Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
18 used & new from £0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Rival Queens (A Countess Ashby De La Zouche Mystery)
 
See larger image
 

The Rival Queens (A Countess Ashby De La Zouche Mystery) (Paperback)

by Fidelis Morgan (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £8.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £1.00 (10%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Saturday, July 18? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
17 used from £0.01
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback (New Ed) £6.99 £6.29 15 used & new from £0.01

Frequently Bought Together

The Rival Queens (A Countess Ashby De La Zouche Mystery) + Unnatural Fire (A Countess Ashby De La Zouche Mystery) + The Ambitious Stepmother (Countess Ashby 3)
Price For All Three: £20.67

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Unnatural Fire (A Countess Ashby De La Zouche Mystery)

Unnatural Fire (A Countess Ashby De La Zouche Mystery)

by Fidelis Morgan
4.3 out of 5 stars (7)  £5.39
The Ambitious Stepmother (Countess Ashby 3)

The Ambitious Stepmother (Countess Ashby 3)

by Fidelis Morgan
4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £6.29
Fortune's Slave (Countess Ashby 4)

Fortune's Slave (Countess Ashby 4)

by Fidelis Morgan
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £7.19
What Angels Fear: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery

What Angels Fear: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery

by C. S. Harris
4.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £4.87
When Gods Die (Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries)

When Gods Die (Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries)

by C. S. Harris
4.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £4.27
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Collins Crime (5 Nov 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0002326965
  • ISBN-13: 978-0002326964
  • Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 13.4 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 663,956 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Review
'Fidelis Morgan's tale of love and greed and alchemy in 1699 is a heady compound of wit, wisdom and wildness. It's an unsentimental warts-and-all portrait that reeks of authenticity, written with a brio that reflects the age' Val McDermid 'Hilarious 17th century romp, which combines an authentic slice of history with a tantalising storyline. An authority on the era, Morgan has created an inventive book which wears its learning lightly. Colourful turns of phrase and witty descriptions like a bawdy P.G. Wodehouse leave you with a keen sense of the period' Daily Mail 'A lusty, audacious historical romp ...all the bawdiness of London at the turn of the 18th century is brought to life' Maxim Jakubowski, Guardian 'Thigh-slapping, exclamatory stuff ... loudly, lustily, enthusiastically done' Literary Review 'The perfect autumn read' Marie Claire

Literary Review
‘Thigh-slapping, exclamatory stuff … loudly, lustily, enthusiastically done’ --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Product Description

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Rival Queens (A Countess Ashby De La Zouche Mystery)
61% buy the item featured on this page:
The Rival Queens (A Countess Ashby De La Zouche Mystery) 4.5 out of 5 stars (2)
£8.99
Unnatural Fire (A Countess Ashby De La Zouche Mystery)
39% buy
Unnatural Fire (A Countess Ashby De La Zouche Mystery) 4.3 out of 5 stars (7)
£5.39

 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wild and weird characters, lots of laughs, great twisty plot, 18 Nov 2001
By A Customer
I wondered if Fidelis Morgan could pull it off again - second novels in this genre tend to be pale, sloppy shadows of the first. But The Rival Queens is, if anything, better than Unnatural Fire - think Tarte Noir circa 1699. The author knows her period (The Restoration) inside out and transports the reader there without making it feel like a history lesson or bogging him or her down with attempts at bogus contemporary lingo ('pray fit on ver fofa, firrah, whilft I bethink me what to do' - that fort, sorry, sort of thing). Structure, plot and range of characters are masterful. Ingeniously, the novel is structured around The Passions. Trying out the facial contortions necessary to represent each one is great fun but if you're reading The Rival Queens while travelling by train or bus and decide to get in some practice, be prepared for fellow passengers to edge away to safety. For anybody lusting after an un-put-down-able page-turner full of wild and weird characters, with lots of laughs and a nice twisty plot that'll keep you guessing right till the end, this is it. Can't wait for the next one.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant period details, racy writing, 14 Nov 2001
By A Customer
This is the second of Fidelis Morgan's 17thC detective novels drawing on her knowledge of Restoration female dramatists, and once again the period flavour and details are great. The plot, on the other hand, is decidedly full of holes - although if you wanted to be charitable you could point out that so are the plots of many female (and male) playwrights of the time, and so maybe this is in fact a deliberately contrived device rather than just a lack of heavy editorial control! The only thing I found mildly irritating was the slightly anachronistic name of the main character (Anastasia? Really?) and the dialogue, which wavers between period slang and definitely twenty-first century sloppy. However, notwithstanding all that these novels do have a very definite charm and are infinitely better than most of the third-rate, supposedly 'historical' detective fiction currently swamping the market, and for authentic background details on cosmetics, staging, players and prophylactics against syphilis this really couldn't be beaten. A great, funny comfort read, curled up in front of a fire with a cup of chocolate or a sack posset. I'm looking forward to the next!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

Shop The Body Shop

 

More From Fidelis Morgan

The Ambitious Stepmother

The Ambitious Stepmother

'Fidelis Morgan's tale of love and greed and alchemy in 1699 is a... Read more
£6.99 £6.29

 

A Close Shave

Philips Nivea Coolskin HS8060 Moisturizing Rotary Shaving System
For all types of hair removal, stay smooth with Amazon.co.uk.

Discover Shaving & Hair Removal

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates