Customer Reviews

The Riddle of St. Leonards

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Wow, I've read this series of books hungrily.... in my car at lunch, while home sick in bed, during a snowstorm and power outage by flashlight, and now on a Saturday between chores.
No. 5, Riddle of St. Leonard's brings Bess Merchet back into the storyline as well as her uncle, Jasper & Brother Wulfstan. I was thrilled to see Jasper featured in the plot again, and found the mystery to be very compelling and a little bit dark with the history revealed behind Bess' uncle's life. An excellent book. Owen Archer is an interesting, well-written character. I was also happy to see Melisende featured, as well as Lucie's deceased husband and child mentioned again. Very good writing. Nice length, enough but not too much. Leaves the reader anxious to delve into the next book, no. 6 A Gift of Sanctuary!!

Start with Apothecary Rose and read them all. Setting, characters and plot - all excellent.

Candace Robb has read and researched medieval history for many years, having studied for a Ph.D. in Medieval and Anglo-Saxon Literature. She divides her time between Seattle and the UK, frequently spending time in Scotland and York to research her books.

York is very close to my own home and many of the places mentioned in the Owen Archer books are still there to be seen and of course Archbishop John Thorseby is mentioned in the records of York Minster. All this adds spice for me and helps me to picture the time and events that took place. This is the fifth novel in what is proving to be a captivating series.

The year is 1369. Edward is King of England and the much loved Queen Phillippa lies dying at Windsor. Night on 200 miles north in the city of York the harvest has failed and the plague has returned. In the heavy atmosphere and the fear from the plague superstition grips the citizen of York. Rumours are spreading that the spate of deaths at St. Leonard's hospital are no accident.

Several of the "corrodians," elderly people who have paid a sum of money to the hospital to care for them until their death have died in suspicious circumstances.. There has also been a number of thefts from the hospital. Sir Richard de Ravenser, master of the Hospital is well aware than a scandal could ruin the hospital and his own reputation also.

Anxious to get to the bottom of the matter he calls on the services of Owen Archer, a man who is gaining a reputation as a solver of mysteries. Owen is unwilling to get involved as he has his hands full helping his wife in her apothecary shop, which is being besieged daily by the people of the city seeking cures and preventatives to keep them free of the plague.

The entire series up to this point is excellent, with interesting and credible characters and complex (but not overly convoluted) plots. Robb does a great job of adding quite a bit of historical information without the books sounding like history textbooks!

This entry in the series is another superb novel -- lots of twists and turns and intrique, combined with a welcome emphasis on some of the normally "secondary" characters.

By the fifth book, many series get stale. This one hasn't.

If you like this, try the Chapman novels by Kate Sedley. They're sometimes hard to find, but worth the search.

Well written, engrossing plot in an historical setting I found fascinating. Really enjoyed this one, looking for more!

It is often hard to find a book that has all essentials elements done well. This one has excellent plot and sub-plots, characters, setting and action. The story is engrossing, both as a mystery and from a historical point of view. The characters are so realistic one feels that they could be neighbors. Please treat yourself to this book and sit back and enjoy it.

The book is excellent with a great deal of action. I love the Owen Archer series.