The Serpent Garden: A Novel

Judith Merkle Riley

ISBN 10: 0307395367 / ISBN 13: 9780307395368

Published by Random House USA Inc, 2008

About this Item

In the court of Henry VIII, there are many secrets--and some people will kill to keep them hidden.Susanna Dallet is the daughter of a Flemish painter and wife to a philandering husband, living in the court of Henry VIII. When her husband is murdered, Susanna is suddenly left with a household to provide for and nothing to her name. Her days of anonymity are over when Susanna finds that guild rules preventing women from working do not apply at the king's court, and she manages to secure a position as a miniature-portrait painter. Before long, she has not only made a name for herself, she is close to those who surround Princess Mary. But even in this lofty company, Susanna is not safe. An old manuscript that she has inherited turns out to hold the keys to an age-old mystery, and the forces that claimed her husband are closing in. As danger looms, Susanna joins with Robert Ashton, secretary to Henry's cunning and ruthless adviser Archbishop Wolsey, and together they must fight a fearsome society in league with a demon.Combining heartpounding action, sly humor, romance, and supernatural twists, The Serpent Garden is the story of a creative and resourceful woman who unwittingly finds herself in a dangerous--and deadly--game of hide-and-seek.

Seller Inventory # 00110412992

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Serpent Garden: A Novel
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0307395367
• ISBN 13: 9780307395368
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

In the court of Henry VIII, there are many secrets—and some people will kill to keep them hidden.Susanna Dallet is the daughter of a Flemish painter and wife to a philandering husband, living in the court of Henry VIII. When her husband is murdered, Susanna is suddenly left with a household to provide for and nothing to her name. Her days of anonymity are over when Susanna finds that guild rules preventing women from working do not apply at the king’s court, and she manages to secure a position as a miniature-portrait painter. Before long, she has not only made a name for herself, she is close to those who surround Princess Mary. But even in this lofty company, Susanna is not safe. An old manuscript that she has inherited turns out to hold the keys to an age-old mystery, and the forces that claimed her husband are closing in. As danger looms, Susanna joins with Robert Ashton, secretary to Henry’s cunning and ruthless adviser Archbishop Wolsey, and together they must fight a fearsome society in league with a demon.Combining heartpounding action, sly humor, romance, and supernatural twists, The Serpent Garden is the story of a creative and resourceful woman who unwittingly finds herself in a dangerous—and deadly—game of hide-and-seek.

About the Author

Judith Merkle Riley is a professor of political science and has a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. She is also the author of A Vision of Light, the first Margaret of Ashbury novel, and The Water Devil, the concluding book of the trilogy, among others. She lives in Claremont, California.