The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan
Read in February 2009
A very enjoyable quick read. I enjoyed the fast paced romp following the antics of the two thieves, Hadrian and Royce, and the intrigues entangling them with the royals Alric and Arista.
The tale starts with some stolen letters, which are then re-stolen right from under the owner’s nose from a windowless tower room behind the only door (locked) and a safe (also locked). The thieves complete the job successfully, collect their payment and plan to take a bit of a vacation before taking on another client. But Hadrian stumbles upon a desperate noble who convinces him to take an emergency job to steal a sword to prevent his death in a duel scheduled for the next day. Royce rightly chastises Hadrian for breaking the rules but agrees to do the job because the price is almost too good to be true.
And it proves to be just that. The thieves spring a trap that implicates them in the murder of the king. They are arrested and placed in the dungeon, convinced they will be executed in the morning. The Princess Arista has other plans and helps them escape on the condition that they kidnap her brother, the Crown Prince Alric. And thus begins the adventure of Prince Alric and the Thieves, as it’s referred to once the dust settles and the crown rests safely on the correct royal brow.
My favorite character was Myron, the cloistered monk who had naive chiseled on his forehead. I also related well to Hadrian. Other than that, I didn’t connect with many of the other characters. In fact, even when their lives were hanging by a thread (literally), my heart didn’t quicken nor did I hold my breath. I thoroughly enjoyed the action and adventure, but I wanted to know more about the characters, especially Royce.
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