Murder at Beaulieu Abbey
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
Death and danger await intrepid nun Hildegard of Meaux when she undertakes a secret mission for the good of her Order, in this eleventh action-packed installment of the medieval mystery series.
February, 1390. Hildegard is given a special assignment by the Prioress of Swyne to escort a young heiress from Beaulieu Abbey to the northern stronghold of Sir William atte Wood. What could be more pleasant than to join a betrothal party, especially as she will be accompanied on the long journey to the New Forest by the two monks militant, Gregory and Egbert.
But there is a more urgent and secret purpose for her mission.
The Western Church is in Schism, with two popes battling for power. The Cistercians are split between the pope in Rome – supported by King Richard – and the pope in Avignon, an ally of the king’s French enemies. Which pope will Beaulieu decide to follow? England’s future depends on it, and who better than Hildegard to discover Beaulieu’s allegiance? But to question such powerful forces brings only death and danger - and even her two militant monks may not be enough to save her.
This action-packed, page-turning medieval mystery is a great choice for fans of holy sleuths like Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma and Paul Doherty's Brother Athelstan.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in late-14th-century England, Clark's engrossing 11th Abbess of Meaux mystery (after 2019's Murder at Whitby Abbey) takes Sister Hildegard from the priory of Swyne to Beaulieu Abbey, ostensibly to bring 12-year-old Elowen, an heiress, back to Swyne, where the girl will remain until she marries a son of Sir William de Hutton. But Hildegard's prioress has also tasked her with surreptitiously learning which side the monks of Beaulieu are on in the politically consequential dispute raging over which of two popes should rule the church. When Elowen is kidnapped from Beaulieu and a ransom note is received, Hildegard and the two monks who have been sent to protect the girl join the forces of the abbey and Sir William's men to find her. Meanwhile, Hildegard encounters the sanctuarymen, felons who live on the abbey's grounds, one of whom, Black Harry, may be leading the group in some evil scheme. Hildegard must resist temptation as she feels attracted to the charismatic Harry. The richly detailed narrative builds to a surprising revelation about the nature of the kidnap plot. Fans of medieval mysteries will be pleased.
