Author(s): C. B. Hanley

Crime Fiction

1217: The war for the throne of England is far from over but as commoner-turned-earl's-man Edwin Weaver waits to see where his lord's loyalties lie, a messenger arrives from Roche Abbey: one of the monks has been murdered. The abbot needs help to find the killer and Edwin soon finds himself within the unfamiliar and claustrophobic confines of the abbey, where faces are hidden and a killer stalks unnoticed. Drawn ever deeper into a web of lies and deceit, Edwin not only has to discover the identity of the murderer, but must also decide where his real duty lies. 'A gift for medievalists everywhere. A body in the abbey cloister brings young sleuth Edwin Weaver to usher us through the twists and turns of this artfully crafted whodunit. Period detail is spot on and becomes an integral part of the action in the northern Abbey of Roche. Edwin and the nervy trainee knight ordered to protect him are humorous and engaging with touching personal dilemmas to resolve. Hanley really knows her stuff. Her knowledge of life in a Cistercian monastery is impeccable. More please.' Cassandra Clark, author of the Abbess of Meaux medieval mystery series