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Catherine LeVendeur #7
To Wear The White Cloak
Catherine LeVendeur is an independent spirit, fiercely loyalty to both her faith and her family. The two sometimes conflict, but even though she has experienced joy and loss, her life is remains committed to preserving what-and who-she loves.
Catherine's loyalty is sorely tested, however, when she and her family return to France after a long absence, and discover a Knight Templar has been brutally murdered-and someone is threatening to reveal Catherine's closely held secret about her family's Jewish roots. But Catherine never wavers-neither in her own Christian faith, nor her father's Jewish faith-and ultimately it falls upon her to discover who would kill a soldier of God. . .
And why Catherine's family would be targeted in such a horrendous fashion.
Catherine's loyalty is sorely tested, however, when she and her family return to France after a long absence, and discover a Knight Templar has been brutally murdered-and someone is threatening to reveal Catherine's closely held secret about her family's Jewish roots. But Catherine never wavers-neither in her own Christian faith, nor her father's Jewish faith-and ultimately it falls upon her to discover who would kill a soldier of God. . .
And why Catherine's family would be targeted in such a horrendous fashion.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
13 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Sharan Newman
52 books195 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 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 11, 2021
It took a bit to get into. There was something about the writing style that threw me off. This book is called a "catherine Vendeur mystery", who is one of the characters of the book. We are presented with a dead body within the first few pages of the book and the question of who it is and and why he is left in the family's home. Set in 1100's when people had various houses, and servants to open the house for the season, the family shows up to the house and it is untouched. In the only locked room, is a dead Knight of the Temple (AKA Templar Knights) and no sign of burglary. In a drawn out and complex (at times confusing) plot, the mystery is revealed. Once it got further in the plot, things picked up and it was interesting.
December 8, 2016
Excellent read. Too bad the next one is sitting at the library and I can't get there because we are having a snowy afternoon.
March 22, 2017
This is my first book in the Catherine LeVendeur series, and from my experience with this book, it's clear that Sharan Newman is a meticulous historian. But, she is a historian first and a writer second - the story and the writing itself isn't the best you will find. However, her attention to historical accuracy and detail will provide appreciation and delight. One complaint I have is that this book contained several spelling errors. "Heping" instead of "helping" in page 280 (and a few others I haven't recorded). This might be the first time I've read a book with so many blatant spelling errors, which was a bit odd. Overall, it is a solid book if you are in need of a fresh read. But, it is also not a book that will have you gripped until the end.
October 3, 2021
Interesting historical background (medieval Paris, with a middle-class woman as the "detective"). However, the plot had an incredible number of side-issues, and the actual criminal seemed even more incredible in the rushed ending.
May 19, 2018
The weakest of the series. Too many coincidences and farcical encounters.
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July 17, 2019Paris with a dead man in the counting room
August 8, 2019
My least favourite of the series so far. Hopefully the next one is better.
April 23, 2021
Newman's historical details are superb. This was a more convoluted plot than unusual and the threads didn't quite work as well as previous ones.
May 2, 2016
I was reminded recently by a professor of medieval English literature that the author of this mystery series was "a real historian." In fact, the professor hadn't even realized that the author had written a historical mystery series, being only familiar with the author's academic work.
This is one of my favorite mystery series, and one main reason is that the series highlights a little-covered aspect of medieval life, which is the treatment of Jews in the Middle Ages. The topic is handled well, without judgment and within the context of its time. Catherine LeVendeur, the main character, is delightfully out of the mainstream, raised in a convent run by Abbess Heloise (of Heloise & Abelard fame) and who has Jewish cousins. (You'll have to read the series to discover how that happened.) She is unorthodox for her time in many ways, but the author does not make the mistake that many do, and Catherine's lack of orthodoxy is limited to what would have been tolerated during the time period. She is constantly praying that her Jewish relatives come to the true faith so as to not condemn their souls to everlasting hell.
In this particular mystery, a dead man is found in the house of Catherine and Edgar (her husband), wearing a white cloak, similar to the Templars' outfits. Was the dead man a Templar? If so, why don't the Templars know who he is? At the same time, a threat from the past comes back and threatens Catherine with exposure about her Jewish relatives.
The mysteries are often secondary to the fascinating look at medieval life from the view of the merchants. The author interweaves historical details beautifully, and you never feel like you're reading out of a history textbook. The characters are all well drawn with fully realized personalities.
If you like historical mystery series, I highly recommend this one. Even if the period isn't necessarily compelling, the unusual angle this mystery series takes on medieval life is well worth the read.
The series is best read in order but is well worth your time!
This is one of my favorite mystery series, and one main reason is that the series highlights a little-covered aspect of medieval life, which is the treatment of Jews in the Middle Ages. The topic is handled well, without judgment and within the context of its time. Catherine LeVendeur, the main character, is delightfully out of the mainstream, raised in a convent run by Abbess Heloise (of Heloise & Abelard fame) and who has Jewish cousins. (You'll have to read the series to discover how that happened.) She is unorthodox for her time in many ways, but the author does not make the mistake that many do, and Catherine's lack of orthodoxy is limited to what would have been tolerated during the time period. She is constantly praying that her Jewish relatives come to the true faith so as to not condemn their souls to everlasting hell.
In this particular mystery, a dead man is found in the house of Catherine and Edgar (her husband), wearing a white cloak, similar to the Templars' outfits. Was the dead man a Templar? If so, why don't the Templars know who he is? At the same time, a threat from the past comes back and threatens Catherine with exposure about her Jewish relatives.
The mysteries are often secondary to the fascinating look at medieval life from the view of the merchants. The author interweaves historical details beautifully, and you never feel like you're reading out of a history textbook. The characters are all well drawn with fully realized personalities.
If you like historical mystery series, I highly recommend this one. Even if the period isn't necessarily compelling, the unusual angle this mystery series takes on medieval life is well worth the read.
The series is best read in order but is well worth your time!
September 1, 2009
#7 Catherine LeVendeur historical mystery series set in medieval France. Catherine, Edgar and their household return home to Paris after a year's absence in Germany, where they'd gone to assist Catherine's sister Agnes with a problem. Upon returning, they find a dead body in their counting room, a man apparently a Templar Knight, as he is wearing their distinctive white cloak and a brooch. He was obviously murdered, and Catherine and Edgar struggle to find out who he was and why he was left in their home. The Templars don't recognize him and they are now set to blame Catherine and Edgar as rumors of her father Hubert's association with the Jews fly wildly. Hubert, of course, IS a Jew and has gone back to the Jewish community at Troyes, not on pilgrimage as they've told everyone.
I generally enjoy this series, but this one annoyed me on many levels. There were too many sub-plots, too many peripheral characters to keep straight, and too many changes of point of view. Even several of the peripheral characters had their say, with switches often occurring mid-chapter. Just too confusing. I love the main characters in the series, but some of the issues they are dealing with have gone on for multiple books and they are getting a bit tired now. I'm going to finish this series (3 books left, and I have them all) but I'm not as eager to jump on the next one as I was to get to this one.
I generally enjoy this series, but this one annoyed me on many levels. There were too many sub-plots, too many peripheral characters to keep straight, and too many changes of point of view. Even several of the peripheral characters had their say, with switches often occurring mid-chapter. Just too confusing. I love the main characters in the series, but some of the issues they are dealing with have gone on for multiple books and they are getting a bit tired now. I'm going to finish this series (3 books left, and I have them all) but I'm not as eager to jump on the next one as I was to get to this one.
January 3, 2010
I love this series, although this one dragged a bit for me as I read along waiting for the disparate elements and storylines to become clear. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but in a nutshell Catherine, Edgar and family return from a year in Germany (the previous excellent installment in the series, "Difficult Saint") to their home in Paris to find what appears to be the rotting corpse of a Templar in their counting room (Edgar is taking over Catherine's family trading business). As they attempt to uncover the identity of the body, the reason it was dumped (revenge? an old enemy out to raise questions about the family's secrets? No spoilers!), etc., we also meet two other would-be Templars, a pair of newlyweds on a quest, Paris merchants, and an old friends and enemies of Catherine's family, all of whom may or may not have something to do with the murder victim.
I found it a bit more convoluted than some of Newman's previous stories, but as always, her insight into Paris society, relations between Jews and Christians, the power of the Church, the nobility, the merchant class, and family life are fascinating.
I found it a bit more convoluted than some of Newman's previous stories, but as always, her insight into Paris society, relations between Jews and Christians, the power of the Church, the nobility, the merchant class, and family life are fascinating.
September 14, 2007
White Cloak - G+
Sharan Newman - 7th in series
Catherine LeVendeur is an independent spirit, fiercely loyalty to both her faith and her family. The two sometimes conflict, but even though she has experienced joy and loss, her life is remains committed to preserving what-and who-she loves.Catherine's loyalty is sorely tested, however, when she and her family return to France after a long absence, and discover a Knight Templar has been brutally murdered-and someone is threatening to reveal Catherine's closely held secret about her family's Jewish roots. But Catherine never wavers-neither in her own Christian faith, nor her father's Jewish faith-and ultimately it falls upon her to discover who would kill a soldier of God. . .And why Catherine's family would be targeted in such a horrendous fashion.
ignorance of the time, power of church
Sharan Newman - 7th in series
Catherine LeVendeur is an independent spirit, fiercely loyalty to both her faith and her family. The two sometimes conflict, but even though she has experienced joy and loss, her life is remains committed to preserving what-and who-she loves.Catherine's loyalty is sorely tested, however, when she and her family return to France after a long absence, and discover a Knight Templar has been brutally murdered-and someone is threatening to reveal Catherine's closely held secret about her family's Jewish roots. But Catherine never wavers-neither in her own Christian faith, nor her father's Jewish faith-and ultimately it falls upon her to discover who would kill a soldier of God. . .And why Catherine's family would be targeted in such a horrendous fashion.
ignorance of the time, power of church
September 5, 2016
Tedious. The plot took too long to work itself through, I hadn't read any others in this series and felt somewhat in the dark about who these people were and what their history individually and collectively was. I'm also really bored with the fascination people seem to have with the Templars. Is it the fascination for the idea of "fighting monks", the idea they might have had some secret horde, the way the order was disbanded? What? I find myself sighing "again?" when the Templars rear their collective heads in a story. If you haven't read any others in this mystery series, don't bother picking one up in its middle.
November 13, 2020
Was so disapointed
The writing is as good as in the last books but the story leave
S out pretzels up the loss in one way and another the stories of some pretty main characters...was disappointed in the brief discussion of
Willa and the lack of feelings expressed at her loss and the story of Hubert and the lack of feelings expressed by the main characters at his departure...this book seemed a bit disjointed and rushed. I really love the historical context and detail but I wonder at the character's seeming lack of depth and concern this time out. Want to read the next one and see how it goes...
The writing is as good as in the last books but the story leave
S out pretzels up the loss in one way and another the stories of some pretty main characters...was disappointed in the brief discussion of
Willa and the lack of feelings expressed at her loss and the story of Hubert and the lack of feelings expressed by the main characters at his departure...this book seemed a bit disjointed and rushed. I really love the historical context and detail but I wonder at the character's seeming lack of depth and concern this time out. Want to read the next one and see how it goes...
April 15, 2011
Murder in 12th century France. Catherine, wife of a noble younter son turned merchant and a mother of her own children finds a body upon the return of the family from a trip to Italy. Who did it? She also finds a Torah left in the house her father gave her. What should she do with it. To whom should she give it? She is Christian but her father was a converted Jew who secretly returned to the faith of his father. This is problematic in catholic France during the Inquisition. She does find out who did it.
August 2, 2011
Catherine & Edgar, along with their two children, have just returned to their home in 12th century Paris, only to discover a dead body in their home; presumably one of the many Knights of the Temple who are gathering in Paris to be part of the new crusade. Not knowing the identity of the body or how it got into their home leads to one question after another. Is their family being purposefully targeted? If so, why & by whom?
This is the seventh book in the Catherine LeVendeur series. Newman continues to entertain with her characters, suspense, and her historical insights.
This is the seventh book in the Catherine LeVendeur series. Newman continues to entertain with her characters, suspense, and her historical insights.
August 17, 2008
Eh. I still love these characters and love this setting, but this book was so filled with coincidence that it became silly. Do only three people live in Paris? The entire plot with Jehan felt ridiculous, Catherine felt un-Catherine-like, and there simply wasn't time for the sort of introspection and exploration of the times that I've loved from this series in the past.
December 18, 2015
I have not found the last few Catherine LeVendeur books as well as I would like. A heavy emphasis on religion, piety and children has more than likely affected my judgement. This story is no exception. I’m getting a little tired of the same issues being a constant backdrop and hold out hope that the next book/s will be better.
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October 12, 2016I have read this entire series (ten books) twice and thoroughly enjoyed them. It isn't easy to find an historical mystery series that is written in English but set in France. If anyone knows of another such series, please let me know. It's always more fun when traveling to have read books set in that locale.
November 10, 2008
Set in the 1100's in France, the historical view of life of the time was perhaps more thought provoking than the crime. The ability of religion to complicate life as well as perceived social status appears to be as horrible then as it is now.
December 12, 2007
Weak entry in the series. Nobody's actions make much sense, the plot depends on everybody acting dumb, and Catherine and Edgar do no investigating until the very last minute.
November 4, 2008
The Catherine LeVendeur Mysteries are pure delightful fun.
February 8, 2011
Good addition to the the series. Plot is a little slow moving, but the characters are very interesting. The series story made some interesting advances in this book.
December 14, 2012
This was my least favorite in this series. It seemed overly long and their really wasn't much of a mystery...a dead body yes but no one really seemed to care. Hope next one is a little better.
May 11, 2015
Good msytery about the Templars!
January 28, 2016
Slow. Too many little side plots and stories. OK read but I was ready for it to be finished about 2/3 of the way through
October 26, 2015
to be discussed/compared with Invisible City by Julia Dahl
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews