A Murder for Her Majesty by Beth Hilgartner

Synopsis

Horrified at having witnessed her father's murder and fearing that the killers are agents of Queen Elizabeth I, eleven-year-old Alice Tuckfield hides in the Yorkshire cathedral by disguising herself as one of the choirboys.

Annotation

Horrified at having witnessed her father's murder and fearing that the killers are agents of Queen Elizabeth I, eleven-year-old Alice Tuckfield hides in the Yorkshire cathedral by disguising herself as one of the choirboys.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9 Having witnessed the murder of her father, Alice Tuckfield flees to York in search of a family friend. There she is befriended by some members of the York Minster Boys' Choir, who disguise her as a boy and sneak her into the choir. Alice's new identity becomes more than a joke when she discovers that her father's murderers are searching for her and that one of the priests at the cathedral was also involved in the murder plot. The suspense in Hilgartner's gripping mystery is balanced by the fascinating details of daily life at the York Minster during the Elizabethan era. The characterizations, especially of Alice, who must keep many secrets to protect her life; and the priests, a rather diverse group, are carefully realized. Elizabethan York, especially as Hilgartner describes it during the Christmas season, is an appealing setting. Her descriptions, while accurate, never dominate the story. This page-turner will attract readers; it may even entice some to go on to read other historical novels. David Gale, ``School Library Journal''

Biography

Beth Hilgartner was born in Baltimore and is now a deacon of the Episcopal Church in Barre, Vermont. A MURDER FOR HER MAJESTY was inspired by her experiences singing in a church choir and her interest in the early Elizabethan period. Her husband, Ernest Drown, is a church organist who in no way resembles the grouchy Master Kenton.