Courting Dragons

Set in 1529, this impressive series launch from Westerson (the Crispin Guest medieval noir series) introduces an unusual lead, Will Somers, Henry VIII’s actual court jester. In this role, Somers has free rein of the royal court, where he often overhears secrets. At Greenwich palace, Somers meets Don Gonzalo de Yscar, an aide to the ambassador to the Holy Roman Emperor. The two men form an attraction, and act on it, but it isn’t long before Somers chances upon Gonzalo’s corpse in the palace gardens, his throat slit. That shock is compounded when Somers receives an anonymous note stating that its sender knows of his liaison and threatening to inform the king of it unless he attends a midnight meeting—and reveals secrets about the monarch. To remove the threat to himself and the realm, Somers must learn who’s behind the murder and the extortion. Somers proves an able sleuth, and Westerson does a fine job evoking the period’s political intrigue. Devotees of Alan Gordon’s Fools’ Guild mysteries will welcome this promising series. Agent: Joshua Bilmes, JABberwocky Literary. (Jan.)