The Game of Kings

by Dorothy Dunnett Book 1 in the The Lymond Chronicles series.

First published 1961

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4.4(1,583)

In 1547, Francis Crawford of Lymond returns secretly to a Scotland that regards him as a traitor, outlaw and possible English agent. Operating through a band of border fighters and elaborate deceptions, he tries to expose the conspiracy behind his disgrace while the Rough Wooing threatens the child queen and the Scottish state. His methods make him appear most dangerous precisely when he is working to prevent a greater betrayal.

Lymond’s strategy depends on remaining unreadable to almost everyone, including people whose support he needs. The Rough Wooing gives his private mystery national consequences as England pressures Scotland to accept a marriage between Mary, Queen of Scots, and Edward VI. The novel combines border warfare, court faction and espionage with the question of whether a man can clear his name while deliberately behaving like a traitor.