A Spy For The Redeemer - Softcover

Candace Robb

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0434008737 ISBN 13: 9780434008735

Publisher: Heinemann, 1999

Synopsis

One-eyed spy Owen Archer returns in a new novel in this seventh installment in Candace Robb's highly acclaimed medieval mystery series. Late spring, 1370: Owen Archer, ex-soldier and spy, prepares to depart Wales after completing political duties for John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. But his attempts to arrange safe passage are thwarted when his stonemason is hanged. Meanwhile, in York, Owens wife, Lucie Wilton, is disheartened by her husbands long absence and the rumors that he has abandoned his family. Equally angered is John Thoresby, Archbishop of York, who orders Owens immediate return. But Owen is caught up in a country at war, and his return has engendered divided loyalties. Now he feels a powerful pull toward the rebel cause. And rebel leader Owain Lawgoch would rather have Owen fight the good fight with him and never return home.

About this title

About the Author:

Candace Robb lives in Seattle, Washington.

From Publishers Weekly:

The seventh Archer mystery from medieval scholar Robb (The Nun's Tale, etc.) presents an absorbing picture of 14th-century Britain, which is rife with intrigue, rebellion and murder. As Welshmen chafe under English rule, ex-soldier Owen Archer (who won his surname from his skill with a bow) is caught between family obligations in York and his mandate to find whoever hanged Cynog, an eminent but also enigmatic stonemason, who had been working on the tomb of Mistress Archer's late father. Having lost an eye in battle, Owen is reduced to conducting religious tours and investigations for clerics and other local powerbrokers. The scenes change quickly and often between St. David's shrine in Wales and Archer's home in north England, where his impatient wife, Lucie, an apothecary, and their restless son await his return. Wife and son both question Owen's loyalty to England when he's linked to the cause of Wales's legendary redeemer, Owain Lawgoch. Rumor has it that Owain has come from France to free his homeland. Strong faith and fear of God permeate all aspects of people's lives in this dour tale of misery and deprivation. Medievalists will enjoy such raw descriptions as that of the hero's visit to the high sheriff's castle, replete with floggings, acrid smells and streams polluted by offal and waste, but others less familiar with Welsh history and place names may find themselves lost in the maze. Maps, an author's note on the historical background and a glossary provide both interest and guidance. (Apr. 25)Betrayed: First Chapter of Margaret Kerr of Perth.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Heinemann
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0434008737
• ISBN 13: 9780434008735
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 318