Welsh Guard Mysteries

**Crouchback is a medieval word derived from crossed-back and indicates participation in a Crusade** April 1284. As a newly-widowed lady-in-waiting to the very pregnant Queen Eleanor of England, Catrin never expected to return to Wales again. She definitely was unprepared to be confronted with murder when she got there-or to find herself face-to-face with Rhys, the childhood friend she lost twenty years ago. Rhys had never intended to return home either, but a lifetime of war has deposited him right back where he started-impoverished and owing service to Catrin's older brother. With Wales having fallen irrevocably to England, and fearful of trusting anyone within the English court of King Edward, Catrin and Rhys join forces against the treachery and intrigue rife within the half-built Caernarfon Castle. And when the murderer strikes again, the task before them becomes increasingly clear: catch the killer, certainly, but also protect their people from a future that is becoming more dangerous and uncertain with every day that passes. Crouchback is the first book in The Welsh Guard Mysteries.

King Edward invites his barons to a 'Round Table' tournament in the spirit of King Arthur ... only to find a murderer lurks among them. July 1284. King Edward has invited the nobility of England, Ireland, and Scotland to Nefyn, one of the most remote spots in Wales, for a Round Table-a tournament as in the tales of King Arthur to celebrate Edward's victory over the Welsh and his ascension to Arthur's throne. Not everyone sees the tournament as a friendly competition, however, and in short order, Rhys and Catrin are called to investigate the death of a knight in the retinue of the Earl of Gloucester. But just as in King Arthur's court, malice and treason lurk beneath the surface, so when murder turns to treachery, it is up to Catrin and Rhys to separate fact from fiction in Chevalier, the second book in The Welsh Guard Mysteries.

Join Catrin and Rhys for their third medieval mystery together…August 1284. On the heels of King Edward's triumph over Wales, the high point of his reign thus far, he receives the worst news possible: his eldest living son and heir to the throne of England has died. Concerned that his victories in Wales, and even more the manner by which he came by them, have brought the wrath of the Almighty down upon his house, King Edward sends Catrin and Rhys to Windsor Castle to investigate.But although they find victims and villains a plenty, their far greater test-of friendship, loyalty, and allegiance-is managing the expectations of a grieving king, who fears his son was murdered-and fears even more that he wasn't.Paladin is the third book in The Welsh Guard Mysteries.

Rhys and Catrin contend with betrayal and insurrection as they resume their duties in the king's court ... September 1284. Within moments of rejoining the king's company, Rhys and Catrin learn King Edward has not only melted down the silver seal of their murdered prince and turned it into a chalice, but the chalice itself has gone missing a matter of days before its intended consecration at Vale Royal Abbey. Assigned to find the culprit, they discover instead a populace seething over the predations of the abbey and its officers, and an unusual alliance between Norman and Saxon. As the unrest in the countryside grows, Rhys and Catrin's initial apathy turns to urgency, and with Cheshire teetering on the brink of open rebellion, they are not the only ones who have to decide how much they're willing to sacrifice to bring down a king. Herald is the fourth book in The Welsh Guard Mysteries.

None could go against the King of England ... not overtly, anyway. April 1284. As a newly widowed lady-in-waiting to the very pregnant Queen Eleanor of England, Catrin never expected to return to Wales again. She was definitely unprepared to be confronted with murder when she got there-or to find herself face-to-face with Rhys, the childhood friend she lost twenty years before. Rhys had never intended to return home either, but a lifetime of war has deposited him right back where he started-impoverished and owing service to Catrin's older brother. With Wales fallen irrevocably to England and not knowing whom else they can trust, Catrin and Rhys join forces against the treachery and intrigue rife within the royal court in the first three books of The Welsh Guard Mysteries: Crouchback, Chevalier, Paladin.