A Mortal Bane (Magdaline La Batarde) (Hardcover)

by Roberta Gellis (Author) "Magdalene la Batarde, whoremistress, she who had been Arabel de St. Foi until her husband died of a knife in the heart and she had..." (more)
Key Phrases: Brother Paulinus, Brother Godwine, Messer Baldassare (more...)

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.

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
-- Review

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (September 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312870000
• ISBN-13: 978-0312870003
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,644,378 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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.

10 of 10 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 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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful visit to Medieval London, February 15, 2000

By	"[e-mail]" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

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.