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Owen Archer #9
The Guilt of Innocents
It's...the Machiavellian intrigue that makes this such an enjoyable read. When the iron curtain came down people said the spy-thriller genre was dead. They were wrong. This is as full of intrigue as a Deighton or a Le Carre." -THE GUARDIAN
Winter in the year of our Lord 1372. A river pilot falls into the icy waters of the River Ouse during a skirmish between dockworkers and the boys of the minster school, which include Owen Archer's adopted son Jasper. But what began as a confrontation to return a boy's stolen scrip becomes a murder investigation as the rescuers find the pilot dying of wounds inflicted before his plunge into the river. When another body is fished from the river upstream and Owen discovers that the boy Jasper sought to help has disappeared, Owen Archer convinces the archbishop that he must go in search of the boy. His lost scrip seems to hold the key to the double tragedy, but his disappearance leaves troubling did he flee in fear? Or was he abducted?
On the cusp of this new mystery, Owen accepts Jasper's offer to accompany him to the boy's home in the countryside, where they learn that a valuable cross has gone missing. A devastating fire and another drowning force Owen to make impossible choices, endangering not only himself, but the two innocents he fights to protect. The bond between fathers and sons proves strong, even between those not linked by blood.
Winter in the year of our Lord 1372. A river pilot falls into the icy waters of the River Ouse during a skirmish between dockworkers and the boys of the minster school, which include Owen Archer's adopted son Jasper. But what began as a confrontation to return a boy's stolen scrip becomes a murder investigation as the rescuers find the pilot dying of wounds inflicted before his plunge into the river. When another body is fished from the river upstream and Owen discovers that the boy Jasper sought to help has disappeared, Owen Archer convinces the archbishop that he must go in search of the boy. His lost scrip seems to hold the key to the double tragedy, but his disappearance leaves troubling did he flee in fear? Or was he abducted?
On the cusp of this new mystery, Owen accepts Jasper's offer to accompany him to the boy's home in the countryside, where they learn that a valuable cross has gone missing. A devastating fire and another drowning force Owen to make impossible choices, endangering not only himself, but the two innocents he fights to protect. The bond between fathers and sons proves strong, even between those not linked by blood.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
168 people are currently reading
518 people want to read
About the author
Candace Robb
48 books511 followersStoryteller, mythweaver, author of the Owen Archer, Kate Clifford, & Margaret Kerr mysteries. Primary residence, medieval York.
I blog about writing, medieval history, writing women's stories, and feature new scholarship in my field at candacerobbbooks.com, and share loads of medieval news, folklore, and whimsy on my facebook page, Candace Robb
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 18, 2021
This superb medieval mystery is the 9th volume of the amazing "Owen Archer" series, from the US author, Candace Robb.
Story-telling is of a top-notch quality, all very lifelike and believable characters, whether they are real historical or wonderful fictional, come vividly to life within this medieval mystery of murder and mayhem, while York and surrounding areas and with it its inhabitants are beautifully pictured.
At the beginning of the book you'll find a well-drawn map of 14th Century York, as well as a short but informative Glossary.
At the back of the book you'll notice a very well documented Author's Note, where the historical details concerning this tale are greatly explained by the author.
The book is set in November of the year AD 1372, and we find our main protagonist, Owen Archer, and his family full in action in and around York.
In this episode we find not only Owen Archer investigating the cases of murder and thefts with the Bailiff Hempe, or with his second-in-command Alfred, but also in attendance during these cases is his adoptive son, Jasper, and he's proving to be a clever observer, investigator and spy.
What is to come is a tremendous well executed, fast-paced and action-packed medieval mystery, accompanied with a great storyline followed with a superbly worked-out plot, in which in the end the culprit of the murders will be revealed in a most entertaining way, and finally there's an enjoyable ending with a new addition to the family to be welcomed by Lucie, Owen and their other children with a baby girl called, Emma.
Highly recommended, for this series is in my opinion getting better all the time, and this adventure is for certain a superb addition to this fantastic series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Marvellous Owen & Jasper Collaboration"!
Story-telling is of a top-notch quality, all very lifelike and believable characters, whether they are real historical or wonderful fictional, come vividly to life within this medieval mystery of murder and mayhem, while York and surrounding areas and with it its inhabitants are beautifully pictured.
At the beginning of the book you'll find a well-drawn map of 14th Century York, as well as a short but informative Glossary.
At the back of the book you'll notice a very well documented Author's Note, where the historical details concerning this tale are greatly explained by the author.
The book is set in November of the year AD 1372, and we find our main protagonist, Owen Archer, and his family full in action in and around York.
In this episode we find not only Owen Archer investigating the cases of murder and thefts with the Bailiff Hempe, or with his second-in-command Alfred, but also in attendance during these cases is his adoptive son, Jasper, and he's proving to be a clever observer, investigator and spy.
What is to come is a tremendous well executed, fast-paced and action-packed medieval mystery, accompanied with a great storyline followed with a superbly worked-out plot, in which in the end the culprit of the murders will be revealed in a most entertaining way, and finally there's an enjoyable ending with a new addition to the family to be welcomed by Lucie, Owen and their other children with a baby girl called, Emma.
Highly recommended, for this series is in my opinion getting better all the time, and this adventure is for certain a superb addition to this fantastic series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Marvellous Owen & Jasper Collaboration"!
January 12, 2020
Inverno, fuoco e vino speziato …
York, Inghilterra. Inverno 1372. Owen Archer, ex arciere del Re ed ora capitano delle guardie dell’arcivescovo Thoresby, si trova ad investigare su un duplice omicidio commesso tra le mura di York.
«Secondo la credenza popolare, le ferite di un cadavere riprendono a sanguinare quando si avvicina il suo assassino …»
Tra cavalcate nella neve e colazioni all’alba a base di pane, formaggio e birra, tra nobili corrotti e dignitosa povera gente, tra scuole di grammatica e minacce di scomunica, Candace Robb ci fa vivere ancora una volta una avventura ricca di colpi di scena e nobili sentimenti che, alla fine, lasciano il lettore in un piccolo stato di grazia.
Dicono che Candace Robb sia la degna erede di Ellis Peters, regina del giallo medievale e creatrice dela fortunata serie delle indagini di fratello Cadfael. Forse Candace è andata oltre, intessendo storie ancora più avvincenti, sempre nel più rigoroso rispetto degli avvenimenti storici, che sorreggono l’intera impalcatura della sua narrazione.
Anche i personaggi sono tratteggiati con semplicità, ma risultano sempre ben definiti anche sotto il profilo caratteriale e psicologico. Su tutti spiccano Lucie Wilton, l’apotecaria moglie di Owen e Magda Digby La donna del fiume.
Il primo libro della serie di Owen Acher è La rosa del farmacista, lì sboccia l’amore tra Owen e Lucie, e il mio per Candace …
York, Inghilterra. Inverno 1372. Owen Archer, ex arciere del Re ed ora capitano delle guardie dell’arcivescovo Thoresby, si trova ad investigare su un duplice omicidio commesso tra le mura di York.
«Secondo la credenza popolare, le ferite di un cadavere riprendono a sanguinare quando si avvicina il suo assassino …»
Tra cavalcate nella neve e colazioni all’alba a base di pane, formaggio e birra, tra nobili corrotti e dignitosa povera gente, tra scuole di grammatica e minacce di scomunica, Candace Robb ci fa vivere ancora una volta una avventura ricca di colpi di scena e nobili sentimenti che, alla fine, lasciano il lettore in un piccolo stato di grazia.
Dicono che Candace Robb sia la degna erede di Ellis Peters, regina del giallo medievale e creatrice dela fortunata serie delle indagini di fratello Cadfael. Forse Candace è andata oltre, intessendo storie ancora più avvincenti, sempre nel più rigoroso rispetto degli avvenimenti storici, che sorreggono l’intera impalcatura della sua narrazione.
Anche i personaggi sono tratteggiati con semplicità, ma risultano sempre ben definiti anche sotto il profilo caratteriale e psicologico. Su tutti spiccano Lucie Wilton, l’apotecaria moglie di Owen e Magda Digby La donna del fiume.
Il primo libro della serie di Owen Acher è La rosa del farmacista, lì sboccia l’amore tra Owen e Lucie, e il mio per Candace …
November 24, 2016
Jasper and Owen forge relationship; Lucie gives birth to baby girl; murders to be investigated revolve around greed; lots of hearth and home in these books with mix of religious beliefs of the time.
July 22, 2016
The Guilt of Innocents, book 9 in the Owen Archer series. Well, sometimes I can't resist "just one more" book in a series. This fictional mystery was inspired by a real incident, and Robb's imagination involves Owen Archer.
The characters continue to be enriched, especially Alisoun and Jasper, whose roles have enlarged. Magda could anchor a series on her own.
Robb's ability to draw the reader into the lives of her characters, those who are real and those who are fictional, but who have enough emotional depth to seem real, is one of the strengths of this series.
Because the characters and the events in their lives are so important, it is best to begin this series at the beginning--even if each one can serve as a stand-alone.
I have only two more books Owen Archer books left to read, so I'm going to resist reading another right now. I don't want the series to end and want to savor it for longer.
Purchased.
Historic Mystery. 2015. Print length: 304 pages.
The characters continue to be enriched, especially Alisoun and Jasper, whose roles have enlarged. Magda could anchor a series on her own.
Robb's ability to draw the reader into the lives of her characters, those who are real and those who are fictional, but who have enough emotional depth to seem real, is one of the strengths of this series.
Because the characters and the events in their lives are so important, it is best to begin this series at the beginning--even if each one can serve as a stand-alone.
I have only two more books Owen Archer books left to read, so I'm going to resist reading another right now. I don't want the series to end and want to savor it for longer.
Purchased.
Historic Mystery. 2015. Print length: 304 pages.
October 9, 2015
Originally published at Reading Reality
The Guilt of Innocents is the 9th story in the Owen Archer historical mystery series. I read at least the first five books in this series sometime in the way back, and absolutely loved them. But somewhere along the way I stopped, a casualty of the “so many books, so little time” problem. Although now that I have dived back into this marvelous series, I have some very sincere regrets at having missed some of the middle books.
If you love historical mystery, this series is awesome.
The setting and setup are fascinating. The stories take place in York, England in the 1360s and 1370s. Like all of the best historical fiction, the time period used is one of great foment. England was fighting France in an attempt to retake Aquitaine and the other parts of that country that had been part of Eleanor of Aquitaine’s dowry two centuries before. England had lost almost all of their bits of France during the reign of her son John “Lackland”, better known to history and literature as John I, the evil king in Robin Hood and the signer of the Magna Carta.
Those lands were long lost, but it took the English monarchy a few more centuries to finally get the point. Meanwhile, there were wars. Lots and lots of wars.
In York, the “capital” of the North, its beautiful centerpiece, the York Minster, was still in the process of being built in this period. Parts of it were completed, but it was still a work in progress. England and the rest of Europe were still Catholic countries at this point, but there were stirrings of what would become the Protestant movement.
In the middle of all this change, we have Owen Archer. Owen began his career as a Welsh archer, and served notably in France until he lost the sight in one eye in a skirmish. Owen learned to read and write, and reinvented himself as an agent for the crown, and eventually for John Thoresby, Archbishop of York and former Lord Chancellor of England. Owen comes to York to investigate a series of murders in The Apothecary Rose, and falls in love with the subject of his enquiries, a young widow named Lucie Winton. As happens in all the best romantic suspense series, Owen manages to clear Lucie’s name and eventually marries her.
However, unlike most women in her time, Lucie is not a woman who stays at home and tends to her household. Lucie is a master apothecary in her own right, and is able to contribute much to Owen’s investigations.
But not as much to this particular case as Lucie would like. During the course of this book, Lucie is vastly pregnant, and Owen makes himself conduct more of the case without Lucie’s assistance than he would like. Or possibly also than is good for their marriage. In his desire to protect Lucie, Owen is cutting her off from the most important aspect of his life, and it troubles them both.
The case itself is very loosely based on a real incident, although the problems that arise from that incident are fictional in this book.
A man is sliced with a poisoned knife. Before he dies, he returns to his coworkers, the river bargemen who work for the Abbey. His death is mixed up in a bit of town/gown horseplay between the boys at the Minster school and the bargemen, each generally trying to lord it over the other.
From this inauspicious beginning, along with the story of a missing boy and his equally missing trinket, a long sad tale of theft, murder and false accusation winds its way through York and the surrounding countryside.
One man may be killed for a crime he did not commit, in order to satisfy those who are certain that because he is not pure of thought, he must be guilty of every possible crime. And one extremely clever and guilty man nearly goes free, because Owen almost isn’t able to fit the pieces together in time.
Escape Rating A: While I think it might make the story even richer if one has read at least some of the preceding books in the series, I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary. I’m sure it’s been at least a decade since I read the early books, and I got well into the story almost instantly. The author does a good job of recapping prior events for those who weren’t there for them.
One of the things about this series that fascinates this reader is the way that it evokes the city of York. Much of the inner city of York, the part within the walls, has been preserved as a tourist attraction. I distinctly remember reading one of the books in this series while I was in York, and many of the places are still there, particularly the gates and of course the Minster. It was uncanny to walk the same steps as Owen and Lucie and believe that I was seeing some of what they would have seen.
The story itself does an excellent job of using the skills and people that existed, and does not try to wrench much out of shape to fit 20th or 21st century sensibilities. Women like Lucie did become masters in some professions, and were sometimes permitted to operate businesses as widows. Being an apothecary would make her an excellent resource for Owen when it came to researching poisons and illnesses.
But at the same time Lucie is still a woman who was subject to all of the disabilities of being a woman in a time when dying in childbirth was the most common cause of death among women of childbearing age. She is eight months pregnant, she lost a child through miscarriage the previous year, she is ready to have this baby and she is very afraid, all at once. At the same time, she still has a business to run, apprentices to train and three children to raise.
The case Owen investigates allows 21st century readers to get a glimpse of just how important the Church was in Medieval life, and how the princes of that church were all too often worldly princes as well. While the motives behind the real killer turn out to be very much of this world, and downright mercenary ones at that, the motives of those who are bandying about those false accusations have way more to do with manipulating the church and people’s religious beliefs for their own opportunistic ends.
Owen makes an interesting and effective investigator. While he moves within all of these worlds, he is not a part of any of them. He is a soldier, but he works for the church. His wife is a respected master in the city, but he is not a member of any of the craft guilds. For a one-eyed man, he sees very clearly indeed. And because he is not partial to any of the groups involved, he is able to trace a clear path to the real killer without being blinded by shared interests or family ties.
If you love historical mystery, this series is a real treat. My prescription would be to start with The Apothecary Rose, and enjoy your trip to Medieval England. I know I did.
The Guilt of Innocents is the 9th story in the Owen Archer historical mystery series. I read at least the first five books in this series sometime in the way back, and absolutely loved them. But somewhere along the way I stopped, a casualty of the “so many books, so little time” problem. Although now that I have dived back into this marvelous series, I have some very sincere regrets at having missed some of the middle books.
If you love historical mystery, this series is awesome.
The setting and setup are fascinating. The stories take place in York, England in the 1360s and 1370s. Like all of the best historical fiction, the time period used is one of great foment. England was fighting France in an attempt to retake Aquitaine and the other parts of that country that had been part of Eleanor of Aquitaine’s dowry two centuries before. England had lost almost all of their bits of France during the reign of her son John “Lackland”, better known to history and literature as John I, the evil king in Robin Hood and the signer of the Magna Carta.
Those lands were long lost, but it took the English monarchy a few more centuries to finally get the point. Meanwhile, there were wars. Lots and lots of wars.
In York, the “capital” of the North, its beautiful centerpiece, the York Minster, was still in the process of being built in this period. Parts of it were completed, but it was still a work in progress. England and the rest of Europe were still Catholic countries at this point, but there were stirrings of what would become the Protestant movement.
In the middle of all this change, we have Owen Archer. Owen began his career as a Welsh archer, and served notably in France until he lost the sight in one eye in a skirmish. Owen learned to read and write, and reinvented himself as an agent for the crown, and eventually for John Thoresby, Archbishop of York and former Lord Chancellor of England. Owen comes to York to investigate a series of murders in The Apothecary Rose, and falls in love with the subject of his enquiries, a young widow named Lucie Winton. As happens in all the best romantic suspense series, Owen manages to clear Lucie’s name and eventually marries her.
However, unlike most women in her time, Lucie is not a woman who stays at home and tends to her household. Lucie is a master apothecary in her own right, and is able to contribute much to Owen’s investigations.
But not as much to this particular case as Lucie would like. During the course of this book, Lucie is vastly pregnant, and Owen makes himself conduct more of the case without Lucie’s assistance than he would like. Or possibly also than is good for their marriage. In his desire to protect Lucie, Owen is cutting her off from the most important aspect of his life, and it troubles them both.
The case itself is very loosely based on a real incident, although the problems that arise from that incident are fictional in this book.
A man is sliced with a poisoned knife. Before he dies, he returns to his coworkers, the river bargemen who work for the Abbey. His death is mixed up in a bit of town/gown horseplay between the boys at the Minster school and the bargemen, each generally trying to lord it over the other.
From this inauspicious beginning, along with the story of a missing boy and his equally missing trinket, a long sad tale of theft, murder and false accusation winds its way through York and the surrounding countryside.
One man may be killed for a crime he did not commit, in order to satisfy those who are certain that because he is not pure of thought, he must be guilty of every possible crime. And one extremely clever and guilty man nearly goes free, because Owen almost isn’t able to fit the pieces together in time.
Escape Rating A: While I think it might make the story even richer if one has read at least some of the preceding books in the series, I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary. I’m sure it’s been at least a decade since I read the early books, and I got well into the story almost instantly. The author does a good job of recapping prior events for those who weren’t there for them.
One of the things about this series that fascinates this reader is the way that it evokes the city of York. Much of the inner city of York, the part within the walls, has been preserved as a tourist attraction. I distinctly remember reading one of the books in this series while I was in York, and many of the places are still there, particularly the gates and of course the Minster. It was uncanny to walk the same steps as Owen and Lucie and believe that I was seeing some of what they would have seen.
The story itself does an excellent job of using the skills and people that existed, and does not try to wrench much out of shape to fit 20th or 21st century sensibilities. Women like Lucie did become masters in some professions, and were sometimes permitted to operate businesses as widows. Being an apothecary would make her an excellent resource for Owen when it came to researching poisons and illnesses.
But at the same time Lucie is still a woman who was subject to all of the disabilities of being a woman in a time when dying in childbirth was the most common cause of death among women of childbearing age. She is eight months pregnant, she lost a child through miscarriage the previous year, she is ready to have this baby and she is very afraid, all at once. At the same time, she still has a business to run, apprentices to train and three children to raise.
The case Owen investigates allows 21st century readers to get a glimpse of just how important the Church was in Medieval life, and how the princes of that church were all too often worldly princes as well. While the motives behind the real killer turn out to be very much of this world, and downright mercenary ones at that, the motives of those who are bandying about those false accusations have way more to do with manipulating the church and people’s religious beliefs for their own opportunistic ends.
Owen makes an interesting and effective investigator. While he moves within all of these worlds, he is not a part of any of them. He is a soldier, but he works for the church. His wife is a respected master in the city, but he is not a member of any of the craft guilds. For a one-eyed man, he sees very clearly indeed. And because he is not partial to any of the groups involved, he is able to trace a clear path to the real killer without being blinded by shared interests or family ties.
If you love historical mystery, this series is a real treat. My prescription would be to start with The Apothecary Rose, and enjoy your trip to Medieval England. I know I did.
June 29, 2022
Unread shelf project 2022: book 34.
Review to come.
Review to come.
January 12, 2010
Excellent murder/mystery contains everything, history, passion
October 9, 2019
I keep reading this series for its well-depicted historical context and interesting mystery, but I'm still disappointed with Ms. Robb's weak character development.
Not just between the protagonistsLucy and Owen, where it seems trust is lacking and anger or misunderstanding quick to fuel in spite of ten years of living together and 4 children.
Also between such occasional characters like Hubert and his mother, where it's not credible that adoration should turn to hate or indifference as fast as Ms. Robb depicted.
This author falls into the trap of describing a relationship rather than letting the characters show it through their words and deeds. The result is that Ms. Robb says one thing, the characters say quite a different thing and she's forever apologizing for her characters misbehavior. Like with Lucy and Owen, the author has to remind readers how much the two love each other when in fact he's often angry at her for being too independent and she's weary because he doesn't show too much affection. There's no complicity between them, no sense of being partners and no amount of Ms. Robb's assurances can ever change that.
Not just between the protagonistsLucy and Owen, where it seems trust is lacking and anger or misunderstanding quick to fuel in spite of ten years of living together and 4 children.
Also between such occasional characters like Hubert and his mother, where it's not credible that adoration should turn to hate or indifference as fast as Ms. Robb depicted.
This author falls into the trap of describing a relationship rather than letting the characters show it through their words and deeds. The result is that Ms. Robb says one thing, the characters say quite a different thing and she's forever apologizing for her characters misbehavior. Like with Lucy and Owen, the author has to remind readers how much the two love each other when in fact he's often angry at her for being too independent and she's weary because he doesn't show too much affection. There's no complicity between them, no sense of being partners and no amount of Ms. Robb's assurances can ever change that.
August 23, 2023
A twisting mystery involving deaths by poison, arson, affairs, rival schools, rival churchmen, a promiscuous woman, a missing lord and his chief warrior in France kas a result of one of so many wars between England and France that one wonders if the 2 were ever at peace before the 20th century), a bad seed, a kind boy, a new journeyman, a 3rd child on the way for Owen and Lucie, a journeyman whose master died and who is finishing up with Lucie as his master, a nursemaid for the 2 children of Lucie and Owen who will soon be replaced by the new baby's wet nurse and will then apprentice to Magda as a healer - for which she has no knack so far - and a race against time. Can Owen unravel Hubert's mother's secrets, Osmund's secrets, and find out the truth before more die? And who is behind the murders so far?
May 14, 2022
Ho deciso, cosa mai fatta prima, di recensire insieme gli ultimi libri di questa serie. Il motivo è molto semplice: non ne posso più.
Per quanto brava, l’autrice mi ha esasperata, ha esaurito tutta la mia passione e pazienza di lettrice.
Basta, basta, basta!
Non se ne può più di questa storia trascinata fino allo spasmo.
Non sono casi distinti, come quelli di Hercule Poirot, qui è una telenovela infinita costellata di morti e casi sempre più improbabili e meno credibili.
Manca lo slancio, l’evoluzione dei personaggi, la fantasia creativa.
Molte parti dei libri sono descrizioni noiose e ridondanti, le scene d'azione hanno perso il loro effetto.
A un certo punto sembra che Candace Robb abbia scritto questi libri perché doveva scriverli e non perché voleva scriverli.
Li rileggerei? No.
Per quanto brava, l’autrice mi ha esasperata, ha esaurito tutta la mia passione e pazienza di lettrice.
Basta, basta, basta!
Non se ne può più di questa storia trascinata fino allo spasmo.
Non sono casi distinti, come quelli di Hercule Poirot, qui è una telenovela infinita costellata di morti e casi sempre più improbabili e meno credibili.
Manca lo slancio, l’evoluzione dei personaggi, la fantasia creativa.
Molte parti dei libri sono descrizioni noiose e ridondanti, le scene d'azione hanno perso il loro effetto.
A un certo punto sembra che Candace Robb abbia scritto questi libri perché doveva scriverli e non perché voleva scriverli.
Li rileggerei? No.
February 21, 2020
I love to read these adventures set in York as it was back in the day - and as large chunks of it stil are! This one full of lively characters, many by now a little older and wiser than in the first one I read.
What particularly appeals to me are the Author's Notes after the tale - the searches in our city's archives where she got the information and inspiration; the way a tale comes together in an author's mind.
Why not 5 stars this time? Only that I found some of the prose a little more pedestrian than in the 1st tale. Sentences like "Owen was concerned about..." when it could have been put in a more interesting way.
What particularly appeals to me are the Author's Notes after the tale - the searches in our city's archives where she got the information and inspiration; the way a tale comes together in an author's mind.
Why not 5 stars this time? Only that I found some of the prose a little more pedestrian than in the 1st tale. Sentences like "Owen was concerned about..." when it could have been put in a more interesting way.
July 27, 2022
Another enjoyable book in this series. I like that Jasper and Alisoun are starting to be more fully developed characters although I miss Bess and Tom (the tavern owners next door). Hopefully they will be in the next book. Everything in this story seems to fit well into the historical York, England of that time. I go along with Owen's feelings that Archbishop Thoresbury is getting a bit tedious in his demands and lack of patience but liked the intrigue. I still would like to see how Lucie could be included in more aspects of these cases.
September 27, 2023
This was better than some in the series with Owen Archer less annoying and, despite some obvious delays in revealing clues, a nicely unveiled revelation of the motive and identity of the killer of a river pilot and a goldsmith’s apprentice in wintery 1372 York.
Some interesting peripheral characters and the usual incidental details of medieval life attract, as Archer, with help from his adopted son and concerned for his pregnant wife, travels to and from the estate of Sir Baldwin Gamyll where the answer may lie.
Some interesting peripheral characters and the usual incidental details of medieval life attract, as Archer, with help from his adopted son and concerned for his pregnant wife, travels to and from the estate of Sir Baldwin Gamyll where the answer may lie.
August 8, 2019
Not quite as lively a story in this series. Owen and his wife Lucie have settled into a comfortable domesticity. Owen's adopted son is a witness of sorts to a murder that Owen is charged to investigate. It was nice to see the character of Jasper developed a bit more but the complications of two schools in the Minster sort of muddied the story. The culprit stood out fairly quickly since he was clearly the most evil person in the story, although there was some initial confusion as to motive.
February 26, 2021
Romanzo molto bello e avvincente. Conoscevo già i personaggi e l'ambientazione da altri libri della stessa serie, ma è sempre piacevole lasciarsi trasportare in un mondo così lontano da quello a cui siamo abituati. Non sono assolutamente uno storico e non so dire se sia credibile come ambientazione del dodicesimo secolo. Ciò non toglie che resta un bel romanzo che ti fa passare piacevole ore nella lettura.
June 24, 2022
Given it has been several years since I had read any the last Owen Archer mystery, I was wonderfully surprised at how easily the main characters all came back to me. Candice Robb writes with historical accuracy and imagination bringing the 14th century to life.
She weaves the roles of women from all walks of life into the daily happenings of the city and country, which help bring the story more alive.
She weaves the roles of women from all walks of life into the daily happenings of the city and country, which help bring the story more alive.
December 27, 2017
Era da tanto che non leggevo un giallo storico, quindi è stata una piacevole diversione dai soliti cozy mistery. Oltretutto, alcuni anni fa sono stata a York, dove è ambientata questa storia, quindi mi sono un po' ritrovata nei luoghi descritti, nonostante il passare dei secoli. Peccato che non ci siano molti gialli medievali in giro ultimamente...
August 9, 2021
1372. A river pilot dies after falling into the River Ouse because of a fight between the dockworkers and the pupils of the minster school, the result of a boy’s stolen scrip.
Owen Archer investigates, then there is another murder. But what could be the motive.
Another entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its likeable characters
Owen Archer investigates, then there is another murder. But what could be the motive.
Another entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its likeable characters
August 8, 2020
It's been a long time since I've read this series. While I clearly remember the characters and the setting, I've lost touch with the flow of things. The connections among characters which help resolve the puzzle seemed somewhat hidden and convoluted.
June 19, 2021
Excellent
From the beginning the characters become familiar, their mixture of backgrounds,and g radually their connection with the storyline and to each other make it feel realistic, great!
From the beginning the characters become familiar, their mixture of backgrounds,and g radually their connection with the storyline and to each other make it feel realistic, great!
March 22, 2023
A Most Engaging Tale
This novel takes place centuries ago, but the story, the emotions, fears and loves ring true today. You'll fall in love with the Archer family again as you meet new personalities. One of author Robb's best portrayals of the best and worst in human nature.
This novel takes place centuries ago, but the story, the emotions, fears and loves ring true today. You'll fall in love with the Archer family again as you meet new personalities. One of author Robb's best portrayals of the best and worst in human nature.
March 8, 2017
I like the books about Owen archer set in York in 1372 good reading
July 6, 2017
Well written, well researched cosy detective novel set in 14th century York. The pace was a little slow and there were a lot of characters to get to know.
February 24, 2018
Owen Archer
Another great Owen Archer mystery. Owen and Jasper bond again. Great story very well told great twists as expected from Candace Robb
Another great Owen Archer mystery. Owen and Jasper bond again. Great story very well told great twists as expected from Candace Robb
June 14, 2018
Great book but sad to let this series go.
September 20, 2020
A good history lesson
Candace's books never disappoint. If you enjoy history and mystery you will enjoy this book, I enjoyed it very much.
Candace's books never disappoint. If you enjoy history and mystery you will enjoy this book, I enjoyed it very much.
November 16, 2020
Really enjoyable, entertaining story with engaging characters. I love the historical details, too, and they flow naturally in the story - interesting without being distracting.
January 9, 2021
2.5 stars.
I enjoyed others in the series but this one was a little slow for me.
I enjoyed others in the series but this one was a little slow for me.
February 23, 2023
Romanzo storico, ambientato nel medioevo scritto con garbo e con cognizione di causa.
January 1, 2024
Welcome back to an old friend
Another fabulous tale in the Owen Archer series. So glad I found Candace Robb again after all these years, just like welcoming back a long lost friend.
Another fabulous tale in the Owen Archer series. So glad I found Candace Robb again after all these years, just like welcoming back a long lost friend.
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