[Elizabeth I 02] • The Tidal Poole

*January 13, 1559, London. On the eve of the celebrations heralding her coronation as Queen of England, twenty-five-year-old Elizabeth Tudor kneels alone, inside the haunted walls of the Tower of London. Here, beneath the cold paving stones of the Tower's chapel, lie the bones of her mother, Anne Boleyn, and of others, long lost in the deadly conspiracies surrounding the crown. Now the power will be Elizabeth's, to hold or to lose. Solitary, rapt, she dedicates herself to the memory of her mother and to the future of England.

Then, in the shadows behind her, something stirs...*

Karen Harper's enthralling Elizabeth I mystery series, which debuted to widespread critical and popular acclaim with **The Poyson Garden**, moves into high gear with **The Tidal Poole**, as Bess Tudor comes into her own as Queen of England. **The Tidal Poole** opens as Elizabeth's triumphant procession to Westminster Palace is marred by the brutal murder of a high-born, high-living lady of the court. Abetted by her irresistible band of loyal retainers, the young queen is soon spearheading a sub rosa investigation of the crime--an investigation that leads inexorably to a sinister plot against Elizabeth herself.

Populated with fascinating historical figures, rich in the details of a vibrant, violent era, **The Tidal Poole** is an intoxicating Elizabethan brew of high drama and deadly intrigue played out as the fate of a realm hangs in the balance. Climaxing in a midnight voyage through the murderous tidal pools swirling under London Bridge and highlighting a magnificent queen in the first full flush of her power, it is essential reading for lovers of romantic mystery, history, and regal adventure.