The Nun's Tale: An Owen Archer Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

Candace Robb (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nun's Tale | Publication Date: October 15, 1996

Spring 1366, Beverley, England--a ghostly pale young woman claims to be the resurrected Joanna Calverley, a nun who died of a fever some months before. It would be a matter for the Church alone, were it not for the murders that seem to follow in her wake.

Owen Archer finds the case a frusterating one. Dame Joanne is by turns cagey and hysterical, whiel always clutching her secrets tightly. And worse yet, the nun's keepers ask Owen's pregnant wife, Lucie, to use to healing skills on Joanna's behalf, placing the Archer family in gravest danger...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Continuation of the Owen Archer series of medieval English mysteries, in which a young nun apparently returns from the dead.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Medieval mystery aficionados will especially appreciate Owen Archer's third appearance. Archer's "boss," the Archbishop of York, asks him to investigate a nun who claims to have returned from the dead. Unfortunately for Owen, his search uncovers multiple murder. Fine work.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 355 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (October 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312959826
• ISBN-13: 978-0312959821
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #288,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dark tale, but an intriguing one., May 14, 2003

By 

Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen" (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Nun's Tale: An Owen Archer Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

Though The Nun's Tale is one of the darker stories in the series, I enjoyed the book very much. It dealt a little more with the ramifications of warfare and how it was conducted during the 14th Century but there were enough twists and turns of plot to keep the mystery going as well. As in some of her other works, Robb again brings the ending of this one to a realistic conclusion. Above all, it gives monastic life at this time very realistic look.

Again the notes to the back of the book are a great help with the history of the period. In each novel the author introduces some of the background material: religious and political personalities of the time, historic events, pertinent social information, etc. One of the more unique facts I discovered were that soldiers who were taken to the European mainland during wartime were not always returned to their starting point. They were merely abandoned when the nobility returned home unless they could pay their own way back. This left freebooters to run rampant in the countryside of the invaded country and contributed to the hardships suffered even after the war.

The book is a good source of learning about this period in history, and might make a good starting point for students who find history a "dull" subject. The is thoroughly readable and comprehendible to anyone from junior high to adults. It might, however, be a little more mature than some parents may prefer for their junior high students. The test would be to read it oneself.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robb Brings Medieval Times to Life, April 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Nun's Tale: An Owen Archer Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

In the spring of 1366, Dame Joanna Calverley appears in Beverley England after an absence of several months -- and after having been reported dead and buried. Though Dame Joanna claims to have been resurrected in order to return a relic she had stolen from St. Clement's nunnery, no one knows the truth of her story. Did she ever really die? And why did she run away from St. Clement's in the first place? Soldier-sleuth Owen Archer is sent to unravel the mystery, and he and his wife, Lucie, are dragged into the case until they are in danger of losing their lives. Candace Robb's mystery is a well-written story and an easy read. Characters, setting, and plot are all well-developed, drawing the reader into Owen and Lucie's adventures.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed reading this mystery., September 15, 2000

By 

Monica K. Van Ness (Aurora, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Nun's Tale: An Owen Archer Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

In fact, I liked The Nun's Tale more than Robb's first two Owen Archer mysteries. (Actually, I sat down and re-read the first two books in the series before I read the third one because it had been such a long time since I had read them that I didn't really remember the stories. I found that I liked the first two books more this time than I did the first time I read them.) The Nun's Tale did such a good job of holding my interest, that I could hardly put it down. The history was interesting, and the characters were believable and very strong. The only part that I wondered about was why the characters who were suppose to be so good at unraveling mysteries - and seemed to be pretty discerning people - didn't catch onto the brother/sister thing that was going on much sooner than they did. This was something I picked up on fairly early in the story. And I also have to say that I didn't really find Dame Joanna to be a very likeable character - and, in many ways, she wasn't suppose to be very likeable.