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Heresy (Catherine LeVendeur #8)

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 179 ratings · 10 reviews

A Catherine LeVendeur mystery

Catherine LeVendeur is a creature of twelfth-century France. Her life is a mirror of that time but she is a unique spirit, determined to make her way in the world and armed with a keen mind and a curiosity that often puts her in peril. Her life is both a reflection of the bonds placed upon a woman in her society and the ways in which a strong p...more A Catherine LeVendeur mystery

Catherine LeVendeur is a creature of twelfth-century France. Her life is a mirror of that time but she is a unique spirit, determined to make her way in the world and armed with a keen mind and a curiosity that often puts her in peril. Her life is both a reflection of the bonds placed upon a woman in her society and the ways in which a strong personality can triumph and succeed in spite of those strictures. Catherine is fiercely loyal to both her faith and her family . . . and this loyalty is sometimes sorely tested because of a dreaded family secret. Raised a devout Catholic, she knows that if her family’s Jewish roots are exposed, all she loves will be destroyed.

But how far will she go to protect that secret? When her dearest friend in the world, Astrolabe, the son of the fabled theologian Peter Abelard and Heloise, flees wrongful prosecution for the vicious murder of a young woman, Catherine’s family takes him in to hide. But there are darker forces than murder at work here. Someone wishes to use Astrolabe to complete the destruction of his father’s fame in the name of faith . . . and there are those who would see the destruction of the very order of Christian life.

And Catherine’s family is caught right in the middle of the conflict. While she has experienced love and loss, her life is committed to preserving what peace she can for those she loves. How far will Catherine go to save her friend, and what will this sacrifice do to her family’s future?

Heresy is the eighth title in Sharan Newman's critically acclaimed Catherine LeVendeur medieval mystery series. Sharan Newman has used extensive research to give us a fascinating panorama of twelfth-century France that is rich in historical detail, and she puts flesh to bone by creating portraits of people who are not so different from ourselves. Filled with fascinating details of medieval life and the intricate interplay between the Christian and Jewish cultures of the time, Heresy is a compelling mystery and a riveting historical rolled into one.
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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published December 6th 2002 by Tom Doherty Associates (first published December 1st 2002)

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Feb 15, 2010 Spuddie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

#8 Catherine LeVendeur historical mystery set in France. Catherine, once again pregnant, sets out to help her friend Astrolabe, son of the infamous Heloise and Abelard. He became entangled with a group of heretics and is being pursued by an old enemy of his father's who hopes to frame him for the murder of a nun. Edgar and Solomon are off to Spain on a business trip and Catherine and the children are off to the Paraclete with Astrolabe disguised as one of their guards, and eventually end up atte...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Kellyann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I loved the Council of Reims setting, the focus on Astrolabe (oddly named son of Heloise and Peter Aberlard) and some other new characters, and the fact that we had a reprieve from the Jewish/Christian conflict . . . in the form of an orthodoxy/heresy conflict. (Truly: it's nice to have something different once in a while). Newman's fiction is a very enjoyable history lesson.

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Aug 28, 2011 Sandi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-mystery-thriller-suspense, historical-fiction, read-2011

Catherine and a few friends end up at the Council of Reims to help Astrolabe fight an accusation of both murder and heresy. This was another fascinating entry in this historical series. Newman is a master of creating characters you believe in and weaving historical details (especially religious beliefs and their effects) into fairly plausible mystery plots.

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May 04, 2012 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have always enjoyed these books by Sharan Newman and wish there were more. The historical detail is wonderful.

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Apr 14, 2009 Terry rated it 3 of 5 stars

interesting so far...

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Apr 28, 2009 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, mystery-historical, read-in-2009, read-since-august-2006

Much better than the previous book, but I feel that there isn't anything left to say about these characters. I no longer have any curiosity about their lives, with the possible exception of Margaret.

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May 19, 2013 Jewell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads

Another decent installment in the series. It held my attention mildly well but was never gripping. I read these books to see what will happen to Catherine and her family not for the mystery.

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Apr 26, 2011 Sylvia Salsbury rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is my first book by this Author. It's a different genre than I usually read, but so far it is interesting and I think I'll finish it.

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May 25, 2008 Valerie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was a little slow. But I learned a lot of history from it. I would read another book in this series.

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Jul 26, 2007 Kathy Moberg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another good addition to a favorite series.

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May 24, 2013 Erin marked it as to-read

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Apr 27, 2013 Kenzlei marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 20, 2013 Emily Lovelace rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 12, 2013 Karen marked it as to-read

Apr 10, 2013 Igraine marked it as auf-gar-keinen-fall

Apr 09, 2013 Paige rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cozy-mystery, historical-fiction

May 04, 2013 KJ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mar 30, 2013 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery

Mar 26, 2013 Alison marked it as to-read

Mar 25, 2013 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

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Mar 08, 2013 Diane Braun rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-mystery-novels, mystery-novels

Mar 06, 2013 Catherine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 06, 2013 Tracy Sutherland rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, mysteries

Mar 05, 2013 Jenn M marked it as mystery-historical-other

Feb 28, 2013 Peg Pond rated it 4 of 5 stars

Feb 28, 2013 Jewls marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Feb 27, 2013 Carly rated it 3 of 5 stars

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About Sharan Newman

Sharan Newman is a medieval historian and author. She took her Master’s degree in Medieval Literature at Michigan State University and then did her doctoral work at the University of California at Santa Barbara in Medieval Studies, specializing in twelfth-century France. She is a member of the Medieval Academy and the Medieval Association of the Pacific.

Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her e...more Sharan Newman is a medieval historian and author. She took her Master’s degree in Medieval Literature at Michigan State University and then did her doctoral work at the University of California at Santa Barbara in Medieval Studies, specializing in twelfth-century France. She is a member of the Medieval Academy and the Medieval Association of the Pacific.

Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her education to write novels set in the Middle Ages, including three Arthurian fantasies and ten mysteries set in twelfth-century France, featuring Catherine LeVendeur a one-time student of Heloise at the Paraclete, her husband, Edgar, an Anglo-Scot and Solomon, a Jewish merchant of Paris. The books focus on the life of the bourgeoisie and minor nobility and also the uneasy relations between Christians and Jews at that time. They also incorporate events of the twelfth-century such as the Second Crusade and the rise of the Cathars.

For these books, Newman has done research at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France Méridionale et Espagne at the University of Toulouse and the Institute for Jewish History at the University of Trier, as well as many departmental archives.

The Catherine Levendeur mysteries have been nominated for many awards. Sharan won the Macavity Award for best first mystery for Death Comes As Epiphany and the Herodotus Award for best historical mystery of 1998 for Cursed in the Blood. The most recent book in the series The Witch in the Well won the Bruce Alexander award for best Historical mystery of 2004.

Just for a change, her next mystery, The Shanghai Tunnel is set in Portland in 1868.

The Shanghai Tunnel allowed Sharan Newman to explore the history of the city she grew up in. She found that the history she had been taught in school had been seriously whitewashed. Doing research in the city archives as well as the collections at Reed College and the Oregon Historical society was exciting and eye-opening. Many of the “founding fathers” of Portland turn out to have been unscrupulous financiers. Chinese workers were subject to discrimination and there was an active red light district.

On the other hand, Portland in the post-Civil War period also saw some amazingly liberal movements. Women’s rights were an important issue as was religious toleration. Even at that early date, preserving the natural environment was hotly debated.

This is the world in which Emily Stratton, the widow of a Portland merchant and the daughter of missionaries to China, finds herself.

Newman has written a non-fiction book, The Real History Behind the Da Vince Code Berkley 2005. It is in encyclopedia format and gives information on various topics mentioned in Dan Brown’s novel. Following on that she has just completed the Real History Behind the Templars published by Berkley in September of 2007.

She lives on a mountainside in Oregon.

(Text taken from: http://www.sharannewman.com/bio.html )(less)

More about Sharan Newman...

Books by Sharan Newman

Death Comes As Epiphany (Catherine LeVendeur, #1)

The Devil's Door (Catherine LeVendeur, #2)

Strong As Death (Catherine LeVendeur, #4)

The Wandering Arm (Catherine LeVendeur, #3)

The Difficult Saint (Catherine LeVendeur, #6)

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Heresy (Catherine LeVendeur #8)

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