A Mortal Bane: Library Edition [Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Roberta Gellis (Author), Nadia May (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

Roberta Gellis, acclaimed author of The Roselynde Chronicles, brings medieval London to life--and death--with her latest tale of splendor and squalor. Magdalene la Bâtarde is the madam of the Old Priory Guesthouse in Southwark. She and her women are expected to engage in a number of sinful delights, but bloody murder isn't one of them--until Baldassare, the messenger, dies.

Though Baldassare wasn't a regular client of the Old Priory Guesthouse, Magdalene and her women refuse to allow his death to go unavenged. Of course, their efforts aren't completely altruistic. Chances are if they don't find the killer, they will be assumed guilty because they are whores, and they will be gutted and hanged.

Into this sea of intrigue steps the handsome Sir Bellamy of Itchen. The bishop of Winchester, who was served for many years by Baldassare, orders Bellamy, his most trusted knight, to investigate the murder and tells him that Magdalene has been accused of the crime. Bellamy is instantly captivated by his chief suspect but is also convinced that she is hiding something. Sure that she is involved in the messenger's death right up to her beautiful eyebrows but unable to believe she's a killer, Bellamy must find out how and why Baldassare died--or watch the mysterious Magdalene meet her fate on the gallows.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

In 12th-century London, the Bishop of Winchester, head of St. Mary Overy Church, has made a most unusual pact with Magdalene la Batarde, a widow who rents from him the church's Old Priory Guesthouse next door. There she runs a quiet, elegant whorehouse whose staff includes blind Sabina, slightly simple Ella, mute Letice, and deaf cook Dulcie. Magdalene no longer plies her trade, but a steady, wealthy clientele keeps the house prosperous. Onto this peaceful scene comes a handsome strangerby misdirection, it appearswho turns out to be papal messenger Baldassare de Firenze. In the very early morning he's found, stabbed to death, on the porch of the church next door, and the fanatically pure Sacristan Paulinus accuses the women of murder. The Bishop of Winchester appoints Sir Bellamy of Itchen (more often called Bell), his right-hand man, to investigate the killing and to find the pouch the dead man was carrying. Matters grow more complex with the discovery of' thefts from the church's collection of gold and silver objects. The denouement, when it finally arrives, makes a heroine of Magdalene but carries little conviction. Burdened with endless details of church rituals and politics and a set of rather dull minor characters, this first mystery by fantasist Gellis is heavy-going despite its intriguing heroine. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A superb storyteller of extraordinary talent." --John Jakes

"A master storyteller." --Romantic Times

"Brother Cadfael, move over and make room for Magdalene. A Mortal Bane vibrates with sharp, witty, memorable characters; Magdalene and company are uniquely qualified as historical detectives, and as always, Roberta Gellis is incomparable! This one's a page-turner. I couldn't put it down." --Amanda Scott, author of Dangerous Lady

"In Gellis's new series, she has created a superb female medieval sleuth with a sexy knight for a sidekick. You'll love every minute of this tightly woven mystery." --Catherine Coulter, author of The Countess

"Roberta Gellis has crafted a superb story of passion, betrayal, and mystery. Entwined in the ingenious ploy is an honest, emotional thread that tugs at the heartstrings." --Susan Wiggs, author of The Charm school

"In A Mortal Bane, Roberta Gellis has created a medieval cozy with a wonderfully unique cast of characters. Life in the twelfth century leaps into vivid focus." --Kathy Lynn Emerson, author of Face Down Among the Winchester Geese

"Roberta Gellis and the medieval mystery are a perfect match. In A Mortal Bane, Gellis has created a rich, believable world and peopled it with fascinating characters." --Jo Beverley, author of Forbidden Magic

"A Mortal Bane has a full cast of fascinating characters, a complex mystery plot, and a stunning sense of time and place. Wonderful!" --Jill Churchill, author of Fear of Frying: A Jane Jeffry Mystery

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged edition (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786193964
• ISBN-13: 978-0786193967
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,707,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Roberta Gellis has a varied educational background--a master's degree in biochemistry and another in medieval literature--and working history--10 years as a research chemist, many years as a free-lance editor of scientific manuscripts, and more than 40 years as a writer. She is married--to the same man for over 60 years (no mean feat in these days) and lives in Lafayette, Indiana, with her husband Charles and a lively Scottish terrier called Zoe. She has one child, Mark, who teaches Rhetoric (a fancy name for expository writing) at Kettering University in Michigan. Mark is married to Sandra and they have a lovely daughter, Elizabeth.

Gellis has been a successful writer of historical fiction, publishing over 25 meticulously researched historical novels since 1964. The best known of these are The Roselynde Chronicles (ROSELYNDE, ALINOR, JOANNA, GILLIANE, RHIANNON, and SYBELLE). The series has been reprinted many times since its first appearance in 1979, most recently in 2006. Gellis has also been the recipient of many awards, including the Silver and Gold Medal Porgy for historical novels from West Coast Review of Books, the Golden Certificate and Golden Pen from Affaire de Coeur, The Romantic Times Award for Best Novel in the Medieval Period (more than once) and Lifetime Achievement Award for Historical Fantasy, as well as Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Acheivement Award.

More recently Gellis has ventured into other genres, starting with mythological fantasy (DAZZLING BRIGHTNESS, SHIMMERING SPLENDOR, ENCHANTED FIRE, BULL GOD, and THRICE BOUND). Most recently she has written historical fantasy, with a series of book coauthored by Mercedes Lackey set in Elizabethan times (THIS SCEPTER'D ISLE, ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT, BY SLANDEROUS TONGUES, and AND LESS THAN KIND). Before that she was writing historical mysteries, a four-book series set in London and Oxford in 1139 (A MORTAL BANE, A PERSONAL DEVIL, BONE OF CONTENTION and CHAINS OF FOLLY) and one set in the Italian Renaissance in Ferrara (LUCREZIA BORGIA and the MOTHER OF POISONS).

Since Gellis is one of the early addicts to electronic readers---she purchased a RocketeBook way back in 1999---it is no surprise that she was eager to get her own out of print historical romances into electronic format. Cerridwen Press (http://www.cerridwenpress.com) has published the Heiress Series (THE ENGLISH HEIRESS, THE CORNISH HEIRESS, THE KENT HEIRESS, FORTUNE'S BRIDE, and A WOMAN'S ESTATE) as well as the Royal Dynasty Series (don't ask me about that, there isn't a royal or a dynasty in any of the four books---it was a notion of a long-ago agent) SIREN SONG, WINTER SONG, FIRE SONG, and A SILVER MIRROR. Cerridwen offers a variety of formats, one of which can be read by the Kindle and for those too firmly addicted to paper, the books are also available in a very nice Trade edition (but those are rather expensive).

I'm sorry I don't have any amusing anecdotes to relate, as recommended by the Profile, but a writer's life is really very quiet. Sometimes my neighbors ask my husband what has happened to me because they haven't seen me in such a long time. Depending on his humor of the moment, sometimes Charles tells them that I can't come outside because he keeps me chained to my computer---but that isn't true. He lets me get up once in a while.

Roberta Gellis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful medieval mystery - ten star quality!, March 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Mortal Bane (Hardcover)

Being a mystery buff rather than a romance reader, I'd never heard of Roberta Gellis before picking up A Mortal Bane.

What a find! In A Mortal Bane Gellis has created a medieval world so vivid that it nudges up against Cadfael territory. The mystery aspect was well-plotted and wove the endlessly fascinating themes of greed and ambition into the pervasive religiousity of the 12th century. It was so well-crafted I immediately re-read it to catch what I'd missed the first time.

What Gellis achieves so masterfully, though, is a coterie a characters that have enough dimension to bring them beguilingly to life, most particularly Magdalene, the heroine. Gellis took on the unappealing figure of a prostitute/madam - and deftly turned her into a warm, rich, vulnerable, and thoroughly likable woman. Quite a feat.

Roberta Gellis is a remarkable writer and I hope to see A Mortal Bane developed into a series. In the meanwhile, I'll just have to slip over to the romance aisle and see if I can't find more of her.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite!, January 10, 2000

By 

Anna K. Anderson (Chester, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Mortal Bane (Hardcover)

This is a remarkable mystery story. Excellent! I expected a Gellis Romance story and discovered a rich and extremely well told Gellis mystery. Filled with fun and wry situations, the clash between church, state and public (and private) morals are revealed in this story as they revolve around the murder of a Papal Messenger in 1139. The story is superbly told, the plot so well crafted you know not who the guilty part is until the very end. This is a prime example of the writer's craft; a well-structured story that pulls the reader along, making him/her continue to turn the pages, lifting curiosity, and delaying the answers to the curious. The Characters are well drawn and the reader comes to know them well. There are no shallow characters here. This is a good story and well worth the time. I did not know Gellis wrote mysterys, but I know it now and will be looking for more.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful visit to Medieval London, February 14, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Mortal Bane (Hardcover)

A MORTAL BANE by Roberta Gellis, set in 12th century Southwark, just south of the Thames opposite London, opens with the discovery of a body on a church porch by a blind prostitute who works from a house nearby. Of course the women of the house are accused of the murder of the stranger, and Magdalene and her women, and Sir Bellamy, the Bishop of Winchester's man, eventually do find the murderer. In the meantime, we are treated to a feel for the life of medieval London, as well as a taste of the convoluted history of the time. Ms. Gellis is another of the cross-over writers. She has written historical fantasy and romance, and now we can welcome her to the mystery genre. A MORTAL BANE brings a small part of London in 1139 to life.