A review by bluestjuice
The King's Deception by Steve Berry

1.0

I have to preface my rating by giving the caveat that I only learned about this book, and decided to read it, because I was interested in the Bisley boy conspiracy theory that I had read was presented in it, and wanted to know more about that theory. Unfortunately, this isn't a historical fiction, or an alternate historical fiction. It's a modern detective thriller with a historically-originated mystery, so there was not much of the parts that really interested me and too much of the chase scenes and obligatory personal drama to hold my interest. While I didn't expect the conspiracy theory to actually hold water (it's pretty ridiculous, if intriguing), I was also disappointed by the addition of extra layers of even more unlikeliness -

Spoiler

not only was Elizabeth I a man, but he was also the secret son of Henry VIII's illegitimate son! And conveniently transgender! Um, what.

I can't fault this novel for being the sort of novel that it was, and I can't really judge its success or failure in that regard, but it's really not my thing. On the bright side, I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of many of the pieces of British architecture used as backdrops for the action. If you are a fan of detective thrillers with a historical (or, well, quasi-historical) bent, this might be right up your alley. Unfortunately it wasn't my cup of tea.