In Fatal Majesty, critically acclaimed novelist Reay Tannahill immerses readers in the tragedy of Mary, Queen of Scots-but this is not a conventional retelling of a fascinating yet familiar tale. Eighteen-year-old Mary returns from the sophisticated French court to claim her throne in cold, backward Scotland. A gloomy reception proves least among the naive young monarch's challenges: her arrival provides the opportunity for smoldering vendettas to explode and for intricate conspiracies to form and then unravel-intrigue besets her on every side. Mary's self-righteous brother, James, seeks to rule in her place; her brilliant Secretary of State, Lethington, dedicates his energies to placing the Stuarts on the throne of England; and her cousin, Elizabeth I, dazzling and unscrupulous, fears Mary as a threat to her crown and to her life. Mingling a poet's passion with an historian's insight, Tannahill chronicles an era of easy violence, desperate action, and grand conspiracy. In Fatal Majesty, masterful characterization combines with lightning pace and classic plotting to deliver a tragic romantic saga with all the complexity of a major political thriller.