Say Hello to Alice Salisbury, AKA the patron saint of medieval saints Alright that might have been a mild exaggeration. But in all honesty, this portrayal of the infamous, devious and financially savvy Alice Perrers is incredibly bland and colourless. Alice is a complete Mary Sue with no real or ...
I read this book expecting a mystery/crime story and as a representative of that group it must be said that it kind of sucked. The story itself was predictable, and didn't even pretend very hard at being either a puzzle or even a psychological view of a crime (not that I like those). So really, t...
Really good medieval mystery. One of the reasons I like this series is that it includes the church, politics, and well-to-do people but it's mostly about merchants, musicians, everyday soldiers and people of that class. You don't get a lot of medieval books like that, that give yo a feel for how ...
Owen and Geoffrey Chaucer are sent on a mission for the Duke of Lancaster ostensibly to check on fortifications in Wales, but really a retainers son has called his father to account for marrying a suspected traitor's daughter. Brother Michaelo and Sir Robert come along on a pilgrimage. The man ...
"The King's Bishop" is part of the Owen Archer series by Candace Robb. Owen Archer is one of my favorite fictional characters. This one-eyed former archer turned apothecary apprentice lives in the 1300's in England. He is also a spy for the archbishop of York and as such finds himself on many adv...
Spring 1366, Beverley, England--a ghostly pale young woman claims to be the resurrected Joanna Calverley, a nun who died of a fever some months before. It would be a matter for the Church alone, were it not for the murders that seem to follow in her wake.Owen Archer finds the case a frusterating ...
Owen is home and has been for a while. Lucie has lost a pregnancy due to a fall and is quite depressed even some time later worrying most everyone. A friend's father has died in captivity after the ransom to the French went awry. The family blames the Bishop of Winchester and Owen is forced to ...
I feel I may be being slightly unfair to Robb since I went straight into the fourth book of the series and then onto this, the ninth book, without reading the ones in between. Perhaps that would have made me enjoy this one more.It was good to see that some of the characters I loved from the fourt...
Another good Owen Archer story. Set in 1370, during the reign of Edward III, Owen (who works for the Archbishop of York) is in Wales in the holy city of St David's.In this one Owen is in Wales investigating a murder whilst Lucie - back in York - is having to content with a spiteful customer; an a...
Plague has returned. Bad things are afoot at St Lawrence hospital. The Archbishop lends Owen to his nephew to get to the bottom of the mess at the hospital. There are thefts and deaths of pensioners including Bess's uncle. There is also a small girl whose family has died that Magda and Owen a...
Edinburgh, 1297. Margaret Kerr, fiercely loyal to the deposed king John Balliol, has come in search of her absent husband Roger - a man in the service of Balliol's enemy Robert the Bruce. But terrifying raids and a brutal murder bring the wrath of the English to Margaret's door.Roger's sudden dis...
Unfortunately for Margaret Kerr of Perth, her books may always be compared to Robb's Owen Archer series, even if the comparison is somewhat unfair. Margaret Kerr is not Owen Archer-- she is young and inexperienced, often jumps to conclusions too quickly, and makes hasty decisions putting quite a ...
The commanders planned to send troops across the Stirling bridge at dawn; Surrey had at last agreed. Sir Francis was to lead a later crossing. So far Andrew had heard nothing of battles around either Edinburgh or Perth. He prayed that meant Fergus and Margaret were truly safe. The men were quietl...