The Apothecary Rose

Candace Robb

Jul 2015 · Diversion Publishing Corp.

About this ebook

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
 

Ratings and reviews

I liked the setting and characters. The mystery was adequate as well. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

slow to start, but good in the end

About the author

Candace Robb is a writer and historian with a focus on fourteenth and early fifteenth century Britain. Her novels are set in the late thirteenth through early fifteenth centuries. She has published two books in the Kate Clifford mysteries (The Service of the Dead, A Twisted Vengeance), with the third set to come out in September 2018, A Murdered Peace. There are ten Owen Archer mysteries—so far (The Apothecary Rose, The Lady Chapel, The Nun’s Tale, The King’s Bishop, The Riddle of St Leonard’s, A Gift of Sanctuary, A Spy for the Redeemer, The Cross-Legged Knight, The Guilt of Innocents, and A Vigil of Spies) and the Margaret Kerr trilogy (A Trust Betrayed, The Fire in the Flint, and A Cruel Courtship). An Owen Archer short story, “The Bone Jar” that was published in a CWA anthology and then Ellery Queen Magazine, and is now available as an ebook, and one contemporary crime short story, “Karma,” in Murder Past, Murder Present, Twilight Times Books 2009, a project of the American Crime Writers League.