I have long admired Ms. Weir's passion for English history and her capacity to animate the subjects she chooses to chronicle. On any day of the week, I'd take the warmth of Weir over the dryness of Fraser, with Biographies of Catherine Swynford and queen Isabella being particular favorites. And yet this investigation into the murder that defined the life of Mary Queen of Scots is a bloated tragedy in desperate need of a heavy edit.
Historians like Weir have taken the reconstruction of 16th century English history to the level of fetishism. Most of the time, this works for the reader so long as the education they are receiving from the text has some small relevance to the present. But here, Ms. Weir's obsession proves her downfall. It may be that the murder of lord Darnley, then the husband of queen Mary of Scotland, was a pivotal moment not only in her life but in the destiny of Elizabeth I. It may even have proven to be an event which summed up Mary's flawed character, exposing her poor judgement. But these hardly necessitate a 700 page reconstruction of a 500 year old murder. Ms. Weir meticulously builds a case for each of the possible suspects, droning monotonously on in her attempt to solve a crime for which time has robbed us of resolution.
If Ms. Weir enjoyed both the writing of this book and the investigation of its subject, then I congratulate her on her diligence. But no single historical event requires this much ink, not unless it has a lot more bearing on today. Ms. Weir is at her best in capturing a subject, fleshing her out, and illustrating both her similarities and her differences in personality and culture brought about by the passage of centuries. This just feels like pointless self-indulgence. Mary's background was edifying, but everything else here disappoints. (2/5 Stars)
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