Author:Candace Robb
Full of intrigue and twists and turns, this is a compelling and captivating murder mystery written by Candace Robb - expertly skilled at weaving suspense with a real sense of history. Fans of Ellis Peters, S J Parris, Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell will not be disappointed!
'Meticulously researched, authentic and gripping' -- Yorkshire Evening Post
'As full of intrigue as a Deighton or a le Carré' -- Guardian
'Keeps you turning the pages in anticipation!' -- ***** Reader review
'I love The Owen Archer Series and I intend to read everyone of them. I am hooked!' -- ***** Reader review
'Great story with lots of twists and turns' -- ***** Reader review
'An excellent story, well written and keep you in suspense' -- ***** Reader review
'My lack of sleep over the past few days has had more to do with wanting to stay glued to the story than insomnia' -- ***** Reader review
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ONE FAKED DEATH; ONE MURDER; ONE MYSTERIOUS YEAR...
When a young nun, Joanna Calverley, dies of fever in the town of Beverley, they waste no time in burying her, fearing the plague.
But nine months later a woman turns up claiming to be Joanna, saying she faked her own death.
When murder follows close on her heels, John Thoresby, Archbishop of York, knows he must enlist the help of his favourite detective, Owen Archer. While Owen sets off for Leeds and Scarborough to speak with the Percy family and Geoffrey Chaucer, who is spying for the King, his wife Lucie tries to discover from Joanna the events of her missing year.
Soldiers fleeing to France, relic-trading and incest are just a few of the secrets which emerge.
Can Archer unravel the mystery surrounding this nun?
Sheehan handles the courtroom stuff like a pro, dragging us through cross-examinations and procedural challenges with deftly hewn dialogue.
—— The TimesSheehan has written an outstanding legal debut full of rich characters. Full marks!
—— Independent on SundaySheehan's book is a powerful polemic against the American legal system and above all against the death penalty.
—— Literary ReviewA morbidly entertaining novel that outdoes the competition.
—— New York TimesExhilarating... I want to crown Ariana Franklin Queen of the Historical Mystery!
—— Tess GerritsenEntertaining, well researched and well written
—— JOANNE HARRISGreat fun! Franklin succeeds in vividly bringing the 12th century to life with this cracking good story. Expertly researched, a brilliant heroine, full of excellent period detail
—— Kate Mosse, author of LABYRINTHA skilful blend of historical fact and gruesome fiction
—— Publishers WeeklyTerrific... Wonderfully plotted. It's a historical mystery that succeeds brilliantly as both historical fiction and crime-thriller
—— Diana Gabaldon , WASHINGTON POST...A morbidly entertaining novel that outdoes the competition
—— NY TimesDelightfully original
—— LITERARY REVIEW, June 2007Brilliant...A ripper, peopled with vivid characters.
—— THE DAILY TELEGRAPHThe deserved winner of this year's Ellis Peters Historical Dagger is a cunningly plotted tale set in medieval Cambridge. A serial killer is at large, and the Jews are blamed. Henry I offers protection because he needs the money. He sends a medical examiner - a master of the art of death - to find the killer. Great stuff
—— THE OBSERVERGruesome and compelling
—— Evening StandardNorwegian star Jo Nesbo has obliterated most of his Scandinavian rivals in the bestseller stakes, with The Leopard published in paperback this week... The uncrowned king of Norwegian crime fiction is Jo Nesbo. Books such as The Redbreast (2000) and his imposing novel The Snowman have propelled Nesbo to the heights. Apart from its narrative finesse, his work also provides a coolly objective guide to fluctuations in Norwegian society. There is also a universal feeling that his work is more strikingly individual than that of most of his Scandinavian colleagues... Harry is a lone wolf, a chronic alcoholic separated from his wife and child but in touch with the zeitgeist of his country. And Nesbo gives us a sharp picture of Norwegian society in flux, crammed with relevant detail - as you might expect from an ex-freelance journalist, particularly where the role of the media is described
—— Barry Forshaw , IndependentNesbo has a skill for dispatching his victims with increasing inventiveness, and he barely lets you draw breath before delivering a virtuoso torture and death scene in the opening chapter
—— ShortlistThe plot is intriguing, and Nesbo's writing is as taught as ever
—— Sunday TimesIt's fascinating to discover, from the incident details, what it is like to live for much of the time in a world under snow... Nesbo writes beautifully
—— Jessica Mann , Literary ReviewThere are passages [which are] so anatomically gruesome...that they can only be properly read through the gaps between protecting fingers
—— ProspectNorwegian star Jo Nesbo has obliterated most of his Scandinavian rivals in the bestseller stakes, with The Leopard published in paperback this week...The uncrowned king of Norwegian crime fiction is Jo Nesbo. Books such as The Redbreast (2000) and his imposing novel The Snowman have propelled Nesbo to the heights. Apart from its narrative finesse, his work also provides a coolly objective guide to fluctuations in Norwegian society. There is also a universal feeling that his work is more strikingly individual than that of most of his Scandinavian colleagues...Harry is a lone wolf, a chronic alcoholic separated from his wife and child but in touch with the zeitgeist of his country. And Nesbo gives us a sharp picture of Norwegian society in flux, crammed with relevant detail - as you might expect from an ex - freelance journalist, particularly where the role of the media is described
—— Independent