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Hawkenlye Mysteries #4
The Chatter of the Maidens
The serenity of Hawkenlye Abbey has been disturbed by the arrival of a new nun and her two young sisters. Recently orphaned, Alba has left her convent in Ely to take her grieving sisters from the scene of their sorrow. Abbess Helewise is not convinced of her selflessnessSister Alba is a mean-spirited and turbulent presence. Her anxieties grow when her friend Josse d Acquin is brought to Hawkenlye, half-dead from blood poisoning. Then a body is discovered, and one of the sisters goes missing. In order to discover the truth behind Alba s flight to Hawkenlye, Helewise sets off for Ely, where sheuncovers a clever and chilling network of lies."
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
9 people are currently reading
289 people want to read
About the author
Alys Clare
46 books222 followersAlys Clare is the pen name used by Elizabeth Harris for the Hawkenlye series of historical mysteries.
Alys Clare is the pseudonym of a novelist with some 20 published works to her name. Brought up in the countryside close to where the Hawkenlye Novels are set, she went to school in Tonbridge and later studied archaeology at the University of Kent. She lives for part of the year in Brittany, in a remote cottage deep in an ancient landscape where many past inhabitants have left their mark; on her doorstep are relics that date from the stone circles and dolmens of the Neolithic to the commanderies, chapels and ancient tracks of those infamous warrior monks, the Knights Templar. In England, Alys's study overlooks a stretch of parkland which includes a valley with a little spring. The waters of this spring are similar in colour and taste to Tunbridge Wells's famous Chalybeat Spring, and it was this that prompted Alys's setting of her fictional Hawkenlye Abbey in the very spot where her own house now stands.
Alys Clare is the pseudonym of a novelist with some 20 published works to her name. Brought up in the countryside close to where the Hawkenlye Novels are set, she went to school in Tonbridge and later studied archaeology at the University of Kent. She lives for part of the year in Brittany, in a remote cottage deep in an ancient landscape where many past inhabitants have left their mark; on her doorstep are relics that date from the stone circles and dolmens of the Neolithic to the commanderies, chapels and ancient tracks of those infamous warrior monks, the Knights Templar. In England, Alys's study overlooks a stretch of parkland which includes a valley with a little spring. The waters of this spring are similar in colour and taste to Tunbridge Wells's famous Chalybeat Spring, and it was this that prompted Alys's setting of her fictional Hawkenlye Abbey in the very spot where her own house now stands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 7, 2023
La cuarta entrega de la serie de la abadía. Otra novela sencilla, sin complicaciones en la trama. Esto puede ser positivo o no, en función del tipo de lector. A mí estas novelas me sirven para “desconectar” de otro tipo de lecturas. La autora no se calienta los cascos en exceso, y si te gusta la temática medieval, puedes pasar un rato agradable. Además, el inglés utilizado, aunque más o menos adaptado a la época, no es nada complicado.
En esta entrega el caballero Josse d’Acquin permanece casi toda la novela convaleciente en la Abadía. Aún así, podrá prestar su ayuda a la abadesa Helewise con sus sabias reflexiones. Me gusta el “rollito” que se llevan estos dos. Espero que al final de la serie su relación se acreciente y haya “más madera”.
3 estrellas. A este tipo de novelas tampoco le pido más.
🌞🌞🌞
May 16, 2018
I know, it's sheer indulgence this series and reading the books doesn't involve much thinking, but I still love each and everyone of them.
February 10, 2014
I'm reading this series in order, along with the other favorite medieval series (Brother Athelstan, Catherine Levendeur, Abbess Hildegard, Prioress Eleanor, etc.) - I became hooked on Ellis Peters' wonderful Brother Cadfael series many years ago and have been on the hunt ever since for well-researched, intelligently written, character-driven historical mysteries ever since!
I won't bother with a summary, as that is handled above; I'd rather tell potential readers who haven't discovered this wonderful series why I enjoy them and why they should give them a try. Alys Clare's Hawkenlye series featuring Abbess Helewise and Josse D'Acquin have everything I enjoy - strong characters, well-written dialogue and evocative atmosphere that really brings England of 1190 to life. The king and Church are all-powerful, but there are abundant remnants in the countryside of the nature-based old religion, with the Forest Folk living deep in the woodlands surrounding Hawkenlye Abbey and the other-worldly atmosphere of the Fens to the north adding a mystical element in this series (and the Fens are the setting of Clare's other excellent Aelf Fen series, starring Lassair, a young healer and budding wise woman). I love that both of Clare's series feature strong women who have great gifts and are accorded the respect they deserve, but are very human, multi-faceted characters who stumble occasionally and rely on a wonderful community of friends/fellow religious to solve the mysteries they are drawn into - Sir Josse is a knight and local landowner and old friend of the abbess. Their warm, respectful relationship is a highlight of this series, but they are also only human and obviously attracted to each other; I'm glad to see looking ahead at book summaries that as the series develops the widowed Helewise and Josse's relationship will develop along interesting lines! I look forward to reading the rest of the series and highly recommend it to fans of Brother Cadfael, Brother Athelstan, Dame Frevisse, Abbess Hildegard and Prioress Eleanor.
I won't bother with a summary, as that is handled above; I'd rather tell potential readers who haven't discovered this wonderful series why I enjoy them and why they should give them a try. Alys Clare's Hawkenlye series featuring Abbess Helewise and Josse D'Acquin have everything I enjoy - strong characters, well-written dialogue and evocative atmosphere that really brings England of 1190 to life. The king and Church are all-powerful, but there are abundant remnants in the countryside of the nature-based old religion, with the Forest Folk living deep in the woodlands surrounding Hawkenlye Abbey and the other-worldly atmosphere of the Fens to the north adding a mystical element in this series (and the Fens are the setting of Clare's other excellent Aelf Fen series, starring Lassair, a young healer and budding wise woman). I love that both of Clare's series feature strong women who have great gifts and are accorded the respect they deserve, but are very human, multi-faceted characters who stumble occasionally and rely on a wonderful community of friends/fellow religious to solve the mysteries they are drawn into - Sir Josse is a knight and local landowner and old friend of the abbess. Their warm, respectful relationship is a highlight of this series, but they are also only human and obviously attracted to each other; I'm glad to see looking ahead at book summaries that as the series develops the widowed Helewise and Josse's relationship will develop along interesting lines! I look forward to reading the rest of the series and highly recommend it to fans of Brother Cadfael, Brother Athelstan, Dame Frevisse, Abbess Hildegard and Prioress Eleanor.
January 5, 2019
Abbess Helewise and the other nuns are dealing with a troublesome nun, Alba, who had come with her two younger sisters seeking admittance. Alba had indicated that they were recently orphaned and so she had brought her two sisters in order to help them make a fresh start in a new area. The problem was that Alba was not settling in to life at Hawkenlye in spite of saying she’d been a fully professed nun for 5 years. At about the same time, Josse D’Acquin is gravely ill and is brought to the Abbey with the hopes that they’ll be able to care for him. Helewise seeks to unravel the past of the three women and finds a complicated web of lies. Can she and the recovering Joss sort it out?
I'm enjoying this series more and more the further I get in to it. Josse and Helewise make a good pair and the other nuns are an enjoyable mix of characters. References are made in this one to people and situations in previous books so I feel like I'm seeing a progression instead of frozen moments in time. I look forward to going on.
I'm enjoying this series more and more the further I get in to it. Josse and Helewise make a good pair and the other nuns are an enjoyable mix of characters. References are made in this one to people and situations in previous books so I feel like I'm seeing a progression instead of frozen moments in time. I look forward to going on.
July 3, 2022
I think the genre now has the name 'a cosy mystery'. Which it certainly is – and a very good one. There are two murders and a suicide in a short space of time, probably not a bad attrition rate for medieval England in the 1190s, and a mystery of parentage, frustrated ambition and the warrior monks of the Knights Templar.
A great deal of the plot, and its charm, rides on the characters of the three maidens, Alba, Meriel and Berthe. They work well providing the heart of the mystery and most of the humour. However, it is often difficult to accept them as examples of medieval womanhood. Berthe, the youngest, could easily be mistaken for a cheeky, playful schoolgirl – cheeky was probably not a wise option for any girl in the Norman world – Meriel, a love-stricken teenager, has the angst and appetites of the twenty-first century as well as a secret of her own, while Alba struts about as a domineering Joan Crawford. They are not the only people out of their time. Sir Josse is a Norman lord yet has the manners and forceful personality of a lightweight civil servant. OK, I know he's ill but this is a man educated to believe that power rested in his sword, his destrier, and his absolute right to rule. Abbess Helewise could fit in easily into any soap opera as the motherly source of all wisdom and comfort for the unruly and aggressive.
To cap all of the medieval anachronisms there is the future of Jerome and Meriel. They are hopelessly in love and come through smiling. They have to travel into Norfolk to sort out Jerome's inheritance and, as Meriel explains to Helewise: “...we have to go to Denney [the home of the Knights Templar], to arrange about the legacy. We think we'll use it to set up home somewhere around here.” 'Around here' being Kent in the vicinity of Hawkenlye Abbey. It sounds so much like a young couple anxious to begin house hunting and get on the property ladder. Perhaps a small place in a renovated terrace to begin with. Meriel continues: “We can both work – Jerome was taught lots of skills by the monks, and I can help him. We won't have much, but we'll manage.” Yes, middle management and the middle class is beckoning for them while the rest of England is enjoying feudalism and serfdom.
Never mind, it's a cosy read not a history lesson.
A great deal of the plot, and its charm, rides on the characters of the three maidens, Alba, Meriel and Berthe. They work well providing the heart of the mystery and most of the humour. However, it is often difficult to accept them as examples of medieval womanhood. Berthe, the youngest, could easily be mistaken for a cheeky, playful schoolgirl – cheeky was probably not a wise option for any girl in the Norman world – Meriel, a love-stricken teenager, has the angst and appetites of the twenty-first century as well as a secret of her own, while Alba struts about as a domineering Joan Crawford. They are not the only people out of their time. Sir Josse is a Norman lord yet has the manners and forceful personality of a lightweight civil servant. OK, I know he's ill but this is a man educated to believe that power rested in his sword, his destrier, and his absolute right to rule. Abbess Helewise could fit in easily into any soap opera as the motherly source of all wisdom and comfort for the unruly and aggressive.
To cap all of the medieval anachronisms there is the future of Jerome and Meriel. They are hopelessly in love and come through smiling. They have to travel into Norfolk to sort out Jerome's inheritance and, as Meriel explains to Helewise: “...we have to go to Denney [the home of the Knights Templar], to arrange about the legacy. We think we'll use it to set up home somewhere around here.” 'Around here' being Kent in the vicinity of Hawkenlye Abbey. It sounds so much like a young couple anxious to begin house hunting and get on the property ladder. Perhaps a small place in a renovated terrace to begin with. Meriel continues: “We can both work – Jerome was taught lots of skills by the monks, and I can help him. We won't have much, but we'll manage.” Yes, middle management and the middle class is beckoning for them while the rest of England is enjoying feudalism and serfdom.
Never mind, it's a cosy read not a history lesson.
September 28, 2018
Quarta avventura della serie, con protagonista quasi assoluta la Badessa Helewise. La vicenda gialla si stempera moltissimo nella descrizione degli avvenimenti vissuti dai protagonisti e sembra solo un pretesto per presentare nuovi personaggi e approfondire la conoscenza di quelli già comparsi nei precedenti. Senza scendere troppo nei dettagli, si portano avanti anche riferimenti alle prime tre avventure, lasciando campo libero ad un eventuale ritorno dei temi lascianti per il momento in sospeso. Non è la lettura adatta per chi cerca un thriller mozzafiato, ma è veloce e gradevole per trascorrere un pomeriggio in tranquillità.
February 9, 2020
Libro que pertenece a una serie protagonizada por la abadesa de una abadía, que se dedica a resolver crímenes cometidos en los alrededores, ayudada por sus subordinados y por un noble local.
En esta ocasión, se encuentran con un peregrino asesinado; además de querer conocer la verdad cobre una novicia y sus hermanas a las que han acogido en la abadía.
Es una serie interesante, aunque profundiza poco en la sociedad de la época.
La trama, interesante, aunque previsible.
En esta ocasión, se encuentran con un peregrino asesinado; además de querer conocer la verdad cobre una novicia y sus hermanas a las que han acogido en la abadía.
Es una serie interesante, aunque profundiza poco en la sociedad de la época.
La trama, interesante, aunque previsible.
June 24, 2022
Good but sad story
September 5, 2019
Una nueva entrega de los Misterios de la Abadía. Cuarta aventura de la abadesa Helewise y el caballero Josse d´Aquín, en la Inglaterra medieval.
En esta ocasión, será Helewise la que deberá enfrentarse a la resolución de los asesinatos, deberá salir de su zona de confort y adentrarse en una peligrosa travesía, ya que, Josse se encuentra postrado en cama. Su única compañía y ayuda serán dos monjes legos de su comunidad, en los que confía plenamente.
Otra entretenida aventura de estos dos peculiares investigadores.
En esta ocasión, será Helewise la que deberá enfrentarse a la resolución de los asesinatos, deberá salir de su zona de confort y adentrarse en una peligrosa travesía, ya que, Josse se encuentra postrado en cama. Su única compañía y ayuda serán dos monjes legos de su comunidad, en los que confía plenamente.
Otra entretenida aventura de estos dos peculiares investigadores.
August 6, 2024
Definitely enjoyed this one and I would rate it 3.5 stars, if I could.
The Chatter of the Maidens follows directly on from "The Tavern in the Morning", with Sir Josse seriously ill at Hawkenlye's Infirmary and Abbess Helewise taking the lead with investigations.
Many characters make returns and they are beginning to feel like old friends as this series continues to develop.
This is the fourth in the Hawkenlye series and I am used to the author's writing style and as I said above, her characters and their characterisations.
Highly recommended if you enjoy historical whodunnits.
The Chatter of the Maidens follows directly on from "The Tavern in the Morning", with Sir Josse seriously ill at Hawkenlye's Infirmary and Abbess Helewise taking the lead with investigations.
Many characters make returns and they are beginning to feel like old friends as this series continues to develop.
This is the fourth in the Hawkenlye series and I am used to the author's writing style and as I said above, her characters and their characterisations.
Highly recommended if you enjoy historical whodunnits.
February 24, 2019
Another good mystery and cast of characters. Reading between the lines I get a sense that there is an growing attraction between Josse and Abbess Helewise. She came to the convent after she had two sons was widowed. Hmmm...not sure how they're going to work that out. It seems that every time a love interest for Josse is included in a story, it doesn't work out. My plan is to complete this series. There is some good history included without too much filler. Recommend.
November 22, 2022
Recently orphaned Alba and her two sisters turn up at Hawkenlye, claiming to have left a convent at Ely. However Abbess Helewise can’t quite believe the story, then Jose is bought into the infirmary suffering from blood poisoning. When a body is discovered and one of the sisters goes missing, Helewise decides she had to investigate.
July 22, 2023
Setting, pacing, and characterization are all excellent. But the plot has a big hole: the author makes no attempt to explain why Bastien (or whatever his name is) would avoid the Abbess until the last minute; surely anyone in his position would want to confer with her as soon as their paths cross?
November 24, 2017
Entertaining
This book kept me entertained throughout so, 5 stars. If you enjoy historical fantasy this book is a good bet for a few hours escape from the humdrum.
This book kept me entertained throughout so, 5 stars. If you enjoy historical fantasy this book is a good bet for a few hours escape from the humdrum.
November 29, 2017
This series keeps getting better. I really like the character development along with the historical aspects of the story. Each story brings in another part of social history of the times.
April 30, 2018
This was my purse book. I read it only while waiting for taxies or if I forgot my regular book.
June 12, 2020
Well done. Great plot re: Alba and her sisters.
December 1, 2021
Really good story, well told.
July 2, 2008
THE CHATTER OF THE MAIDENS (Hist Myst-a Hawkenlye Mystery-England-1190) – G+
Clare, Alys – 4th in series
Hodder & Stoughton, 2001, UK Hardcover – ISBN:0340793279
First Sentence: The fire took hold quickly.
Josse d’Acquin lies ill in the infirmary at Hawkenlye Abby leaving Abbess Helewise to deal with a new nun and her sisters, all recently orphaned. Alba left her convent at Ely so she, and her sisters, could start in a new place.
A stranger is found murdered, one sister disappears and Alba’s actions belie her calling, forcing Helewise to sequester Alba in a locked chamber. In order to decide what action to take, Helewise must travel to Ely and the girl’s home in order to learn of their past and determine their future.
The Hawkenlye books remind me a bit of S.J. Rozen’s series in that the Abbess and Josse take turns as lead protagonist in each book. This story belongs to the Abbess.
It’s a classic traditional mystery set in a medieval time where the church play a predominate role in the characters’ lives but there is a touch of the ancient druid as well. The Abbess and Josse are wonderful characters—the nun and the warrior—and an excellent balance to each other, each with their own strengths.
The mystery is compelling and as much psychological as it is physical. I am always fascinated by details of medieval life. Highly recommended for lovers of historical mysteries, I am pleased to know I have many more books ahead of me in this series.
Clare, Alys – 4th in series
Hodder & Stoughton, 2001, UK Hardcover – ISBN:0340793279
First Sentence: The fire took hold quickly.
Josse d’Acquin lies ill in the infirmary at Hawkenlye Abby leaving Abbess Helewise to deal with a new nun and her sisters, all recently orphaned. Alba left her convent at Ely so she, and her sisters, could start in a new place.
A stranger is found murdered, one sister disappears and Alba’s actions belie her calling, forcing Helewise to sequester Alba in a locked chamber. In order to decide what action to take, Helewise must travel to Ely and the girl’s home in order to learn of their past and determine their future.
The Hawkenlye books remind me a bit of S.J. Rozen’s series in that the Abbess and Josse take turns as lead protagonist in each book. This story belongs to the Abbess.
It’s a classic traditional mystery set in a medieval time where the church play a predominate role in the characters’ lives but there is a touch of the ancient druid as well. The Abbess and Josse are wonderful characters—the nun and the warrior—and an excellent balance to each other, each with their own strengths.
The mystery is compelling and as much psychological as it is physical. I am always fascinated by details of medieval life. Highly recommended for lovers of historical mysteries, I am pleased to know I have many more books ahead of me in this series.
July 13, 2009
I have been a fan of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series forever it seems and when I saw this on the cozy mystery list my favorite homebased bookseller, Our Lady of the Books Pamala, I wanted to try this new to me series.
Abbess Helewise is wise, kind, takes wonderful care of the nuns and people in her charge. I'm not sure of her history yet, but it seems as though she was married at one point and has a history with Josse d'Acquin, the knight brought to Hawkenlye. The abbey is known for its care of the sick and injured and Josse is in good hands with the nuns.
Then the three orphaned sisters arrive on the doorstep of Hawkenlye and the whole abbey is in an uproar. The younger sisters, Berthe and Meriel, are docile and sweet. The eldest, Alba, is completely the opposite with a disruptive arrogant nature. She goes so far as to attack Helewise and getting put in solitary confinement until Helewise can get to the bottom of the fractured story the sisters tell.
Murder and characters who aren't all who they appear..perfect mystery fodder. Set it in medieval times in an abbey, have some herblore, travels across England, forest dwellers, disturbed minds, and Knights Templar...it's a ye olde humdinger!
It will definitely not be my last foray into the world of Abbess Helewise. There are 12 books in the series, this is number 4, and I am going to do my best to find and read each one.
Five ye olde cozy mystery beans....
Abbess Helewise is wise, kind, takes wonderful care of the nuns and people in her charge. I'm not sure of her history yet, but it seems as though she was married at one point and has a history with Josse d'Acquin, the knight brought to Hawkenlye. The abbey is known for its care of the sick and injured and Josse is in good hands with the nuns.
Then the three orphaned sisters arrive on the doorstep of Hawkenlye and the whole abbey is in an uproar. The younger sisters, Berthe and Meriel, are docile and sweet. The eldest, Alba, is completely the opposite with a disruptive arrogant nature. She goes so far as to attack Helewise and getting put in solitary confinement until Helewise can get to the bottom of the fractured story the sisters tell.
Murder and characters who aren't all who they appear..perfect mystery fodder. Set it in medieval times in an abbey, have some herblore, travels across England, forest dwellers, disturbed minds, and Knights Templar...it's a ye olde humdinger!
It will definitely not be my last foray into the world of Abbess Helewise. There are 12 books in the series, this is number 4, and I am going to do my best to find and read each one.
Five ye olde cozy mystery beans....
June 16, 2012
picked this up at Manchester BookCrossing meeting today - nice size for lunch-time reading and I like medieval mysteries. 26th May 2012.
I'm not sure if this really is on a par with any of the Cadfael stories as the cover suggests, but Abbess Helewise makes a likeable detective, and the story is well-paced even though the "mystery" doesn't feel all that mysterious!
I do find odd etails niggle at the back of the mind though. Surely rose bay willow herb wouldn't have been growing in profusion in an English village in 1190? I seem to remember that it's an American import, not a native....
I'm not sure if this really is on a par with any of the Cadfael stories as the cover suggests, but Abbess Helewise makes a likeable detective, and the story is well-paced even though the "mystery" doesn't feel all that mysterious!
I do find odd etails niggle at the back of the mind though. Surely rose bay willow herb wouldn't have been growing in profusion in an English village in 1190? I seem to remember that it's an American import, not a native....
April 13, 2009
Not a bad read if you're looking for a light mystery. I really like the main character (detective?) Helewise, the Mother Superior of an 11th-century abbey. They story picks up too much momentum 3/4 of the way through, and the whole denoument feels rushed. I won't seek out any more of this author's books, but if one happens to come my way I'll give it a try.
July 17, 2011
I enjoyed the first two books in this series, but the second two have lacked the character chemistry, period detail and plotting that kept me reading, relying instead on angst, secondary characters and ah-ha moments. Not bad books but disappointing. I have several more on the shelf, hopefully the pendulum will swing back.
May 22, 2016
Feels a bit rushed towards the end, but still a good installment in the series. While I wouldn't call the Hawkenlye mysteries light, exactly - there's death and murder aplenty - they're definitely easy, quick reads. Engaging and interesting, with plenty of good characters (from all generations, which is great).
In this book Helewise gets to go on a road trip as well. :)
In this book Helewise gets to go on a road trip as well. :)
July 28, 2021
Another Hawkenlye mystery with its usual mix of medieval christianity and pagan religion tensions.
Read first October 26, 2010.
I'm rereading these Hawkenlye mysteries and enjoying meeting again Josse d'Acquin and Abbess Helewise.
Read first October 26, 2010.
I'm rereading these Hawkenlye mysteries and enjoying meeting again Josse d'Acquin and Abbess Helewise.
July 2, 2016
A bit rushed towards the end, but still a good installment in the series. Engaging and interesting, with plenty of good characters from all generations, which is great. A lovely, quick, and easy read.
February 9, 2010
Loving the continued interface between the Christian and Pagan worlds in this series.
April 24, 2016
Another intriguing mystery set at Hawkenlye Abbey.
September 14, 2014
Not the strongest entry in the Hawkenlye series, but intensely readable. A nice break, actually, after the emotional wallop of the previous book :) One of the stronger "villains," however.
August 5, 2016
Enjoyed it very much. Good plot line and enjoyable characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews