The time is the Elizabethan age. The setting is the Queen’s Palace. The plot? A stolen ruby. Lady Grace Cavendish is one of Queen Elizabeth’s maids of honor. She is also, secretly, the Lady Pursuivant, or detective. The newcomer at the palace, Banoo Yasmine- a noble whose kingdom has been taken by a murderer, carries the Heart of Kings. This precious ruby marks the ruler of her kingdom, Sharakand, and the Banoo fled with it following her father’s death. When the Heart of Kings is stolen, it is recovered in a laundry maid’s basket and she is taken to the dungeon. However, the laundry maid is also Lady Grace’s best friend Ellie, and Grace is determined to prove her friend’s innocence. Can she find the true thief in time to save Ellie, or is Ellie not the innocent laundry-maid Grace thought her to be?
Exile is a marvelous blend of history and mystery. The reader is constantly trying to figure out who the true thief is, first one person, then another is considered and rejected. Lady Grace’s diary reveals clues throughout the novel, and the reader is always trying to piece them together. Page after page, Grace Cavendish’s spellbinding story allows the reader to enjoy a fictional, but slightly historical lesson as they try to unravel the mystery. Upper-elementary students will especially love Exile; the fifth book in the Lady Grace Mysteries.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, PA USA
