Sarah Hawkswood

Every time a new Bradecote and Catchpoll title is released, I just want to skip about for a few moments tossing rose petals in the air. This series, set in 12th Century England, is currently in its twelfth volume—and every single one of them has provided an engaging, rewarding read.

At this point, there are three characters essential to each volume:
• Serjeant Catchpoll, who is (if I was forced to choose) the brains behind the series's investigative team—aging, worldly wise and weary, aware of the difference between law and fairness, and making the best of the situations her finds himself in.
• Undersheriff Bradecote, a very low-level member of the nobility and a bit of an idealist, who has learned a great deal in his years of working with Catchpoll. Bradecote may be higher ranking than Catchpoll, but he's smart enough to know that he is still learning from Catchpoll.
• Underserjeant Walkelin, the newest member of the team who started out as an easily flummoxed innocent, but whose perspicacity grows with each case.

In Litany of Lies, the three are investigating the death of an abbey steward. We quickly learn that our steward presented one face to the hierarchy within the abbey and quite another to the abbey's lay workers and tenants. The question is, who didn't want to kill him? Generations-deep feuds run among the crofters, which doesn't make ferreting out the truth any easier. There are tensions between the Abbey and the Sheriff, Bradecote's superior. And then another murder, clearly connected to the first takes place.

Hawkswood leads readers through this complex of possibilities deftly so that even as many new doors open, the central narrative remains solid. I particularly appreciate the care with which she explains the available research her novels are based on—along with the parts that she, as author, has chosen to create.

If you enjoy historical mysteries, you can pick up any volume in this series confident that you have an enjoyable reading experience ahead of you. And you don't necessarily have to read them in order. Hawkswood has an ability to build in context with a very light touch.

I received an electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.… (altro)

When the Steward of Evesham Abbey is found dead, Bradecote and Catchpoll are asked to investigate with one caveat, they are not to interfere with the local garrison. The Steward was unpleasant and was defrauding the local populace via their taxes so had a lot of enemies. However the investigation also uncovers issues between their Lord and the Abbot which implies that the garrison houses a murderer.
This is the latest instalment in a really enjoyable series about medieval sleuths who uphold the law in Evesham. The plot is suitably complex and twisty but what I love most is the period detail from descriptions to dialogue.… (altro)

Litany of Lies is the twelfth in the Medieval mystery series, Bradecote & Catchpoll by Sarah Hawkswood. Set in 1145 in England and with references to real events, somebody has murdered the steward of Evesham Abbey and and the Abbot, despite an ongoing feud between the Abbey and the Lord sheriff, has no choice but to call in Undersheriff Bradecote, Serjeant Catchpool, and Underserjeant Walkelin. The Abbot tells them that the steward had been a good man but, as they investigate, the trio learns he had many dangerous secrets that made him universally disliked providing a very large pool of suspects. Then another man is murdered and the three are forced to confront the Lord sheriff who holds not only their jobs but their lives in his hand and is only too happy to see their investigation fail if it causes problems for the Abbey.

This is a slow burn of a mystery but a very interesting one that grabbed my attention from the first page and kept it throughout. The mystery, itself, was intriguing and kept me guessing and the characters, many of whom are based on real people, were well-drawn but, for me, it was the fascinating look at life during Medieval times, the power struggle between Abbey and Castle, Lord and craftsmen, and the role and reality of women. Although this was the first book in the series that I have read, I felt it worked well as a standalone but I will definitely be looking to read more in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Allison & Busby for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review… (altro)