The Crown that Lost its Head: A Historical Mystery Thriller (An Agency of the Ancient Lost & Found Mystery Thriller Book 2)
Page 29
There we all were, me in the middle, Peaches and Evan with their arms over my shoulders, and Rupert embracing Connie on the other side. Markus stood apart—no one would touch him until he’d had a shower. Meanwhile the skull of our hapless prince sat in its bag at our feet. Someone wanted to remove him and let his skull grin away at the camera but I protested. He’d suffered enough indignities in his short life.
As it was, we were frozen in a group selfie moment of the worst kind and I admit that this was not our finest hour. As for which one of the team had the gall to plaster the picture all over social media this time, I’ll never know.
THE END
Coming next, The Florentine’s Secret, The Agency of the Ancient Lost & Found Book 3
Book 3 transports you to Florence, Italy….
Afterword
I always believed that history rhymes with mystery for a reason. How much do we really know for certain about the past? So much is a guessing game pieced together from the clues the dead have left behind. That means that all historical fiction is still fiction no matter how much research is involved.
Though most of the events described in this book are based on historical fact, I took many creative liberties. For instance, the unfolding mystery of what befell Prince Carlos on that fateful night in 1568 remains unknown. My version of events provides a role for women that is so often buried or overlooked.
However, just for the record, some of the strangest details in this story are actually true. Take for instance Prince Carlos sleeping with the mummy of a saint who had died a century before. Apparently that really happened. I can’t “make that stuff up”, as they say. Actually, I can and often do but in this case I didn’t. Fact can be stranger than fiction.
As for the paintings described in this book, most of them exist and at least one was painted by Titian. However, even here I took liberties, my mission being to entertain you, dear reader, while allowing herstory to rule over history.
About the Author
JANE THORNLEY has been writing for as long as she can remember and when not traveling, lives a very dull life—at least on the outside. Her inner world is something else again. With over twelve novels published and more on the way, she keeps up a lively dialogue with her characters and invites you to eavesdrop by reading all of her works.
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Also by JANE THORNLEY
SERIES: CRIME BY DESIGN
Crime by Design Boxed Set Books 1-3
Crime by Design Prequel: Rogue Wave e-book available free to newsletter subscribers.
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Crime by Design Book 2: Beautiful Survivor
Crime by Design Book 3: The Greater of Two Evils
Crime by Design Book 4: The Plunge
Also featuring Phoebe McCabe:
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The Crown that Lost its Head Book 2
The Florentine’s Secret (Pre-order) Book 3
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None of the Above Series Book 2: DownPlay
SERIES: TIME SHADOWS Time Travel
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