A King’s Ransom: A Novel by Sharon Kay Penman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“A King’s Ransom” is the final book in Sharon Kay Penman’s series on the Angevin kings of medieval England. This volume picks up the story of Richard I after the Third Crusade (see “Lionheart” for the first part of Richard’s reign including the Crusade). The Crusade ended with some very bad feeling among the Christian forces – Phillip II of France left early due to conflicts with Richard. There were also conflicts between Richard and some of the German leaders. So when it was time for Richard to return to England he faced a long journey through potentially hostile territory. And the story of his return home is the first part of this book. Without getting into spoilers, if you remember your history, Richard is captured and imprisoned in Germany. His mother Eleanor of Aquitaine raises the massive ransom that is paid to the Holy Roman Emperor to set Richard free.

The second part of the book is focused on Richard’s campaigns to restore his authority over his domains. During his absence, his younger brother John had worked with Phillip to undermine Richard. Richard has to deal with John’s treachery, and must also campaign almost continually against Phillip to roll back the French territorial gains that occurred during Richard’s absence.

The book is well-written and an engrossing read, something that I have come to expect from this author. She does an excellent job of story telling. And she has clearly done her historical research. I always enjoy her Author’s Note at the end of the book, where she explains which minor characters are historical figures and which are fictional, and what parts of the story are history and which are invented or modified.

If you like historical fiction, I think you will like this book. I highly recommend it.