ISBN: 978-1594147173
Five Star Publishing
Hardcover, 376 pages
$25.95
Reviewed by Crystal Guess
When the book Royal Escape by Susan Froetschel was presented to me, my “inner little girl” squealed in excitement. A book about a princess! Of course then that spoilsport “inner adult” reared her head and pointed out that the main character was based on a beloved childhood heroine, Princess Diana. The notion made me establish high expectations despite the cynical little voice in the back of my head that has witnessed me throw many a book and movie into my closet in broken-hearted frustration.
Thirty-six sleepless, over-caffeinated hours later I was on the phone with my mother, a fellow bibliophile, telling her that I had a book she had to read. Right now.
Royal Escape begins with a prologue that features Derrick Wilson, Lady Elena, Princess of Wales’ solicitor. We meet him on memory lane and are thus introduced to Elena through his recollections of her; however, we part rather abruptly with Mr. Wilson when he is murdered in his office. The killers flee into the night and we can only read as they go before our attention is diverted to a pair of servants scathingly criticizing the flower-arranging skills of the lady we figuratively came to see.
Elena is anxiously awaiting a call from her just-nearly-ex-mother-in-law, the queen, when we readers join her. Like many women in the same situation (divorce), her biggest concern is for her children. It is clear from the start that her two sons, Richard and Larry, are her number one priority and were it not for them she would have taken leave of the Wyndham family a good while before, since the Wyndhams quite obviously have no affection for her. To them she is a commoner who will do anything to steal the spotlight, though that is far from the truth.
Her concerns become greater than making sure she stands in the proper corner of the garden or staying out of pictures with her sons to please the royals after she unwittingly escapes a car bomb. The incident puts a further gap between her and her boys, who were supposed to leave with her that day but did not, and for their safety she complies with the separation for a little while. Things get worse when the few people who Elena trusts are going the way of Mr. Wilson and are dying suddenly until she is utterly isolated in a world belonging only to one such as herself, a woman beloved by the world and yet despised by those who were supposed to protect her. Elena can only take so much of being shot at, so many bombs, and so much scheming before she decides to go for broke and escape her gilded cage at any cost.
The tale of Elena is a superb what-if that circles around the fractured fairy tale of royal life. Each chapter begins with a few lines of dialogue from mysterious persons that point fingers this way and that way in regards to who is out to get Elena. It is a clever little trap that Ms. Froetschel has laid to entice the reader to keep going to see what happens even when the reader’s body is begging for a few hours of rest. The printed words on the pages of this book have all the lure of a siren’s song, and I for one fell in love with them. Reading Royal Escape was like spending time with a dear old friend; I laughed, I cried, and I wanted to rough up quite a few fictitious jerks.
If I have not made it clear; this story is wonderful. The writing was easy to read and understand and did not sacrifice a smidgen of quality in order to make it so. Another thing that truly impressed me was that Elena is a person and not just a proverbial performing monkey. She is a character that will charm her way into one’s heart so one will carry her there always, much like a real person: when her heart aches, yours does; when she bristles with fear, you do too; and when she wants to bludgeon someone in frustration, so do you.
For anyone who has a weak spot for mystery, who ever wondered what might have happened if Princess Diana’s life had been a little different, or who just wants to read an amazing book, I strongly recommend that you acquire a copy of Royal Escape. Right now.
Copyright ©2009 Crystal R. Guess