Bøger i The Owen Archer Series serien

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 Townleya former comrade-in-arms of Owen Archer. Burdened with a reputation as a notoriously jealous lover, Ned cannot hope to clear his name; even Mary, his ladylove, is unsure of the truth. Hoping to put Ned out of harm's way while solving the murder, Owen places his friend in charge of a mission to Rievaulx Abbey at the edge of the moors. But when the travelers receive news of Mary's drowning, Ned vanishes into the wild. Riding out in search of his old friend, Owen does not know whether he will be Ned's savior or executioner. With his one good eye, Owen sees more than most, but now he must find a way to penetrate the curtains of power that surround the Church and England's royal court and discover the truth of Ned's innocence or guilt... ';Robb continues to adeptly blend politics with period detail and three-dimensioned characterizations in the Owen Archer tales.' Publishers Weekly

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 Englandbut the hanging of a stonemason interrupts his plans. On the surface, it appears the young man was driven to suicide by a broken heart, but to Owen the signs all point to murder. As his investigation stretches on, however, Owen finds himself drawn into the influence of the leader of a Welsh rebellion whose manifesto speaks to his heart, and a choice is offered to him: join or die. Meanwhile, at home in York, Owen's wife, Lucie, is troubled by rumors that her husband's long absence is permanentas well as threats by a customer who claims she was poisoned by a physic from the Wilton apothecary. And while her husband remains distant, Lucie will be sorely tempted by the attentions of a friend's steward, even as she uncovers a shattering betrayal in her own household... ';A pleasing medieval series.' Library Journal

';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 and miracles. And death seems to ride in her wake. The archbishop sends Owen Archer to retrace the woman's journey, an investigation that leads him across the north from Leeds to Beverley to Scarborough. Along the way he encounters Geoffrey Chaucer, a spy for the king of England, who believes there is a connection between the nun's troubles, renegade mercenaries, and the powerful Percy family. Back in York, however, Owen's wife, Lucie, pregnant with their first child, has won the confidence of the mysterious nun and realizes that there are secrets hidden in the woman's seemingly mad ramblings... Based on an enigmatic entry in the records of Clementhorpe Nunnery, this authentic, gripping mystery conjures a fourteenth century ripe with forbidden passions and political intrigue. ';[Robb] lives up to the standard set by master medievalist Ellis Peters.' Booklist

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 Taverna room hastily vacated by a fellow guild member who had quarreled with the victim. Archbishop Thoresby calls on Owen Archer to investigate. As Owen tracks the fleeing merchant, he uncovers a conspiracy involving a powerful company of traders, but his only witness is a young boy who has gone into hiding, and his only suspect is a mysterious cloaked woman. When Owen discovers a link between the traders and a powerful coterie in the royal court, he brings his apothecary wife, Lucie, into the race to find the boy before he is silenced forever by the murderers. ';[Robb] lives up to the standard set by master medievalist Ellis Peters.' Booklist

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 apparently poisoned by a physic supplied by Master Apothecary Nicholas Wilton. In the wake of these deaths, the archbishop dispatches one-eyed spy Owen Archer to York to find the murderer. Under the guise of a disillusioned soldier keen to make a fresh start, Owen insinuates himself into Wilton's apothecary as an apprentice. But he finds Wilton bedridden, with the shop being run by his lovely, enigmatic wife, Lucie. As Owen unravels a tangled history of scandal and tragedy, he discovers at its center a desperate, forbidden love twisted over time into obsession. And the woman he has come to love is his prime suspect. ';Essential for historical fans.' Library Journal ';[Robb] lives up to the standard set by master medievalist Ellis Peters.' Booklist