The Bone Thief: 900 A.D. A time of turmoil. A kingdom in dispute. An unlikely hero... - Softcover

Whitworth, V. M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0091947235 ISBN 13: 9780091947231

Publisher: Ebury Press, 2012

Synopsis

Edward, son of Alfred the Great, has inherited the Kingdom of Wessex and achieved a precarious set of alliances through marriage and military conquest. But the alliance is uneasy and the kingdom of Mercia has more reason than most to fear the might of Wessex. Their Lord is elderly and perhaps mortally sick, and his wife fears that she does not have the power to withstand hostile takeover. She also knows too well what her neighbour is capable of -- after all, King Edward is her brother.

The chance to rescue St Oswald's bones, beloved patron saint, to consecrate her new church and unite the people behind her, is too good an opportunity to miss. But they are rumoured to be buried a long way north -- outside Lincoln, deep in hostile territory. Her secretary, Wulfgar, groomed for the priesthood since he was a boy in the elegant cloisters of Winchester cathedral but naïve in the ways of the wider world -- is surprised to be sent on this mission. It will prove an incredibly dangerous journey, requiring resources and courage Wulfgar did not know he had, and support from surprising allies along the way including a maverick priest and a Viking adventuress whose loyalties are far from clear.

About this title

About the Author:

V. M. WHITWORTH is an academic and historian. After reading English at Oxford, an M.A. and D.Phil from the Centre for Medieval Studies in York, V.M. published Dying and Death in Later Anglo-Saxon England. Having worked as a lecturer, tour guide, artist's model and EFL teacher, V.M. now lives on a smallholding in Orkney with family, cats, ducks and occasional sheep, planning further adventures for Wulfgar.

Review:

"VM Whitworth's gripping tale combines convincing historical details with a well constructed plot, but its greatest asset is undoubtedly its central character. In Wulfgar, she has created an immensely appealing hero whose further adventures readers will anticipate with relish." * BBC History Magazine * "Excellent - definitely for Sansom/Parris readers." * Bookseller * "Once you're in, you will be hooked." * Weight Watchers Magazine * "...an excellent debut whodunit with a Viking theme which is to be followed next year by The Traitors' Pit, to which I am already looking forward." -- Mike Russell * The Sunday Herald *

About this edition

• Publisher: Ebury Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0091947235
• ISBN 13: 9780091947231
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464