The Cross Legged Knight
(The Owen Archer Mysteries: book VIII): a mesmerising Medieval mystery full of twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages…
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- €6.99
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- €6.99
Publisher Description
Much-loved author Candace Robb has penned another compelling and captivating medieval mystery that magically brings 14th Century York to life and pushes the reader relentlessly onwards to uncover the truth. Fans of Ellis Peters, S J Parris, Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell will not be disappointed.
'Hugely, but subtly, detailed... complex, ambiguous and gripping. The solution had me guessing almost to the very end' -- Historical Novels Review
'A gripping whodunnit full of colour and atmosphere' -- Time Out
'Meticulously researched, authentic and gripping' -- Yorkshire Evening Post
'Story-telling of a top-notch quality' -- ***** Reader review
'Thoroughly enjoyable' -- ***** Reader review
'Spellbinding' -- ***** Reader review
'I stayed up most of the night to finish the book and could not put it down' -- ***** Reader review
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ANOTHER QUEST TO FIND THE TRUTH AMIDST SECRETS AND SUSPICION - AND THIS TIME IT'S PERSONAL...
1371: a solemn convoy wends its way into York. William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, is bringing home the remains of local magnate Sir Ranulf Pagnell, who has died in France. The family hold the bishop responsible for Sir Ranulf's death, and ill feeling surrounds his arrival - mysteriously, an accident in the grounds of York Minster nearly kills him.
Then, only a few days after, his townhouse is found ablaze. When the body of a young woman is discovered in the undercroft of the house, scandal threatens to destroy Wykeham. The Archbishop of York, John Thoresby, asks Owen Archer for his help.
The spy is troubled. Was the fire an accident or arson? Was the woman trapped or the fire started to conceal a corpse? Stationing guards in front of the smouldering remains, he starts to ask questions...
When it appears the dead woman was a midwife known to many of the city's women, including Lucie, Owen's wife, his quest for answers becomes even more pressing...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Attacks on a bishop and former lord chancellor of England reveal a confusing web of motives in Robb's latest to feature one-eyed medieval sleuth Owen Archer (after 2002's A Spy for the Redeemer). Bishop Wykeham has come to York to try to appease the family of Sir Ranulf Pagnell, an aged knight who died in a French dungeon while Wykeham attempted to negotiate his release. Soon after the bishop's arrival, someone tries to drop a roof-tile on his head, and then succeeds in burning down his townhouse. As captain of the guard at Archbishop Thoresby's palace where Wykeham is staying, Archer is responsible for the bishop's safety. His inquiries into the crimes are complicated by the presence of a badly wounded servant and murdered woman dragged out of the burning house. No one seems able to explain their presence in the house, nor who inflicted their injuries. Archer considers suspects ranging from street thieves to the powerful Duke of Lancaster, with mixed results. The author's enthusiastic research lends realism to the time and place, but occasionally gushes over into distracting detail. Also, her excellent rendering of characters and motives is hurt by the presence of the Riverwoman, a healer who seems more New Age than Middle Age. But Robb pulls the tale out of its muddle at the end. Alternating scenes with a growing pace and tension culminate in a welcome surprise or two. Established fans will enjoy the references to previous books in the series.
