Face Down Among the Winchester [Mass Market Paperback]

Kathy Lynn Emerson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2001

She heard him come up behind her, expected him to turn her in his arms and embrace her with a lover's enthusiasm. Instead, his forearm abruptly cut off her supply of air as it pressed into her throat.

A harsh whisper, close to her ear, was the last thing she heard before one abrupt movement snapped her neck.

"Whore," her murderer said. "No better than a Winchester goose."

It is the spring of 1563, and Susanna, Lady Appleton, wants only to tend to the medicinal herbs in the garden of her London townhouse. But the appearance of a mysterious veiled woman disrupts her plans. Is the woman just another mistress of Robert's, her forever-philandering husband?

When the gentlewoman is found dead with a snapped neck in London's notorious brothel district, and her last known visitor was Robert, Lady Appleton is forced to investigate. As she delves deeper into the mystery, she uncovers a string of murders from years dark-haired of dark-ahaired women, all occurring on St. Mark's Day, and, most perplexing, all with a goose feather left by the bodies. For Susanna, nobody, not even her own husband, is above suspicion.

Kathy Lynn Emerson's third mystery in the Lady Appleton series once again will delight "readers who appreciate suspenseful historical mysteries with a feminist slant" (Booklist).

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For the third entry in her sparkling series featuring Elizabethan gentlewoman Susanna, Lady Appleton, Emerson (Face Down Upon an Herbal, etc.) spins a tale of serial murder complicated by political intrigue. In April 1563, Susanna and her husband, Sir Robert Appleton, courtier and occasional spy for Queen Elizabeth, are residing in London at Sir Robert's insistence, though Susanna would be much happier at Leigh Abbey, her ancestral home in Kent. A mysterious young Frenchwoman comes calling to see Robert. The next day she is found murdered near a brothel, a goose feather lying close to her body. Intrigued by the slaying of a woman she suspects was mistress to her husband, and determined to understand what her husband is keeping from her, Susanna investigates, with the help of her loyal housekeeper, Jennet, and an intelligent brothel-owner named Petronella. Susanna discovers that the murder is only the last in a years-old series, and that her husband is a suspect, along with several other courtiers. Meanwhile, as Susanna noses around, Robert is anxiously working to put into place a scheme of his own, one that his wife's meddling could easily upset. Emerson neatly ties together the two major plotlines, generating credible characters and a convincingly detailed background, and making this a solid bet for historical mystery fans. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-Someone in London is killing petite, dark-haired women, one each year on St. Mark's Day. The perpetrator efficiently snaps the victim's neck, leaving only his signature, a single goose feather, by the body. Susanna, Lady Appleton meets the latest victim the day before her death, and her quick, intelligent mind will not rest until she solves the crime. Unfortunately, her husband, Sir Robert, is among the suspects. His mysterious behavior and history of philandering only confirm her suspicions. Nonetheless, she continues her search, undeterred by his warnings that such behavior is inappropriate for a lady. In an interesting subplot, Sir Robert is trying to kidnap Lady Mary Grey, force her to marry the mad son of the King of Spain, and then return to overthrow Elizabeth, whom Sir Robert regards unfit to rule. The tale is further enhanced by Lady Appleton's avocation as a herbalist. Descriptions of 16th-century medicinals appear within the pages, as well as glimpses of the conventions and daily life of ordinary English citizenry. In this third book about Lady Appleton, readers are rewarded not only with an exciting mystery, but also with a refreshing look at Elizabethan society.
Becky Ferrall, Stonewall Jackson High School, Manassas, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 285 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575666553
• ISBN-13: 978-1575666556
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,955,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Susanna tracks a serial killer in Elizabethan England., December 17, 2000

By 

Sharon Wylie (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Face Down Among the Winchester Geese (Hardcover)

The "Susanna, Lady Appleton" series is set in Elizabethan England. Lady Susanna Appleton is a shrewd, intelligent woman with a love of herbal studies and an uncomfortable arranged marriage to an "intelligence gatherer" for the crown. Lord Robert Appleton believes that a woman should be biddable and follow the guidance of her husband. He is also an indiscreet philanderer, as Susanna is all too aware.

When a woman arrives unannounced at the Appletons' temporary residence in London, Susanna assumes she is another mistress of Robert's. When the woman is later discovered murdered in an alley, Susanna's sense of justice (and her need to absolve her husband of the crime) leads her to investigate. She soon discovers a pattern of killing that indicates more women will be murdered.

Susanna is a well-drawn, enjoyable character whose strong sense of self is never corrupted by her tenuous relationship with her husband. Their interactions are always interesting and frustrating--as Susanna herself observes, theirs could have been a true match of equals were Robert ever to feel at ease with Susanna's independence. Unfortunately, he is a product of his times, and the couple is destined for unhappiness.

The mystery is well done, as Susanna tracks a serial killer through the brothels of London. The ending is a little too tidy and resolved a bit too quickly, but all the clues were in place well before the resolution. I didn't feel surprised about the ending, but neither did I see it coming.

Lord Robert's work as a spy keeps Susanna realistically involved with court intrigues, so her involvement with the mysteries doesn't yet feel forced (a problem that eventually plagues most series featuring amateur sleuths). I hope the author can keep it up.

This is the third in this excellent series, which begins with "Face Down Upon an Herbal" and is followed by "Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie."

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book in a fantastic series, April 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Face Down Among the Winchester Geese (Hardcover)

In 1563, Lord Robert Appleton, having political ambitions, insists that his spouse Susanna accompany him on his latest trip to visit the crown in London. Though Susanna would prefer to remain at their Leigh Manor estate studying her herbs as she normally does when her husband goes to see the crown, she knows she has no choice but to go with him. In London, Diana visits Robert, but since he is not home, Susanna sees her instead. Diana refuses to provide the reason for her visit or even a last name. However, she tells Susanna that Robert can come see her at Paris Gardens. Later on, Robert goes to see Diana and fails to return home that night.

The next day, the constable comes to see the Appletons because a murdered woman has a note with their current address on her. Susanna identifies the corpse as her cousin Diana Leigh to protect her spouse. However, Susanna begins to investigate the murder, knowing that Robert could be the killer.

The third Lady Appleton Elizabethan mystery is a superb historical who-done-it that provides readers with a taste for the period. The story line is entertaining as the murder investigation is cleverly designed. Susanna is a great amateur sleuth, but it is her relationship with Robert that makes the novel feel authentic. Fans of historical mysteries will relish this tale and its two predecessors (see FACE DOWN UPON AN HERBAL and FACE DOWN IN THE MARROW-BONE PIE) as well as the older historical novels from the obviously talented Kathy Lynn Emerson.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the series, September 20, 2001

By 

Reader "Blue Crab Books" (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Face Down Among the Winchester (Mass Market Paperback)

I must admit I was growing tired of Kathy Lynn Emerson's Lady Appleton but her latest book, FACE DOWN AMONG THE WINCHESTER GEESE, tops the series by rekindling my interest. An excellent plot and resolution to the fate of her husband, as well as Emerson's usual top-notch historical details and writing style.