Tag: books

It’s time for a new Bradecote and Catchpoll historical mystery. I’m reviewing Litany of Lies by Sarah Hawkswood #historicalmystery

Here’s the blurb

Midsummer, 1145. Walter, the steward of Evesham Abbey, is found dead at the bottom of a well pit. The Abbot, whose relationship with the lord Sheriff of Worcestershire is strained at best, dislikes needing to call in help. However, as the death appears to have not been an accident, he grudgingly receives Undersheriff Hugh Bradecote, Serjeant Catchpoll and Underserjeant Walkelin.

The trio know to step carefully with the contentious undercurrents at play. As the sheriff ‘s men investigate the steward’s death, they discover that truth is in short supply. With the tensions between the Abbey and the local castle guard reaching boiling point, another killing will force the investigation down a dangerous path.

Purchase Link

My Review

It’s a joy to be back with our ‘boys’, Bradecote, Catchpoll and Walkelin.

Another murder needs solving, and we know Bradecote, Catchpoll and Walkelin won’t rest until they find the culprit. This is a particularly twisty tale of long-standing grievances and newer ones as well. I didn’t guess the culprit, and I always appreciate a mystery where I can’t work out who ‘did it.’

I love this series. I came to it late, and I’ve now taken myself back to the first books, and they are also a true delight. If you’re looking for a new historical mystery series, I highly recommend this one set in the mid-twelfth century in England. I always appreciate the maps at the beginning of the books.

Check out previous reviews for the series.

Too Good To Hang

A Taste For Killing

Wolf At The Door

Posts

#TheLastKing is 4 years old.

If you’ve been with Coelwulf, Rudolf, Icel, Edmund and Pybba since the beginning, then you’re probably with me in trying to work out how 4 years have gone by since the release of the first book. There are now eight (well really nine and a half, as book 9 is written but not yet released, and book 10 is well underway) books in all, as well as a short story collection, Coelwulf’s Company.

If you’ve not yet discovered The Mercian Kingdom: The Ninth Century series, then you’ve in for a treat, as long as you’re not easily offended by foul language and violence – although if you are, there are Cleaner versions available without quite so much swearing. Follow this link, as they can be a bit tricky to find on Amazon.

Don’t forget to check out the short story collection, Coelwulf’s Company.

If you follow the link, here (to Bookfunnel) you can also download a copy of The New Recruit, a short story I wrote while working on The Last Seven.

The Last King books are available in ebook, paperback and hardback, and The Last King (book 1 ) is also available in audio.

The Last Viking (the most recent release) is currently 99p/99c on Amazon UK/Canada/Australia and reduced in all territories for a limited time only.

The Last King is also available to read with Prime Reading on Amazon UK.

Check out all the details for The Mercian Kingdom: The Ninth Century.

The Royal Women Who Made England: The Tenth Century in Saxon England. But who were these royal women?

In the online resource, The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (PASE), a database of every known name from the Saxon period, 33,981 male names are listed. There are only 1,460 female names for the 600-year period of Saxon England. Only 4 per cent of entries are women (there are also many anonymous ones which may mask more women). Twenty-one (possibly twenty-two) of these belong to the royal women of the tenth century. So, who were they?

Lady Ealhswith, the wife of King Alfred.

Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, presumed to be the oldest of Ealhswith daughters, and her daughter, Ælfwynn.

Æthelgifu, Alfred and Ealhswith’s second daughter, the abbess of Shaftesbury.

Ælfthryth, the Countess of Flanders, their third daughter.

Ecgwynn (if that was her name), mother to King Athelstan, and his unnamed sister, given the name of Ecgwynn/Edith in later sources

Lady Ælfflæd the second wife of Edward the Elder. They had many children. Six of them were daughters, Æthelhild, Eadgifu, Eadflæd, Eadhild, Eadgyth and Ælfgifu.

Edward’s third wife, Lady Eadgifu, certainly had one daughter, Eadburh. (There is the possibility that she had two.)

Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury, whose mother Wynflæd is named, was the first wife of Edmund. Æthelflæd of Damerham was Edmund’s second wife.

Edmund’s oldest son, Eadwig, married another Lady Ælfgifu.

Edmund’s youngest son, Edgar, would marry, or have children with no fewer than three women, Æthelflæd, Wulfthryth and Elfrida/Ælfthryth. From these three unions, one daughter was born, Edith/Eadgyth.

Another Ælfgifu was the first wife of Æthelred II. His second wife was Lady Emma of Normandy. At least four daughters were born to Ælfgifu, a daughter (also called Ælfgifu), Eadgyth, Wulfhild and Ælfthryth, while Lady Emma was the mother to Gode.

You can read all about these women in my non-fiction book, and there are also some links to blog posts I’ve written, which may be of interest.

Purchase links (Hardback)

https://amzn.to/3vVNjiw

https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Royal-Women-Who-Made-England-Hardback/p/24395

Below you can hear me try and explain the importance of the marriages of some of these women into the West Frankish dynasty. I also forget the title of my non-fiction title, and generally make a bit of a mess of it. Enjoy:)

The Family of Charles III, the king of the West Franks (in my own words)

The History Quill Virtual Convention is back for 2024

The History Quill Convention has been running for a few years now, and in February 2024 it’s back, as a weekend-long convention (so shorter than others), focusing on two main themes, The Craft of Historical Fiction (3rd Feb) and The Business of Historical Fiction (4th Feb)- two topics that are very relevant to today’s author. I’ll be talking on day 2 with fellow authors, about different pathways in publishing, popping on my ‘indie’ head and my ‘traditionally published’ head.

If this sounds like your sort of thing, then check out the Convention webpage using this (affiliate) link, and do it before the Early Bird Discount runs out. Tickets are for each day so if only one topic interests you, you only attend that one day,

I really enjoy The History Quill Conventions – it’s always good to learn ‘new’ things, and sometimes, just to hear that what you’re doing is ‘right.’

Hope to ‘see’ you there.