December 18, 2017
Set in 1093, Clare’s engrossing eighth Aelf Fen mystery finds mystic and apprentice healer Lassair filled with conflicted feelings for Jack Chevestrier, whom she saved from death in 2016’s The Night Wanderer. When she leaves Chevestrier’s Cambridge for her home in the fens, she unwittingly puts herself in the killing zone of a vengeance-obsessed stranger. One young man is already dead, and while she’s staying in the fens another, Sibert, is attacked. No one knows why. When her former lover, Rollo, a spy for King William Rufus, asks Lassair to accompany him in his effort to evade the violence, she agrees. The couple’s attempts to throw the killer off their scent range from disguising themselves as nobility and staying in a castle to sleeping in a monk’s hovel. Newcomers may struggle to untangle the many relationships, particularly those among the inhabitants of the fenlands, but all will relate to the empathetic Lassair and her authentic emotional responses to the people in her life, whether mentor, parent, lover, friend, or would-be murderer.
Starred review from November 1, 2016
After the success of her Aelf Fen and Hawkenlye books, Clare turns her talents to a new historical mystery series, this one set in rural Devon, England, in the early seventeenth century. Former ship's doctor turned country physician Gabriel Taverner is called to investigate a brutal death, which at first looks like suicide. There are few clues to the dead man's identity, and it's only coincidence that leads Gabriel to the first loose thread that will eventually unravel the twisted truth. As he and local coroner Theophilus Davey work together to try to solve the case, they find what at first seem to be tenuous links to the area's silk trade. As those links become ever stronger, Gabriel and Theo eventually begin to suspect the tragic, which will have frightening implications for Gabriel and his family. But what is most shocking is that even those closest to him have been hiding dark and dangerous secrets. As always, Clare has carefully researched the period she is writing about and offers authentic, engaging historical detail, but her real gift is as a superb storyteller whose clever, twisty plots; believable characters; and skillful writing will engross the reader from first page to last.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
December 1, 2017
England, 1093. Lassair, an apprentice healer, is occupied with nursing lawman Jack Chevestrier, her sometime lover, back to health after he is injured in a fight with the sheriff's nephew. Then Lassair discovers she is pregnant with Jack's child. She fears that if he finds out, he will want to marry her and perhaps stop her from continuing her career as a healer. So as soon as Jack is stable, she flees to her family home in the fens, where she encounters Rollo, Lassair's former lover and a spy for King William, who begs Lassair to help him. He's being pursued by an unknown enemy who seems bent on killing him and believes that by traveling as a couple with Lassair, he'll be able to throw his adversary off the trail. What follows is a dark tale of adventure, revenge, greed, love, and loss. Vivid details of life in eleventh-century England, combined with an engaging cast and plenty of genuine suspense, will keep historical-mystery devotees firmly in Clare's corner.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)
December 1, 2017
A supernaturally gifted young woman is torn between two men.Lassair, whose magical powers have been nurtured by her aunt, has been learning from the wizard Gurdyman in Cambridge. During the year her lover, Norman spy Rollo Guiscard, has been absent, she's developed strong feelings for Jack Chevestrier, a Cambridge law officer she nursed after he was attacked by Gaspard Picot, the nephew of the corrupt sheriff. When Lassair discovers she's carrying Jack's child, she flees to her home in Aelf Fen to consider what to do. Her aunt has recently married Hrypre, who also has strong magical powers, and she feels uncomfortable in their home. After Hrypre's son, Sibert, is attacked and badly beaten, she moves into his home to nurse him. Sibert is the third blond young man attacked in the area and the only one to survive. When Rollo suddenly appears and begs for help to escape a determined enemy, she agrees to pose as his wife. Dressed as a wealthy couple, they head north, where Rollo seeks protection from King William. In the meantime, Jack, who's slowly regaining his health, has noticed a mysterious figure keeping watch on Picot's house, which is still occupied by his wealthy widow. After the widow is savagely murdered and the house burned to the ground, Jack captures the spy, who denies doing any harm but is obviously hiding secrets that would help solve several crimes. Lassair and Rollo's trip proves to be extremely dangerous. They narrowly escape death several times before seeking refuge in a well-hidden area near Aelf Fen. In the end, the two puzzles come together with a revelation that leaves Lassair to face more sorrow and difficult choices in her future.Clare's (The Night Wanderer, 2016, etc.) newest medieval mystery blends history, romance, and a challenging puzzle.
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