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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful visit to the 14th Century,
By Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen" (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Cross-Legged Knight (Hardcover)
One of my patients-one of the very few who are actually able to converse with me in ICU-and I had a discussion of our mutually held enjoyment of classic style murder mysteries. We found that we had read many of the same novels, but one author she mentioned was new to me. Candace Robb and her Owen Archer mysteries were among her favorites, and as she described them, I felt that they might appeal to me as well. At the lady's suggestion, The Cross-Legged Knight was my first introduction to Ms Robb's work. At first I was uncertain that I would like the author's style. I find that some writers of historical fiction, of which this is a form, are somewhat pedantic in their efforts to get their readers up to speed with respect to their chosen period. Whether this is to lend verisimilitude to their work, or because they can't bear to waste even a scrap of their hard won research, I can't say. I needn't have worried, though. Most of the author's descriptions of the medieval environment, of the various occupations, of clothing and speech were smoothly introduced, and the meanings of unfamiliar words were easily taken from their context. In checking Ms Robb's vita, I discovered that she had prepared for a PhD dissertation in medieval history and literature. Having done thesis for at least Master's level in two different areas myself, I can honestly say that one lives with these hard won scraps of information day in and day out until they become part of one. For Ms Robb, the 14th Century is "home," and it shows! I enjoy the work of Ellis Peters and her Brother Cadfael series very much. Spending time with her delightful characters is a satisfying way to "get away from it all." In fact, I find that when I read fiction-when I read it at all-I do so at least as much for the company of the characters as for the story. Creating this type of ambiance is a difficult task, so I expected to find myself unimpressed with Robb's sense of character and personal history. Again I was mistaken. She peoples her 14th Century city of York with individuals with whom the reader is pleased to spend time. Owen Archer and his wife, the apothecary Lucie Wilton, are wonderful people, and their household is a delight to visit. Owen's "boss" the Archbishop of York, with whom Owen has an uneasy relationship, is a complex and interesting person. The other families have at least as much of a history as the central characters, giving the book an ambiance similar in many ways to the charming Barsetshire stories of Angela Thirkell. The mystery itself was well penned. It begins almost at once with an attack on Wykeham, the new Bishop of Winchester, and progresses to the murder of a midwife, keeping the reader guessing at every paragraph. Like Colin Dexter and the Morse mysteries, The Cross-Legged Knight takes several twists before the guilty individual is brought to justice. I enjoyed the book enough to look for all the others.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well Researched, Well Written,
By J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Cross-Legged Knight (Paperback)
As I only live 20 miles from York where most of these books are set, I can perhaps visualise better than most the area of England the books take place in. Many of the streets of York mentioned in the books are still there and of the course so is the Minster.
Owen Archer the lead character in the book is a Welsh longbow man who works for a high church dignitary and spends some of his spare time helping in his wife's apothecary shop. He is called upon by William of Wykeham, the Bishop of Winchester, to help him with a serious problem. I myself am interested in this period of English history and the author's authenticity cannot be questioned and her excellent story telling is spellbinding. I cannot recommend her books too highly.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Owen Archer, not as good as previous novels,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Cross-Legged Knight (Hardcover)
I love the Owen Archer series. However, I was a bit disappointed in the latest book after having read and loved the last one in which he travels to Wales. The Cross-Legged Knight was very dark and depressing. Owen is unhappy and unfulfilled, Thoresby is old and depressed, Lucie is sad and depressed. Jasper's character was utterly unused as were Bess & Tom Merchet & Brother Michaelo (OK he spied a little). I usually finish one of Robb's Owen Archer novels on a thrilling high, smacking the book shut with utter satisfaction. This time it was not to be. I can't help wonder if the author was distracted away from Owen's tales by her new baby, the scottish medieval series. What I disliked most about this one aside from the dark and depressed atmosphere was the dangling unresolved question of how did the murderer and victim know each other. I felt betrayed by the author, who's never left me the reader like that before.
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