A Corpse in Cipher
A Corpse in Cipher, Lizzy Drake’s sunny, fast-paced debut, is set in 1513 and stars young noblewoman Elspet Stafford who is betrothed to a man she has never actually met.
He sends her regular letters, however, they are crafted in cipher codes she then must unravel. She is still reeling from the news of her betrothed’s sudden death when one final encrypted letter from him arrives, perhaps containing clues as to the nature of his death?
When Elspet’s mother sends her to Ufford Manor, in order to train for a life at the Court of Henry VIII, she brings the letter with her. Then a new murder happens, Elspet teams up with the dowager duchess of Ufford (a marvelous character who steals all the scenes she’s in,) to solve both that crime and the death of her affianced husband.
Drake captures the sights and sounds of the Tudor world very well, and her Elspet is a likable character.
