Took awhile to get into and ended on a to-be-continued note. I liked the Hawkenlye series better before the supernatural element became so strong, but it was ok. ( )

I like this series, I like the on-going story, I like the settings, & I like the characters.

The book was very well written & held my interest. I know I read this out-of-order, but it was because I had lost the Library's copy & replaced it, only to find it in my TBR.... meanwhile reading the others I had borrowed first.

Autumn 1210, King John & his men have returned from exile.... Two brothers in the King's coterie; Hugh is found dead & the other, Olivier, has kidnapped 11 year old Rosamund and presents her as a gift to the King.

King John has other ideas, he has plans for Meggie.... Meggie & Ninian, the King's 1/2 brother, are out searching for Rosamund and when they find her w/ the King & Olivier (not knowing who the two men are) they attack King John & Olivier, which is a treasonable offense & punishable by slow painful death.

Ninian's step-father, Josse, & his amour, former Abbess Helewise solve the murder of Hugh (which Ninian has been accused of by Olivier) & take his plight to King John who grudgingly absolves Ninian of all wrong doing. Too late, for Ninian has fled England & France, where he was staying w/ Josse's family and has taken refuge w/ the Cathers in the Pyrenees. ( )

Took awhile to get into and ended on a to-be-continued note. I liked the Hawkenlye series better before the supernatural element became so strong, but it was ok. ( )

Another Hawkenlye medieval mystery; the whole series doesn't feel to me like the "usual" mystery, there is a dollop of fantasy thrown in. Helewise's granddaughter is abducted. How does this fit in with a murdered man discovered by Helewise, who is no longer Abbess of Hawkenlye Abbey? Ninian is accused of the murder and flees the country across the Channel to France; Sir Josse must prove his innocence before he can return home. I have to get used to this format--the extended community living in Sir Josse's home--not just a straight mystery. I was blindsided by the twists, which left me with a cliffhanger.

Not as good as some of the others in the series. Each seems to get more fantastical; but these characters are endearing so I'll keep on reading. ( )

The best of the first 13 Hawkenlye Mysteries! There were several unexpected twists and I couldn't put it down. ( )