In an imaginative thriller by Matthew Reilly (The Great Zoo of China), young Elizabeth Tudor (still many years away from becoming Queen Elizabeth I) is on the trip of a lifetime with her tutor, Roger Ascham.
Suleiman the Magnificent, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, has called together a chess tournament for the ages: challenging each nation invited to send a chess champion to Constantinople, to determine which kingdom has the best chess player in the world. King Henry VIII agreed to send a delegation, including Ascham and Elizabeth. As the rich and famous--including Michelangelo and a young Ivan the Terrible--converge on Constantinople, a murderer uses the cover of the tournament to commit a terrible crime.
The sultan, having heard of Ascham's formidable intelligence, commands him to find the killer. The ever-curious Elizabeth tags along, discovering shocking secrets hidden by the glamorous surface of the Ottoman court--including the sexual extravagances rampant among the younger members of the sultan's extensive family and harem.
As the bodies pile up, Ascham and Elizabeth must race to solve a very devious crime, before the Sultan loses patience and their own heads roll.
With some shocking violence and graphic sex, The Tournament may not be for the faint of heart; however, for those who love fast-paced thrillers and surprising endings, The Tournament will be irresistible. And historically savvy readers will enjoy some tongue-in-cheek references to kings and popes and other leaders of the era. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm