A wool merchant’s murder may unmask a sinister plot in this novel of medieval England by an author who “puts the history back into the historical mystery” (Kirkus Reviews).Summer in the year of our Lord 1365: On the night after the Corpus Christi procession, a man is brutally murdered on the steps of York Minster. The next morning his severed hand is found in a room at the York Tavern—a room hastily vacated by a fellow guild member who had quarreled with t...

A father and son untangle a mystery in medieval England in this “enjoyable read . . . As full of intrigue as a Deighton or a Le Carré” (The Guardian).It is winter in the year of our Lord 1372. A river pilot falls into the icy waters of the River Ouse during a skirmish between dockworkers and the boys of the minster school—among them Owen Archer’s adopted son, Jasper.But what began as a confrontation to return a boy’s stolen scrip becomes a murder i...

“Gripping and believable . . . You can almost smell the streets of 14th-century York as you delve deeper into an engrossing plot” (Prima).In the year of our Lord 1369, the much-loved Queen Phillippa lies dying in Windsor Castle, the harvest has failed, and the pestilence has returned. In York, the atmosphere of fear and superstition is heightened by a series of thefts and violent deaths at St. Leonard’s Hospital—as well as rumors that these crimes are conn...

A Welshman in fourteenth-century England must unravel murder and palace intrigue in this “pleasing medieval series” (Library Journal).Archbishop Thoresby of York, the second most powerful cleric in England, lies on his deathbed. The end of his life is seen by the great families of the North as a chance to promote one of their own as his successor—and Thoresby himself announces he will leave the matter to the dean and chapter of York.On the eve of t...

This tale of courtly intrigue and murder in fourteenth-century England is “a superb medieval mystery thoroughly grounded in historical fact” (Booklist).From the marshy Thames to the misty Yorkshire moors, murder stalks Welsh soldier-sleuth Owen Archer and one of his oldest friends.On a snowy morning in 1367, Sir William of Wyndesore’s page is found in the icy moat of Windsor Castle, and some whisper that the murderer was Ned Townley—a former comrad...

The acclaimed author of the Owen Archer Series "lovingly re-creates medieval Edinburgh" in a novel that introduces Scottish sleuth Margaret Kerr ( Publishers Weekly).In the spring of 1297, the English army controls lowland Scotland and Margaret Kerr's husband Roger Sinclair is missing. He had gone to Dundee in autumn, writing to Margaret with a promise to be home for Christmas, but it's past Easter. He could be caught up in the swelling rebellion against t...

A “fascinating [and] evocative” novel of crime and intrigue in fourteenth-century England and Wales (The Plain Dealer).It is late spring in the year of our Lord 1370, and Owen Archer is anxious to leave Wales for home. His mission for the Duke of Lancaster complete, he attempts to arrange safe passage on a ship sailing for England—but the hanging of a stonemason interrupts his plans.On the surface, it appears the young man was driven to suicide by ...

Three novels about a woman's search for truth amid the Scottish struggle for independence by an author who "puts the history back into historical mystery" ( Kirkus Reviews).This volume includes three novels of mystery and intrigue in thirteenth-century Scotland from the acclaimed author of the Owen Archer series:In A Trust Betrayed, Margaret Kerr searches for her missing husband after his disappearance in Edinburgh, but fi...

A mystery story about the danger of false miracles and the treachery of true believers, part of the "pleasing medieval series" ( Library Journal).Magda the Riverwoman has called Owen Archer to her island hut in the middle of the River Ouse with a special favor—to guard a jar of human bones. No one in York is greedier than the relic dealers, the insatiable charlatans who sell flesh and bone as miracle cures, but Magda will not sell the remains at any price. ...

“Engrossing . . . Imbued with the flavor of English medieval life, Robb’s story melds true events with fiction to create a gripping historical mystery” (Publishers Weekly**).**When young nun Joanna Calverley dies of a fever in the town of Beverley in the summer of 1365, she is buried quickly for fear of the plague. But a year later, Archbishop Thoresby learns of a woman who has arrived in York claiming to be the resurrected nun, talking of relic-trading an...

This mystery in medieval England is “suspenseful, historically accurate, and blessed with a wonderful cast of characters . . . An absolute delight” (Charles de Lint, author of the Newford Series).It is Christmastide, 1363, and two suspicious deaths in the infirmary of St. Mary’s Abbey catch the attention of the powerful John Thoresby, Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of York. One victim is a pilgrim, while the second is Thoresby’s ne’er-do-well ward, both ...

“[A] medieval mystery grounded in the intrigue spawned by the bitter rivalry among King Edward III’s sons . . . An evocative and suspenseful whodunit” (Booklist).York, 1371. The Bishop of Winchester, William of Wykeham, is tasked with bringing home the remains of the powerful patriarch of the Pagnell family. But Wykeham’s arrival is fraught with tension. The Pagnells are reeling from their father’s death and they suspect Wykeham of having a hand in it. Day...