intriguing as the mystery Lady Grace is intent on solving.
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 #4: DECEPTION
by Lady Grace Cavendish
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0385733216
Ages 8-12
224 pages
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I, has given Lady Grace Cavendish a brand-new daybooke, fresh quills, and a bottle of ink --- just in time for her to record the events of her fourth exciting adventure. Not only is Lady Grace a Maid of Honour in the Queen's service, she's also the monarch's personal pursuivant (otherwise known as a detective).
Through entries in her daybooke Lady Grace recounts her latest investigation, which takes place during an icy London winter in 1569. The festivities at the annual Frost Fair, held on the frozen River Thames, are cut short when the body of a murdered waterman is discovered. A blindfold has been tied around his head, holding in place a coin over each eye. But these aren't just any coins --- they're almost identical to a newly minted coin not yet in circulation.
Lady Grace has only five days to solve the mystery in secret or the Queen will take her off the case and authorize an official investigation. Along with assistance from her friends Ellie and Masou, Lady Grace once again finds her courage and her sleuthing skills put to the test. She delves into a dangerous and corrupt world to identify not only a ruthless killer but also a dangerous counterfeiter...someone who just might be close to the Queen.
DECEPTION is as colorful and entertaining as the previous three books in the series. Readers will no doubt enjoy another journey to Elizabethan England to find out how Lady Grace solves her most puzzling case yet.
--- Reviewed by Shannon McKenna
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 #5: EXILE
by Lady Grace Cavendish
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0385733224
Ages 8-12
208 pages
"Today a most unusual guest arrives at the palace," writes Lady Grace Cavendish in her daybooke in January 1570. The exotic newcomer is "Banoo" ("Lady") Yasmine from Sharakand, a distant country from which she has been exiled. Queen Elizabeth has granted the Banoo protection at the English royal court after a revolt in her homeland. Her noble family, supporters of the old king, were declared traitors and killed. Banoo Yasmine was the only one to escape and has now made her way to England.
The Banoo has brought with her a rare and precious jewel --- a ruby known as the Heart of Kings. When the famous gem is stolen soon after the Banoo's arrival, it's discovered in a basket belonging to Grace's good friend, Ellie, a laundry maid. To keep the innocent Ellie from being sent to the Clink, a notorious prison, Grace must find out what really happened. Not only is Grace the youngest Maid of Honour in Queen Elizabeth's service, she's also the monarch's very own Lady Pursuivant. Acting in secret, it's her duty to seek out wrongdoers and those who wish Her Majesty ill. But this time the case is personal, and Grace races against the clock to free Ellie.
Along with attending a fabulous feast, recording her adventures in her daybooke, and serving the Queen, Grace follows the clues to find the real thief among the members of the court. With some help from her acrobat friend Masou, her fellow Maids of Honour, and even the Banoo's pet black panther, Rajah, the Queen's intrepid Lady Pursuivant once again solves a clever crime --- and saves her friend's life.
--- Reviewed by Shannon McKenna
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 #6: FEUD
by Lady Grace Cavendish
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0385733232
ISBN-13: 0385733232
Ages 8-12
192 pages
The court of Queen Elizabeth I is teeming with treachery. With the number of servants, subjects, courtiers, statesmen and foreign diplomats who make up the population within the palace walls, there is more than enough royal intrigue to keep Lady Grace Cavendish busy. Along with being one of Her Majesty's six Maids of Honour, Grace is also the monarch's personal Lady Pursuivant (a.k.a. detective extraordinaire) and one of her most trusted allies.
Lady Grace is no stranger to mystery and mayhem, having already solved five baffling cases. But just when she's lamenting over not having a new case to unravel, danger strikes within the Queen's inner sanctum. Carmina Willoughby, Grace's fellow Maid of Honour, is showing signs of having been poisoned. She's growing steadily worse, and Lady Grace must race against the clock to discover the source of the poison before the evildoer delivers a fatal dose.
There is no shortage of suspects for Grace to investigate, including the court painters, who use toxic substances to create the colors for their artwork. In addition, there are the players who recently arrived to perform plays for the Queen and the court, and the troupe's appearance coincided with the onset of Carmina's illness. As Lady Grace discovers, though, just because the Maids of Honour are under the protection of the most powerful person in England, they are not immune to danger --- and someone with a grudge against Carmina's family is determined to settle a score.
Like the previous books in the series, FEUD serves up as many interesting details about royal customs, clothing, food and pastimes in the Elizabethan era as it does twists and turns. History and mystery come together to make for a superb read.
Along with her trusty sidekicks, Ellie the laundry maid and Masou the acrobat, the intelligent and likable Lady Grace --- who tells the story through entries in her diary --- uses her detecting skills to close the books on another crime caper. "Now everything will calm down," Grace pens in her daybooke. "Meanwhile, I will stay on the alert for any crimes or mysteries that warrant investigation by the Queen's own Lady Pursuivant." We certainly hope so.
--- Reviewed by Shannon McKenna
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