Louis the Hutin is dead, murdered by poison. He leaves behind a five-year-old daughter (who is very possibly not his child) and a pregnant wife, who may well be carrying the new King of France. But who will be Regent? The candidates are his uncle Charles of Valois and his brother Philippe of Poitiers, and it will be a supreme battle. Meanwhile, there's still no Pope, Artois is about to go up in flames again, and the poisonings may not be at an end...

A very dramatic and intense installment in the series. Philippe, an extremely capable young man (he's 23), is facing a lot of different factions and having to solve many different problems. (Not least his murderous mother-in-law, who at any point is liable to start killing again!) The ending is SO sad. 

For me this is the strongest book in the series so far. But again, VERY sad. 

So good, so much happens, a lot happens, but a lot is set up too.

Very tense moments near the end.

Can't wait to read more.  Let the political maneuvering continue 

Written in 1957, George R.R. Martin calls this series "The original Game of Thrones." How right it he is. The story covers the French Monarchy (Capetian dynasty) in the 14th century. The series begins as the French king Philip the Fair, already surrounded by scandal and intrigue, brings a curse upon his family when he persecutes the Knights Templar.  The medieval folk were very superstitious, and wholly believed it was the curse that caused all the chaos-never thinking it was the poor choices of the King that were installed. 

This was the fourth in the series, and it deals with the suspicious deaths of two kings and the passing over of the direct heir to the throne, a woman. 

I am not sure that continuing is a good idea (though I will) as the 7th and final book was never translated from French. I suppose I will just have to read a non-fiction book to find out what happened.