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Catherine LeVendeur #4
Strong as Death
A former novitiate in the Order of the Paraclete, Catherine LeVendeur has had more than her share of adventures. In fact, intrigue--and murder--seem to dog her path. When Catherine chose love over churchly devotion by falling in love with her Saxon nobleman, Edgar, her family as the earnest hope that married life would settle this most headstrong and unusual woman. But fate has a way of playing with mortals, and after suffering several miscarages and the birth of a stillborn child, Catherine is driven by a prophetic dream. She and Edgar will embark on a pilgrimage to the fabled monastery of Compostela, to petition St. James for a child, to take the holy waters, and to pray.
On the journey Catherine and Edgar will encounter mad monks, some less-than-penitent crusaders, and a motley collection of pilgrims whose past deeds bind them all in a bizarre game of chance. When several pilgrims are gruesomely murdered, the trail of evidence points to an old sin left unshriven and a hidden villain whose quest for revenge may end in Catherine's death.
On the journey Catherine and Edgar will encounter mad monks, some less-than-penitent crusaders, and a motley collection of pilgrims whose past deeds bind them all in a bizarre game of chance. When several pilgrims are gruesomely murdered, the trail of evidence points to an old sin left unshriven and a hidden villain whose quest for revenge may end in Catherine's death.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
8 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
About the author
Sharan Newman
52 books194 followersSharan Newman is a medieval historian and author. She took her Master’s degree in Medieval Literature at Michigan State University and then did her doctoral work at the University of California at Santa Barbara in Medieval Studies, specializing in twelfth-century France. She is a member of the Medieval Academy and the Medieval Association of the Pacific.
Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her education to write novels set in the Middle Ages, including three Arthurian fantasies and ten mysteries set in twelfth-century France, featuring Catherine LeVendeur a one-time student of Heloise at the Paraclete, her husband, Edgar, an Anglo-Scot and Solomon, a Jewish merchant of Paris. The books focus on the life of the bourgeoisie and minor nobility and also the uneasy relations between Christians and Jews at that time. They also incorporate events of the twelfth-century such as the Second Crusade and the rise of the Cathars.
For these books, Newman has done research at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France Méridionale et Espagne at the University of Toulouse and the Institute for Jewish History at the University of Trier, as well as many departmental archives.
The Catherine Levendeur mysteries have been nominated for many awards. Sharan won the Macavity Award for best first mystery for Death Comes As Epiphany and the Herodotus Award for best historical mystery of 1998 for Cursed in the Blood. The most recent book in the series The Witch in the Well won the Bruce Alexander award for best Historical mystery of 2004.
Just for a change, her next mystery, The Shanghai Tunnel is set in Portland in 1868.
The Shanghai Tunnel allowed Sharan Newman to explore the history of the city she grew up in. She found that the history she had been taught in school had been seriously whitewashed. Doing research in the city archives as well as the collections at Reed College and the Oregon Historical society was exciting and eye-opening. Many of the “founding fathers” of Portland turn out to have been unscrupulous financiers. Chinese workers were subject to discrimination and there was an active red light district.
On the other hand, Portland in the post-Civil War period also saw some amazingly liberal movements. Women’s rights were an important issue as was religious toleration. Even at that early date, preserving the natural environment was hotly debated.
This is the world in which Emily Stratton, the widow of a Portland merchant and the daughter of missionaries to China, finds herself.
Newman has written a non-fiction book, The Real History Behind the Da Vince Code Berkley 2005. It is in encyclopedia format and gives information on various topics mentioned in Dan Brown’s novel. Following on that she has just completed the Real History Behind the Templars published by Berkley in September of 2007.
She lives on a mountainside in Oregon.
(Text taken from: http://www.sharannewman.com/bio.html )
Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her education to write novels set in the Middle Ages, including three Arthurian fantasies and ten mysteries set in twelfth-century France, featuring Catherine LeVendeur a one-time student of Heloise at the Paraclete, her husband, Edgar, an Anglo-Scot and Solomon, a Jewish merchant of Paris. The books focus on the life of the bourgeoisie and minor nobility and also the uneasy relations between Christians and Jews at that time. They also incorporate events of the twelfth-century such as the Second Crusade and the rise of the Cathars.
For these books, Newman has done research at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France Méridionale et Espagne at the University of Toulouse and the Institute for Jewish History at the University of Trier, as well as many departmental archives.
The Catherine Levendeur mysteries have been nominated for many awards. Sharan won the Macavity Award for best first mystery for Death Comes As Epiphany and the Herodotus Award for best historical mystery of 1998 for Cursed in the Blood. The most recent book in the series The Witch in the Well won the Bruce Alexander award for best Historical mystery of 2004.
Just for a change, her next mystery, The Shanghai Tunnel is set in Portland in 1868.
The Shanghai Tunnel allowed Sharan Newman to explore the history of the city she grew up in. She found that the history she had been taught in school had been seriously whitewashed. Doing research in the city archives as well as the collections at Reed College and the Oregon Historical society was exciting and eye-opening. Many of the “founding fathers” of Portland turn out to have been unscrupulous financiers. Chinese workers were subject to discrimination and there was an active red light district.
On the other hand, Portland in the post-Civil War period also saw some amazingly liberal movements. Women’s rights were an important issue as was religious toleration. Even at that early date, preserving the natural environment was hotly debated.
This is the world in which Emily Stratton, the widow of a Portland merchant and the daughter of missionaries to China, finds herself.
Newman has written a non-fiction book, The Real History Behind the Da Vince Code Berkley 2005. It is in encyclopedia format and gives information on various topics mentioned in Dan Brown’s novel. Following on that she has just completed the Real History Behind the Templars published by Berkley in September of 2007.
She lives on a mountainside in Oregon.
(Text taken from: http://www.sharannewman.com/bio.html )
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 5, 2010
This is a historical novel that takes place in southern France and northern Spain in the year 1142. This happens to be the year Peter Abelard (of Abelard and Heloise fame) died which is noted in this book. However, the main historical character being followed by this book is Peter the Venerable (1092–1156). The book focuses on his journey to Spain that year to meet with translators to make arrangements to translate the Arabic Qur'an (Koran) into Latin. Some scholars consider this to be a momentous event in the intellectual history of Europe. This is about the time when some of the writings of Aristotle (and other ancients) were being translated into Latin for the first time after being lost in the years following the fall of the Roman Empire. This was a time when the Islamic scholars were more advanced than scholars of western Christendom.
However, a warning to history buffs, the history in this book is only a backdrop to a fictional murder mystery plot. It is the fourth in a series of ten books in the "Catherine LeVendeur Series" by Sharan Newman. Sharan Newman goes out of her way to make the historical setting historically accurate. Much of the book takes place within the context of a traveling caravan on a pilgrimage to pray at the fabled Spanish shrine of Santiago de Compostela. Placing the story within the setting of a pilgrimage reminds me of The Canterbury Tales. It's a context in which a wide variety of characters can be placed in close proximity, and thus is a natural setting to construct a fictional murder mystery plot. A traveling group containing multiple suspects was sort of reminiscent of Murder on the Orient Express. There's even a cliff-hanger scene in the story to get the reader's adrenaline flowing.
I am impressed with the author's ability to portray medieval religious beliefs (including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) with sensitivity and realism. She is able to create sympathetic feelings within 21st Century readers for medieval religion even though the religious thinking of the time appears narrow and harsh to most modern minds. Also, by tying the book to the "Way of St. James" she has written a book about a pilgrimage that many people take today. (One source says 93,921 people made the pilgrimage in 2005). Therefore I decided to give this book four stars even though I usually limit murder mysteries to three stars because I consider the genre to be frivolous literature.
However, a warning to history buffs, the history in this book is only a backdrop to a fictional murder mystery plot. It is the fourth in a series of ten books in the "Catherine LeVendeur Series" by Sharan Newman. Sharan Newman goes out of her way to make the historical setting historically accurate. Much of the book takes place within the context of a traveling caravan on a pilgrimage to pray at the fabled Spanish shrine of Santiago de Compostela. Placing the story within the setting of a pilgrimage reminds me of The Canterbury Tales. It's a context in which a wide variety of characters can be placed in close proximity, and thus is a natural setting to construct a fictional murder mystery plot. A traveling group containing multiple suspects was sort of reminiscent of Murder on the Orient Express. There's even a cliff-hanger scene in the story to get the reader's adrenaline flowing.
I am impressed with the author's ability to portray medieval religious beliefs (including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) with sensitivity and realism. She is able to create sympathetic feelings within 21st Century readers for medieval religion even though the religious thinking of the time appears narrow and harsh to most modern minds. Also, by tying the book to the "Way of St. James" she has written a book about a pilgrimage that many people take today. (One source says 93,921 people made the pilgrimage in 2005). Therefore I decided to give this book four stars even though I usually limit murder mysteries to three stars because I consider the genre to be frivolous literature.
December 18, 2015
I didn't find this one as good as the previous books in the series. I'm sure my lack of motherly feeling left me with little empathy for the main topic in this book, the want of a child.
The heavy religious tones to the story were also a bit of a turn off, I know that everything in this story is very applicable to the era but I couldn't engage with the characters emotional drama's this time.
The heavy religious tones to the story were also a bit of a turn off, I know that everything in this story is very applicable to the era but I couldn't engage with the characters emotional drama's this time.
February 25, 2025
Newman's writing improved a lot in this one, and it's the second Compostela pilgrimage book I've read this year (different centuries, though). I thought I wasn't interested in this series anymore, but I got the itch, and I'm glad I picked this one up. The setting of pilgrimage was interesting, I liked spending more time with Catherine's extended family, and Edgar got some decent character growth. Overall a pretty fun read except for the ick.
Content warnings: violence (past and present) ; mentions of miscarriage
Content warnings: violence (past and present) ; mentions of miscarriage
April 6, 2014
I wasn't sure how many stars to give this book, but I opted for three because while I didn't exactly like it, I thought it was better than just okay.
What impresses me so much about Newman's series is how she is able to make the dialogue accessible to 21st century readers while at the same time sounding plausibly 12th century (at least plausibly for someone who doesn't know much about Medieval history or French). The settings are also fascinating and believable, as are the tensions between Christian and Jew. For this novel and her previous three, the writing is always good: it captures the time, it moves fairly well with the plot, it makes you feel as if you are there.
But this novel fell flat for me because of the plot and Catherine's tiresome desire for a child. Although I understand that Jewish-Christian tensions were high, that Christianity was the bulk of people's lives during that time and place, I think I finally just got fed up with hearing/reading about it. Because I am personally so far removed from religion, it's hard to continually read about people whose very breaths are shaped by it. Perhaps because this particular novel is about a religious pilgrimage, it is more prominent here than in previous novels.
Whatever the case, I found Catherine's cousin's story much more appealing, and Catherine's desire for a child, while probably historically accurate for many women, irritating. This is the novel that made me dump the series. Actually, I would have kept this and carried on with the series (all books in a series don't automatically hold the same interest for a reader), but the next one looks even more dismal and has a lot to do with Catherine and Edgar's baby and a difficult time to be had by all at Edgar's family home in Scotland. None of that appeals to me, so this is where I bid goodbye to the series.
But because I like Newman's writing, I am interested in reading her other mystery that doesn't take place in Medieval France.
What impresses me so much about Newman's series is how she is able to make the dialogue accessible to 21st century readers while at the same time sounding plausibly 12th century (at least plausibly for someone who doesn't know much about Medieval history or French). The settings are also fascinating and believable, as are the tensions between Christian and Jew. For this novel and her previous three, the writing is always good: it captures the time, it moves fairly well with the plot, it makes you feel as if you are there.
But this novel fell flat for me because of the plot and Catherine's tiresome desire for a child. Although I understand that Jewish-Christian tensions were high, that Christianity was the bulk of people's lives during that time and place, I think I finally just got fed up with hearing/reading about it. Because I am personally so far removed from religion, it's hard to continually read about people whose very breaths are shaped by it. Perhaps because this particular novel is about a religious pilgrimage, it is more prominent here than in previous novels.
Whatever the case, I found Catherine's cousin's story much more appealing, and Catherine's desire for a child, while probably historically accurate for many women, irritating. This is the novel that made me dump the series. Actually, I would have kept this and carried on with the series (all books in a series don't automatically hold the same interest for a reader), but the next one looks even more dismal and has a lot to do with Catherine and Edgar's baby and a difficult time to be had by all at Edgar's family home in Scotland. None of that appeals to me, so this is where I bid goodbye to the series.
But because I like Newman's writing, I am interested in reading her other mystery that doesn't take place in Medieval France.
June 7, 2011
The Middle Ages is certainly my favorite period in history. And I enjoy very much historical fiction set in the Middle Ages. Disappointed when I reached the 2oth and last volume of The Brother Cadfael Chronicles , by Ellis Peters, I had to look for another good medieval mystery series. When I say good, I mean something enjoyable, well written, and definitely well researched, as for the background setting and events.
Sharan Newman’s series, Catherine LeVendeur Mysteries, totally fits this description. Plus, I had the bonus of meeting Sharan herself, when I delivered a lecture at the International Medieval Congress on Medieval Studies, at Kalamazoo, MI, a few years ago. She’s a very lively, fun, and has a large knowledge of the Middle Ages. I was present to amazing conversations she had then with Father Chrysogonus Waddell, of happy memory, a Trappist monk who was giving her lots of important background on medieval history for her mysteries. It was so much fun and so much learning at the same time.
And this is what I really like in her mysteries. She manages to write great suspense mysteries with very serious background, including theological debates of the time. Her tour de force is of course to have Catherine be a former nun of the Paraclete, where Heloise was abbess. So the Abelard-Heloise relationship and the Bernard of Clairvaux-Abelard conflict is always somewhere lurking.
I just regret I read this 4th volume before reading the 3rd of the series, not sure how I managed to do this, but it fit well for my Reading Challenges titles. This is a long book, but such a good page-turner that I devoured it in 2 settings – though I will refrain from telling you at what time I went to bed…
original post:
http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/20...
Emma @ Words And Peace
Sharan Newman’s series, Catherine LeVendeur Mysteries, totally fits this description. Plus, I had the bonus of meeting Sharan herself, when I delivered a lecture at the International Medieval Congress on Medieval Studies, at Kalamazoo, MI, a few years ago. She’s a very lively, fun, and has a large knowledge of the Middle Ages. I was present to amazing conversations she had then with Father Chrysogonus Waddell, of happy memory, a Trappist monk who was giving her lots of important background on medieval history for her mysteries. It was so much fun and so much learning at the same time.
And this is what I really like in her mysteries. She manages to write great suspense mysteries with very serious background, including theological debates of the time. Her tour de force is of course to have Catherine be a former nun of the Paraclete, where Heloise was abbess. So the Abelard-Heloise relationship and the Bernard of Clairvaux-Abelard conflict is always somewhere lurking.
I just regret I read this 4th volume before reading the 3rd of the series, not sure how I managed to do this, but it fit well for my Reading Challenges titles. This is a long book, but such a good page-turner that I devoured it in 2 settings – though I will refrain from telling you at what time I went to bed…
original post:
http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/20...
Emma @ Words And Peace
November 14, 2008
This marvelous historical mystery takes place during a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. James in Spain during the months of March through July of 1142. Catherine (an ex-nun who had studied under both Heloise and Abelard) and her husband Edgar are taking the pilgrimage in hopes that paying homage to St. James will make Catherine fertile and bring her a child after several miscarriages.
They embark on the journey accompanied by her father, her husband, an uncle, and a cousin. Her family is unusual in that her uncle and cousin are Jewish, a situation that creates a not inconsiderable amount of tension between them and the monks who travel with them. Four knights are traveling along as guards for a group of monks who are traveling with the Abbott of Cluny.
In the twelfth century travel was difficult and dangerous. It was important to voyage in large groups as protection from marauding bands of thieves and predators.
The knights are being killed one-by-one as the journey progresses and suspicion soon is attached to various members of the party as past secrets are revealed. Catherine begins to seek some answers to the riddles posed by the killings as suspicion is transferred to her relatives because of their religion. Finally only one knight remains and the hidden motives of the four guards become apparent.
They embark on the journey accompanied by her father, her husband, an uncle, and a cousin. Her family is unusual in that her uncle and cousin are Jewish, a situation that creates a not inconsiderable amount of tension between them and the monks who travel with them. Four knights are traveling along as guards for a group of monks who are traveling with the Abbott of Cluny.
In the twelfth century travel was difficult and dangerous. It was important to voyage in large groups as protection from marauding bands of thieves and predators.
The knights are being killed one-by-one as the journey progresses and suspicion soon is attached to various members of the party as past secrets are revealed. Catherine begins to seek some answers to the riddles posed by the killings as suspicion is transferred to her relatives because of their religion. Finally only one knight remains and the hidden motives of the four guards become apparent.
June 24, 2013
I had never read this series before, but chose this particular title because it deals with a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, which I have just visited. I will read more, because like all good historical fiction, it gives the reader an insight into how people lived some time ago. Catherine and her husband undertake the pilgrimage from deep in France, in response to a dream Catherine has. They join a group of people who stay and travel together, more for safety than any other reason. Each, of course, has their own motives for the trip (very few religious). When deaths start occurring, Catherine and several other people try to find the killer.
June 14, 2016
Truly inspired me to walk The Way
Newman's story-telling ability in this novel actually inspired us to walk the original Way of Saint James. Just as in the story, we flew into Paris, drove a meandering route to Vézelay, and began with hundreds of other pilgrims, to walk all the way to Santiago de Compestela. We even took a special trip to see the original grounds of the Paraclete!
Newman's story-telling ability in this novel actually inspired us to walk the original Way of Saint James. Just as in the story, we flew into Paris, drove a meandering route to Vézelay, and began with hundreds of other pilgrims, to walk all the way to Santiago de Compestela. We even took a special trip to see the original grounds of the Paraclete!
March 15, 2012
4.5 / 5
I really love Catherine and company! I love their interactions, their adventures and their personalities. This volume isn't quite as good as what's come before in terms of characters, but settings-wise this is a fabulous read for anyone interested in the Medieval fascination with shrines, pilgrimmages and the like. Looking forward to #5!
I really love Catherine and company! I love their interactions, their adventures and their personalities. This volume isn't quite as good as what's come before in terms of characters, but settings-wise this is a fabulous read for anyone interested in the Medieval fascination with shrines, pilgrimmages and the like. Looking forward to #5!
May 23, 2014
Enjoyed this one the most so far. Maybe it is because I am now used to the setting and the players. The authors strong background and research in medieval history allows her to make the setting come to life. The characters are well-rounded and the description of the pilgrimage route made me feel as if I was there. This is a very strong series if you like historical fiction plus a good mystery.
March 10, 2019
This was a reread and I enjoyed it more this time than when I read it in 1996. This time I was reading to learn more about their journey to Compostela. The characters were diverse and interesting as were the crimes. The period was so well written that I could visualize their lives and times (not always a good thing). I miss Catherine and Edgar.
June 30, 2023
3 1/2 stars. Enjoyable medieval mystery. While not religious, I was still able to enjoy the excellently described medieval road trip to Compostela and the slow unfolding of murder and resolution. Not so sure about the more supernaturally religious aspect of the story (Catherine's vision) or the quest for meaning storyline around Solomon (usually one of my faves) which seemed a bit shoehorned in.
November 30, 2020
A pleasure to read an older mystery where death happens without every gory detail. Newman does great research. I enjoy the historical details and look forward to walking the Via one of these days. It was fun to google all the places as I read.
February 16, 2018
A wonderful read. Period detail of a fascinating part of the medieval world and a great mystery that kept me going well after I thought I knew all the secrets of the story.
Read
July 17, 2019March-June 1142 trip to Compostela murder mystery
December 14, 2020
Engaging, but some tough subject matter. Some loose ends (I was really expecting the book extracts that Catherine and Solomon bought might drive the plot, but that went nowhere.)
January 21, 2023
Another excellent story in an exceptional series.
April 11, 2023
I wasn’t in the right mood for this book. But the ending was well written, aside from the racy part which made my cringe.
March 28, 2011
I would say more like 3.5, It's a good series but it's gotten kind of boring. Kathryn's character is a little too good, and the Christian vs. Jew storyline has worn me out. I know it was a very important distinction at the time but in my California agnostic world it's hard to get excited about it. Historical mysteries are sort of my guilty pleasure, I don't read them for their literary quality or even historical accuracy. Usually I like the type with lots of action, suspense and sexual tension. The first book in this series sort of fit the bill but it's been downhill from there.
November 13, 2020
An intriguing but violent story!
Her research is, as always, intricate, enIightening, and I always feel afterward as if I am better educated about the period and the mores of the people after reading these books. Well worth the time it takes though I don't get much else real life stuff done while reading them! This is such a well plotted book and the characters continue to reveal themselves, page after page. I am so happy I found them! Cannot wait for transsexuals of their lives. Book 5, here I come!
Her research is, as always, intricate, enIightening, and I always feel afterward as if I am better educated about the period and the mores of the people after reading these books. Well worth the time it takes though I don't get much else real life stuff done while reading them! This is such a well plotted book and the characters continue to reveal themselves, page after page. I am so happy I found them! Cannot wait for transsexuals of their lives. Book 5, here I come!
July 3, 2014
Actually, I picked this book up not knowing what to expect. I was hooked. I have read all the books in this series and wish there were more. Catherine LeVendeur (the main character) is quite a female for the time period (1142).
A fun read and each book follows Catherine from teenager to adulthood.
A fun read and each book follows Catherine from teenager to adulthood.
September 10, 2008
Although this book goes on a bit too long, the finely wrought detail about life in the middle ages makes the read worthwhile. Sharan Newman's forte lies in her ability to convey the atmosphere and ambience of everyday life in the 12th century.
May 17, 2014
I picked this up initially because it takes place on the Road to Santiago, my current big interest, but I became quite taken with it for the horribly fascinating story of five knights that have committed great sins and are getting their comeuppance as they are on pilgrimage.
November 30, 2015
Every book I read in this series just whets my appetite for the next one. I need to slow down and savor them more.
February 16, 2008
I have loved the Catherine Levendeur series
April 13, 2008
One of my dreams is to take the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. This book is mystery about one such trip that took place in medieval times. So far it is a very good read.
June 23, 2016
Enjoyable.
September 30, 2011
This one is really excellent, set, as it is, on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Newman clearly draws on the tradition of pilgrimage journals, which were the first travel books. Fascinating!
February 9, 2012
Historical fiction, of an era I haven't read much about. Read earlier book in this series, liked them and found the author again. Good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews