The Widow's Tale (Sister Frevisse Medieval Mysteries Book 14)

A WIDOW'S LAST HOPE... In the spring of 1449, widow Cristiana Helyngton has been kidnapped, defamed, and imprisoned in a nunnery - as her late husband's duplicitous relatives seek to obtain control over her lands and children. To secure her freedom and save her daughters, Cristiana must use a secret entrusted to her by her husband as he was dying - a secret that could bring down those lords nearest the king and destroy those most dear to her. Dame Frevisse of St. Frideswide's nunnery must decide where her loyalties lies - to the crown, to the truth, or to England's peace. And whatever she chooses, in the end her help may be of little use against the ruthless men threatened by the secret on which all of Cristiana's hopes depend... *"The suspense builds steadily ... in this well-wrought tale involving murder, treason, and 'layers of ambition and betrayal'." - Publishers Weekly "[Frazer] uses many real historical persons in her books, deftly and flawlessly weaving them into the story. Her fictitious characters are also well-defined, and Cristiana will break the reader's heart." - Romantic Times***From Publishers WeeklyDon't be discouraged by a confusing hawk-hunting scene introducing numerous characters at the start of Frazer's 14th Dame Frevisse mystery (after 2004's The Hunter's Tale), because what follows is a smooth and absorbing saga of conspiracy and treachery in 15th-century England. In 1449, landowner Edward Helyngton lies on his deathbed while his jealous cousin Laurence waits raptor-like to swoop down and seize his estate. Soon after Edward's demise, his widow, Cristiana, is banished to St. Frideswide's nunnery, where she's forced to do penance face down on the cold chapel floor for unspecified sins alleged by Laurence's agents. Living on bread and water, the embittered Cristiana eventually tells her sad tale to Dame Frevisse, who is at first only a sympathetic listener, but later takes a more active sleuthing role. A tantalizing secret confided to Cristiana by her dying husband turns out to have stunning political implications. The suspense builds steadily toward a visit from King Henry VI in this well-wrought tale involving murder, treason and "layers of ambition and betrayal." FYI: A two-time Edgar nominee, Frazer is also the author of A Play of Isaac (2004), the first in a new medieval mystery series. "Margaret Frazer" is the pseudonym of Gail Frazer, who collaborated with Mary Pulver Kuhfeld on the first six books in the series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review







"'History fans will relish every minute.' Publisher's Weekly 'Exquisitely woven.' The Cleveland Plain Dealer 'Executes her exercise...with audacity and ingenuity.' Kirkus Review 'A good mystery...excellently drawn.' Anne Perry"