Guest Review: King’s Bishop by Candace Robb

by Jessica Cornish published: May 11, 2010 No Comments

K is for King’s Bishop
Guest review by Jessica Cornish.

This Book Is About

From the murky Thames to the misty Moors of the North, murder stalks Welsh soldier-sleuth Owen Archer and his dearest friend…

It is 1367. When Sir William of Wyndesore’s page is found drowned in the icy Windsor Castle moat, some say he was done away with by Ned Townley-soldier, spy, and jealous lover, But Ned’s struggle to prove his innocence to his ladylove, Mary, is thwarted by his abrupt dispatch to Yorkshire on a royal mission.

Soon an unseen hand speeds Mary to a watery grave, while hot-tempered Ned vanishes in the northern wilds. And Archer, his old comrade-in-arms, must pursue him through a tangle of threats and butchered corpses, to save his life…or to bring him to justice. Owen, with his one sound eye, can see more than most with two, but what the bold ex-archer spies-with the help of his apothecary wife Lucie-will enmesh him and his friend in the dark and bloody intrigues of Church, crown, and court.

My Thoughts On This Book

I love history, and Candace Robb wonderfully weaves mystery and intrigue into a story lush with all that is so fascinating about this period in England’s past. From the everyday lives of common place people, to the religious political persons and the royalty they cater to and curtail, there is a little bit from each side perspective. And the fascinating character Lucie, the female Master Apothecary-wife of our protagonist, she is what initially drew me to the series and lured me into my interest of the apothecary history. It is nice to read about a strong female character, that is believable, in a period of history where the majority of women were treated as less than 3rd class citizens.

The King’s Bishop is, as are all the books in the Owen Archer series, many mini history lessons cleverly hidden by the ‘packaging’ of a well written, and intriguing, mystery. Love this series! Wish I could find audiobook copies to listen to at work.