by Denise Mina
First published 2022
David Rizzio serves as private secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots in the treacherous corridors of Holyrood Palace. The queen carries her child while political enemies circle closer each day. Rizzio navigates the dangerous world of Scottish court politics in 1566, where loyalty shifts like shadows and whispered conversations carry lethal consequences. A group of conspirators plots his destruction, viewing the foreign secretary as a threat to their power. As March approaches, the tension builds toward an inevitable confrontation. Men and women around him pursue love and influence through whatever means necessary, creating a web of deception that tightens around Rizzio. The events spiral toward the night of March 9th, when violence will shatter the palace walls. Denise Mina examines this historical murder through contemporary eyes, revealing how far people will go when desire and ambition collide with deadly politics.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, political-thriller, historical-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: Holyrood Palace, Scotland
Period: 1566
128 pages · Paperback · Polygon (An Imprint of Birlinn Limited)
Content warnings: violence