RIZZIO

Scottish crime novelist Denise Mina has written a grimly authentic novella about the 1566 assassination of David Rizzio, private secretary and confidant to Mary, Queen of Scots. Narrator Katie Leung delivers the grisly murder like a modern-day journalist. Her voice is tense but controlled, engaged but not impassioned. Her natural Scottish accent reminds us that the scene is in Edinburgh, yet her clear enunciation is comprehensible to American listeners. Her other voices seem well suited to the vicious characters who plot rebellion and make a mockery of Mary's sovereignty. Leung enhances a convincing portrayal of an era replete with political intrigue, brutality, and religious turmoil. This audiobook is a good mixture of historical fact and fast-paced fiction. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2021]