A Cruel Courtship (44 page)

Trouble precedes them: a body in the Duke’s livery is left at the city gates. And when Owen rides on to Cydweli he finds the household of the steward and his beautiful young wife rocked by the theft of money from the exchequer and riven by tension, culminating in another violent attack. He must work fast to investigate charges of treachery, infidelity and murder if he is to prevent further deaths.

Political skullduggery, passion and ambition clash in this intriguing, evocative and compelling novel which vividly conjures up the medieval world.

‘Robb deftly interweaves a complex story of love, passion and
murder into the troubled and tangled fabric of Welsh history,
fashioning a rich and satisfying novel’
Publishers Weekly

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Candace Robb

An Owen Archer Mystery

Late spring, the year of our Lord 1370. Owen Archer, ex-soldier and spy, is preparing to depart Wales, his work for John of Gaunt completed. But his attempts to arrange safe passage home to York are thwarted by a mysterious suicide.

In York Lucie Wilton is disheartened by her husband’s long absence and concerned by allegations against her apothecary. Then Brother Michaelo brings upsetting news, forcing her to journey to her father’s manor outside the city. Increasingly desperate, she accepts the company of a stranger, who proves invaluable when they face danger.

Angered by Owen’s prolonged absence, aware of malicious rumours, John Thoresby, Archbishop of York, orders his return. But Owen’s stay in the land of his birth has created divided loyalties in him. And those who serve the Welsh rebel leader would have Owen sign up to fight and never go home …

‘A real page-turner with lots of intrigue, murder and general
derring-do’
Historical Novels Review

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Candace Robb

An Owen Archer Mystery

England, 1371. A solemn convoy wends its way into York. William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, is bringing home the remains of Sir Ranulf Pagnell. But the Pagnell family holds the bishop responsible for Sir Ranulf’s death …

An accident in the grounds of York Minster nearly kills the bishop. Then, only a few days later, 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 one-eyed spy Owen Archer is called to the scene and immediately starts asking questions. Was the fire an accident or arson? Was the woman trapped or the fire started to conceal a corpse? When it appears the dead woman was a midwife known to many of the city’s women, including Lucie, Owen’s wife, his quest becomes personal.

‘It’s … the Machiavellian intrigue that makes this such an
enjoyable read. When the iron curtain came down people said the
spy-thriller genre was dead. They were wrong. This is as full of
intrigue as a Deighton or a Le Carré’
Guardian

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