A Vigil of Spies - Hardcover

Robb, Candace

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0434015474 ISBN 13: 9780434015474

Publisher: Century, 2008

Synopsis

This book is a story of a callous murder, a devastating secret, and a crime of passion. In Bishopthorpe Palace, York, on September 1373, John Thoresby, the Archbishop of York, lies dying. One of the most powerful men in the country, his imminent demise has the dominant families of the north vying to influence his succession. Owen Archer, Thoresby's master of the guards, is one of the few men Thoresby trusts. He is determined to ensure that his lord's last days are as peaceful as possible, but his plans are thrown into disarray when Thoresby agrees to a visit from Joan, Princess of Wales, wife of the Black Prince and mother of the young heir to the throne of England. She has come to seek the great man's advice before it is too late.Owen resolves to do his duty, but within minutes of Joan's arrival things go disastrously wrong when a member of the royal party is murdered. Then, only days later, a messenger carrying urgent letters for Thoresby is found hanging in the woods. Soon, the shadow of suspicion falls on the whole household. And as Owen races against time to find the murderer amongst them, he starts to realise that not only has one of his own men been compromised, but all their lives are now in danger...

About this title

About the Author

Candace Robb has read and researched medieval history for many years, having studied for a Ph.D in Medieval and Anglo-Saxon Literature. She is also the author of nine previous Owen Archer novels and three Margaret Kerr Mysteries. She lives in Seattle.

From the Back Cover

ACCLAIM FOR CANDACE ROBB

'It's ... the Machiavellian intrigue that makes this such an enjoyable read. When the iron curtain came down people said the spy-thriller genre was dead. They were wrong. This is as full of intrigue as a Deighton or a Le Carré' Guardian

'Enthralling and evocative ... Candace Robb recreates medieval York with ease' Yorkshire Evening Press

A rich and satisfying novel Publishers Weekly

'Ellis Peters has a cohort of pretenders snapping at her heels ... most impressive of the bunch is Candace Robb' Time Out

Thirteenth-century Edinburgh comes off the page cold and convincing, from the smoke and noise of the tavern kitchen to Holyrood Abbey under a treacherous abbot. Most enjoyable The List

A superb medieval mystery, thoroughly grounded in historical fact Booklist

Meticulously researched, authentic and gripping Yorkshire Evening Post

Hugely, but subtly, detailed complex, ambiguous and gripping Historical Novels Review

Gripping and believable you can almost smell the streets of 14th-century York as you delve deeper into an engrossing plot Prima

From the Inside Flap

A CALLOUS MURDER. A DEVASTATING SECRET. A CRIME OF PASSION.

Bishopthorpe Palace, York. September 1373: John Thoresby, the Archbishop of York, lies dying. One of the most powerful men in the country, his imminent demise has the dominant families of the north vying to influence his succession.

Owen Archer, Thoresby s master of the guards, is one of the few men Thoresby trusts. He is determined to ensure that his lord s last days are as peaceful as possible, but his plans are thrown into disarray when Thoresby agrees to a visit from Joan, Princess of Wales, wife of the Black Prince and mother of the young heir to the throne of England. She has come to seek the great man s advice before it is too late.

Owen resolves to do his duty, but within minutes of Joan s arrival things go disastrously wrong when a member of the royal party is murdered. Then, only days later, a messenger carrying urgent letters for Thoresby is found hanging in the woods. Soon, the shadow of suspicion falls on the whole household. And as Owen races against time to find the murderer amongst them, he starts to realise that not only has one of his own men been compromised, but all their lives are now in danger

Edition details

• Publisher: Century
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0434015474
• ISBN 13: 9780434015474
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304