Mediaeval Mystery

1217: Lincoln is not a safe place to be. A French army has captured the city, and the terrified citizens huddle in the rubble of their homes as the castle, the last remaining loyal stronghold in the region, is besieged. Edwin Weaver finds himself riding into grave danger after his lord volunteers him for a perilous mission: he must infiltrate the city, identify the traitors who are helping the enemy, and return to pass on the intelligence. The last man who attempted such a thing was captured by the French, his head hacked off and catapulted over the castle wall as a warning. The city is awash with violence and blood, and Edwin is pushed to the limit as he has to decide what he is prepared to do to protect others. He might be willing to lay down his own life, but would he, could he, kill? The second book in C.B. Hanley's popular Mediaeval Mystery series, following The Bloody City.

November 1217: Edwin Weaver is back in his home village of Conisbrough. But if he thinks life is going to be peaceful, he's wrong: the new bailiff is unpopular and cruel, and soon his murdered corpse is discovered. Everything points to the culprit being a foreigner, and the villagers are happy to have an outsider take the blame; Edwin isn't so sure and is determined to investigate. However, his former friends, all with something to hide, are increasingly hostile to him and resent his interference. The more he discovers, the more he is convinced that the stranger is innocent, but this comes with dangers of its own. With the sheriff due to arrive any day expecting to supervise a swift execution, Edwin and his wife Alys must join forces to solve the mystery before it is too late.

THE SEVENTH BOOK IN A THRILLING SERIES OF MEDIAEVAL MYSTERIES BY C.B. HANLEY ?Christmas, 1218: Conisbrough is shrouded in deep snow and a stranger's body is found frozen to death. The cryptic letter it carries is from Joanna, an old friend of Edwin Weaver's, who is in danger and pleading for his help. Edwin and his friend Martin undertake a perilous winter journey to discover that Joanna stands accused of a heinous crime; if convicted, she will be burned at the stake. A furious Martin is determined to clear Joanna's name even if it means resorting to violence. Edwin must control him while attempting to solve a puzzle he is only seeing at second hand; he knows nothing of any of the locals and can only work with the conflicting stories they tell him. Their vicious accusations and unshakeable belief that Joanna is guilty might result in her being killed by gossip, so Edwin must find out what really happened before it is too late …

'Politics, family rivalries and political tensions are all stirred up to create a thrilling adventure … unputdownable!' - Sharon Bennett Connolly, historian, and author of Defenders of the Norman Crown: The Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey April 1219: Edwin Weaver finds himself at Tickhill Castle under false pretences. Earl Warenne wants Tickhill for himself and is convinced that a royal order for the castle to be handed over has been hidden, so he's sent Edwin to find it and told him not to come back until he does. Frantic with worry about the danger to his family, Edwin is forced to lie to everyone around him while searching for a document that might not even exist. The situation escalates when a body is found and the earl musters armed troops to take the castle by force; Edwin must race against time to discover the crucial information so he can stop the violence and bloodshed. But his quest for the truth is more dangerous than he could possibly have anticipated, and he has to endure tragic and wrenching loss before his duty is complete.

Midsummer 1221: a tragic death at Conisbrough sends Edwin Weaver and his friend Sir Martin on an unexpected journey. But a baffling letter follows them, one which plunges them into danger as they travel to the manor of Martin's estranged father, deep inside Sherwood Forest, to find a dying man who can only gasp out a few cryptic phrases. Edwin has his work cut out to solve the mystery, because none of those who had the most compelling reasons to commit the murder could possibly have done so, while those who had the opportunity had seemingly no motive. Martin, meanwhile, must try to reconcile himself with his family even as he remains convinced that he is destined to bring ill luck and death wherever he goes. Then another murder attempt is made, and Edwin realises he must work quickly if more death is not to be visited on the innocent.