In England, 1327, Sir Guy Bickerstaffe has the worst job in the kingdom: guarding the deposed and imprisoned king, Edward of Caernarfon. It’s an awkward position for a man who considers himself a loyal, honorable, god-fearing knight—though, of course, he wouldn’t be a knight at all if it weren’t for Edward’s wife, Queen Isabella, who led the revolt to depose Edward in favor of one of their sons. Now, Guy and his small band of men-at-arms are responsible not only for keeping Edward captive, but also alive. “England had never deposed a king before—kings died of disease or in battle—and no one knew quite what to do with him… And Sir Guy wound up in the unenviable position of showing loyalty to his new king by serving as prison warden to the old one.” Guy’s least dependable soldier (and second cousin), Will Makepeace, befriends Edward, a fact that causes Guy to doubt the young man’s loyalty. When Edward and Will both disappear one night—leaving an unknown dead man in the king’s bed—Guy’s career and reputation are ruined. Guy swears vengeance against Will, a quest that will take him to France and back, and perhaps into the very pages of English history. Taylor’s prose creates a feel for the historical setting while still imbuing the story with a zippy sense of adventure: “Will had to leave the castle without anyone knowing. And there was only one way to do that. A tunnel led from the back of the brewhouse to a cesspit where they threw the spent mash, emptied the chamber pots, disposed of the offal from butchering, and tossed in any dead vermin found on the premises.” Based on a letter that posits a revisionist account of the life of Edward II, the book should please and surprise both readers familiar with this era and those encountering it for the first time.
