A Murdered Peace
Candace Robb
Pegasus Crime
York, Winter, 1400AD. The previous year Henry Bollingbroke deposed his cousin King Richard II and became King Henry IV. England is still in turmoil following the Epiphany Uprising when Richard’s supporters failed to restore him to the throne. In York, Kate Clifford’s business is doing well. She can finally pay off her late husband’s debts, and handsome knight Sir Elric is increasingly attentive to her. Kate should be happy—but one evening trouble arrives at her door in the shape of an old friend.
Lady Margery Kirkby seeks refuge from the new King’s anger, and royal agents are hot on her trail. Her husband, Sir Thomas, tried to broker peace between the royal cousins, but Henry is paranoid. Sir Thomas paid with his life for his perceived treachery. Now Margery’s tainted by association. What is more disturbing is Kate’s friend Berend’s part in the Uprising. The former assassin disappeared on business of his own weeks before. Murder stalks the streets of York, and Berend seems mixed up in it. With royal agents trying to track down Margery and Berend, Kate must decide. Who can she trust to help her friend avoid the new king’s wrath, find the truth behind Berend’s mission, and keep disaster from striking all she holds dear?
. . . fine flowing narrative and a genuine sense of mystery and peril.
A Murdered Peace has all the hallmarks of Candace Robb’s work. Kate Clifford and her fellow people of York are complex living characters, and meticulous period research doesn’t get in the way of a fine flowing narrative and a genuine sense of mystery and peril.
