A Vigil of Spies

Candace Robb

Jul 2015 · Diversion Publishing Corp.

About this ebook

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 this decision, the dying archbishop agrees to a visit from Joan, Princess of Wales, wife of the Black Prince, heir to the throne of England. Thoresby’s captain of the guard, Owen Archer, has no doubt that trouble will follow.
 
As soon as the company rides into the palace yard he is proved right: they arrive burdened with the body of one of their party, and Owen finds evidence the man’s death was no accident. Within days of this discovery, a courier carrying an urgent message for the archbishop is found hanging in the woods. With guards surrounding the property, it is clear the murderer walks among the palace guests. The powerful Percy and Neville families are well represented in the entourage, including a woman who remembers an afternoon tryst with Owen as much, much more. Even the princess’s son is suspect. As Owen races to unmask the guilty and rid the palace of the royal party, his final wish for his lord is that he might die in peace . . .
 
“As always, Candace Robb writes a powerful story intertwined with genuine characters of the day.” —Historical Novels Review
 

Ratings and reviews

A wonderful complicated murder mystery! Owen and his family have become fascinating friends?

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.