The Devil's Door [Hardcover]

Sharan Newman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994

In the sequel to Death Comes As Epiphany, Catherine LaVendeur, an inquisitive young nun of the Middle Ages, undertakes a perilous clandestine mission for the abbess of the convent to find a noblewoman's murderer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Countess Alys of Tonnerre, victim of a brutal beating, is barely alive when her husband Raynald brings her to the Abbess Heloise at the convent of the Paraclete in medieval France. Young Catherine LeVendeur, who helps care for Alys, is disturbed by scars that attest to the woman's prior mistreatment. Upon the Countess's death, the Paraclete inherits a small piece of unimpressive land, which sets off a furor: Raynald claims the convent stole the property, and the prior of a nearby monastery makes a handsome offer for it. Catherine maintains her intense curiosity about Alys's unhappy end even through the arrival of her betrothed, Edgar of Wedderlie, with Peter Abelard; after Catherine and Edgar's wedding, the pair travel to Troyes and, at Heloise's request, search for information on the mysterious bequest. Catherine soons stumbles on another mystery: the discovery of a headless corpse that may ignite the anti-Semitism that is running high during this Easter season of A.D. 1140. With this meticulously prepared work, Newman ( Death Comes as Epiph any ) adroitly crafts a puzzle in which the intriguing medieval material, providing much more than mere background, informs the entire novel with a vivid sense of past and guides the responses of the engaging, lively cast.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Fresh from her sleuthing in Death Comes As Epiphany (1993), 12th-century novice nun Catherine LeVendeur will leave the convent of Abbess H‚lo‹se and marry Edgar, student of the now frail Peter Abelard. The pair will take on dangers with derring-do to solve the curious murder of a young countess named Alys, whose death has something to do with property bequeathed to the convent and the tangled fortunes of a particularly nasty family. Among the puzzlements: Alys's sister, a silent nun presumed dead to the world, and her bitter secret; the death and dismemberment of a mild gossip; an assault on a convent nun; the tangled motives of the dead countess's horrid mother, who has lethal plans for snooping Catherine. Throughout, there are congenial chats with kin, the like-minded, and the high-minded. Catherine's father, a ``Jewish apostate,'' has ongoing problems, as does the beleaguered Abelard, headed for condemnation by the Council of Sens. With richly satisfying settings, this smooth mystery is tight as a tambour. Top-notch sleuthing, classy with Latin saws and observations. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031285420X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312854201
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,301,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Devil's Door, August 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Devil's Door: A Catherine LeVendeur Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

As a student of Medieval History and an avid reader of bothmystery novels and historical novels this book was right up my alley. Newman's characters are lively and the plot moves quickly and logically, though not necessarily predictably. I have read two books in this series and am eager to read the rest of them. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a light mystery read with an historical setting. I have read this book twice myself. END

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read, June 28, 2000

By 

Debbie Terrill - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Devil's Door: A Catherine LeVendeur Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the 2nd in the Catherine LeVendeur series, and is every bit as enjoyable as the first. Edgar and Catherine are a great sleuthing pair, and the 12th century detail is fascinating. I also appreciate Newman's character development; even minor characters are well-developed and interesting.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Medieval Mystery., October 10, 2003

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Devil's Door (Audio Cassette)

Reading Ms. Newman's books reveals her love for the era that she writes in. She is very familiar with the 12th century, and her books are very well researched. I like Catherine and Edgar, although they do get a bit silly at times, but I'm sure they will mature nicely. They do manage to get in some pretty odious situations, as well as dangerous ones. In this book Catherine and Edgar are pulled into a family secret that results in three deaths and a lot of unhappiness. Both of them face danger, but manage to triumph, partly because of their love for each other. A good historical read!