This author crafts compelling medieval mysteries, featuring the astute nun sleuth Hildegard of Meaux. Drawing deeply from a fascination with the Middle Ages, her narratives intricately weave historical detail with the complexities of crime and character. While her background lies in contemporary plays and romance, she now explores themes of justice and human nature through the lens of the past. Her approach balances the inherent darkness of mystery with a nuanced development of relationships and plot, offering readers an engaging journey into historical whodunits.
Friar-sleuth Brother Chandler has to save a copy of the Canterbury Tales before the censors kill him and destroy it. He gets help from wool merchant John Willoughby who claims to be a friend and needs aid solving the mysterious death of his wife. But can Chandler trust him and will he be able to solve the case without putting everyone in peril?
June, 1394. When a body is discovered near Swyne Priory, nun sleuth Hildegard of Meaux is plunged into a dark and dangerous puzzle where nothing is as it seems. All she knows for certain is that a storm is coming, threatening to cut the priory off from the outside world and trap them with a killer . . .
February, 1390. When rumours fly that distant Beaulieu Abbey may turn traitor and support the anti-pope Clement, Hildegard's prioress summons her with a mission she can't refuse: travel to the isolated royal abbey and spy out their true allegiance. But little does Hildegard know, death and danger wait at Beaulieu . . .
January, 1400. The bowman strikes at night, slaying one of King Henry's loyal garrison men before vanishing into the dark. Was the murder personal? Or is it the start of an uprising against England's self-crowned king? Friar and reluctant spy Brother Chandler is ordered to investigate, before the spark of rebellion can set the country alight.
London, 1399. When the body of a young nun is discovered at Dowgate sluice, Brother Chandler is called in to investigate. But secretly acting as a spy for King Richard's cousin Henry Bolingbroke, Chandler is torn by conflicting loyalties, and his investigations will draw him into affairs of state - endangering himself and all those around him.
December, 1389. Arriving at Whitby Abbey in order to bid to purchase a priceless Holy Relic, Hildegard of Meaux finds it a decidedly unwelcoming place. But before the bidding war can begin, a body is discovered in the monastery's apple store shed. Something is rotten in the heart of Whitby Abbey - and it's up to Hildegard to discover the truth.
Set against the backdrop of Richard II's reign and Chaucer's literary endeavors, a young woman named Hildegard embarks on a perilous quest to retrieve the Cross of Constantine. As she navigates the treacherous Alps, she faces a relentless assassin and the looming threat of a plot against the king. Amidst a Europe ravaged by floods and plague, Hildegard’s bravery and investigative skills are put to the ultimate test, leading her towards a destiny intertwined with danger and intrigue.
Autumn, 1386. Hildegard of Meaux - a Cistercian abbess with a keen instinct for crime solving - is accompanying the Archbishop of York to London. When the Archbishop's saucier is found murdered the journey becomes fraught with more deadly surprises.
Summer, 1384. Storm-clouds of insurrection are gathering over England. Hildegard of Meaux - sleuth, spy and now an abbess - has found refuge from a world of violence and blood-feud at her new home in Yorkshire. But by taking a bonded maid into the fold, Hildegard has made a dangerous enemy.
