The Nun's Tale: An Owen Archer Mystery [Hardcover]

Candace Robb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 1995 | Series: Owen Archer Mystery

When a young nun, Joanna Calverley, dies of a fever in the town of Beverley, she is buried quickly for fear of the plague. But nine months later a woman appears claiming to be the dead nun, saying she faked her own death. Owen Archer sets out to investigate this mysterious disappearance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this engrossing tale of 14th-century England, a runaway nun dies and is buried, but is subsequently found alive under mysterious, and worldly, circumstances. As several related murders follow, the Archbishop of York, who is also Edward III's Lord Chancellor, sends his spy and agent Owen Archer, most recently encountered in The Lady Chapel, to unravel the mystery. Archer must determine the links between the nun, Dame Joanna Calverley, and her dubious saviour, Will Longford, former member of the Free Companies and possible traitor in England's looming war with France over the Spanish crown; also at issue is traffic in stolen relics. Owen's pregnant wife, apothecary Lucie Wilton, becomes involved when she is asked to help heal the now mad Joanna. A murder in Joanna's family and the possible involvement of the highly placed Percy family deepen the mystery. Imbued with the flavor of English medieval life, Robb's story melds true events with fiction to create a gripping historical mystery.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd (July 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0434002402
• ISBN-13: 978-0434002405
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,202,157 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
(REAL NAME)   

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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.