Bradecote & Catchpoll Series

'A new Bradecote and Catchpoll (and Wakelin) medieval mystery is always a true delight ... An absolute joy' M. J. PORTER 1140s Worcestershire is a place death visits often, and it is up to Serjeant Catchpoll and his new, unwanted superior, Undersheriff Hugh Bradecote to ensure that the guilty are brought to justice. In Servant of Death, the much-feared and hated Eudo - the Lord Bishop of Winchester's clerk - is bludgeoned to death in Pershore Abbey and laid before the altar like a penitent. A despicable man he may have been, but who had reason to kill him? In book 2, Ordeal by Fire, Catchpoll hopes a fire at a Worcester silversmith's is just an accident, but then a charred corpse is discovered following a second fire. Hugh Bradecote may be new to the job of Undersheriff compared to his wily colleague, but his analytical eye is soon hard at work to find a vengeful arsonist. In Marked to Die, the third instalment in the series, the lord Sheriff of Worcestershire cannot ignore brazen attacks on the salt road from Wich, so Hugh Bradecote and Serjeant Catchpoll have an elusive master archer in their sights. In book 4, Hostage to Fortune, the sleuths face a frantic race against time in an unforgiving winter landscape. The Archbishop of Canterbury's envoy, his entourage of monks and Bradecote's betrothed Christina are travelling on a pilgrimage when they are captured by a renegade who kills for pleasure. Undersheriff Bradecote and Serjeant Catchpoll must orchestrate a rescue before a psychopath does his worst and Bradecote cracks under the pressure. The fast-paced and suspenseful medieaval mystery series continues in Vale of Tears. A body is found floating by Fladbury mill, a man who has been stabbed but not robbed. Undersheriff Hugh Bradecote, Serjeant Catchpoll and their young apprentice Walkelin discover him to be a horse dealer with a beautiful young wife who strays. Did the wife or a lover get rid of him? What link is there to a defrocked monk who was hanged for theft, and where is the horse dealer's steed? 'If you've come across the series before, you don't need me to tell you that this latest is worth reading; and if you haven't, then there are earlier treats in store as well as this!' Historical Novels Review

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.