The King's Bishop

Owen Archer #4

by Candace Robb

Friend or foe? The character of Owen's old friend is called into question when he mysteriously vanishes from the king's mission after a page is murdered.

York, 1367. Owen Archer and his old comrade, Ned Townley, are each leading companies of the king's men north of York to Fountains and Rievaulx abbeys respectively, on a mission to win the support of the powerful abbots for William of Wykeham becoming the Bishop of Winchester.

A CRIME OF PASSION?

But trouble stalks Ned Townley - Sir William of Wyndesore's men at Windsor suspect he killed a page in a jealous rage over his betrothed. Is the rumour true?

SOME SECRETS MUST BE PROTECTED AT ANY COST.

When Ned and a friar in his party go missing, Owen is drawn into the intrigue surrounding his friend. As further disturbing events occur, Owen uncovers a dangerous, scandalous secret that stretches to the highest level of the court.

THE OWEN ARCHER MYSTERIES
1. The Apothecary Rose
2. The Lady Chapel
3. The Nun's Tale
4. The King's Bishop
5. The Riddle of St. Leonard's
6. The Gift of Sanctuary
7. A Spy for the Redeemer
8. The Cross-Legged Knight
9. The Guilt of Innocents
10. A Vigil of Spies
11. A Conspiracy of Wolves
12. A Choir of Crows
13. The Riverwoman's Dragon
14. A Fox in the Fold

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Medieval, Historical, Crime

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Storyteller, mythweaver, author of the Owen Archer, Kate Clifford, & Margaret Kerr mysteries. Primary residence, medieval York.

I blog about writing, medieval history, writing women's stories, and feature new scholarship in my field at candacerobbbooks.com, and share loads of medieval news, folklore, and whimsy on my facebook page, Candace Robb

Reviews

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing historical mystery is the 4th volume of the delightful "Owen Archer" series, from the US author, Candace Robb.

Storytelling is once again of a superb quality, all characters, whether great historical or wonderful fictional, come vividly to life within this mystery of murder and mayhem, although this is not a straightforward whodunnit but a whodunnit which delivers reasons and motives behind certain actions, and the intriguing atmosphere at court and within England itself comes also very much to the forefront in this magnificent story.

At the beginning of the book you'll find two well-drawn maps of York and Windsor, two important places where most actions are taking place, and a well documented Glossary, while at the back you'll notice a very informative Author's Note with historical details concerning this great story.

This mystery is set in the year, AD 1367, and like I said before the story is mainly situated in York as well as Windsor.

The book starts with the murder of Daniel, page and son of Sir William of Wyndesore, the secret husband of Alice Perrers, at Windsor Castle, with King Edward III is residence there with his wife, Queen Phillippa, and his misstress, the very same and beforementioned, Alice Perrers.

Ned Townley, Owen Archer's former soldier/archer colleague, is sent north with a deputation to the Abbeys of Fountains and Rievaulx, carrying petitions from the King for the Abbots in an attempt to win those Abbots over by acknowledging William of Wykeham as the King's Bishop of Winchester, when all of a sudden the Austin friar, Don Ambrose, who's accompanying them is murdered while being on their way from Rievaulx to Fountains, and at the same time Ned's girlfriend, Mary, maid to Alice Perrers, is found murdered in the Thames at Windsor.

What is to follow is a most exciting and intriguing mystery, where political machinations and plotting, between King Edward III, Alice Perrers, and Sir William de Wyndesore, are commonplace, even murder when necessary, all in an effort to hold on or gain power, and so thrive and survive somewhat longer in this court full of backstabbing and deceit, and all these actions are delivered to us by the author in a most subtle and captivating fashion.

Very much recommended, for this is another excellent addition to this series, and that's why I call it: "A Stunning Owen Archer Sequel"!

[Diamond Cowboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review later.

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this Owen Archer medieval mystery. The more I learn about that time period in English history the more I appreciate Candace Robb's use of history in her writing. The book is a bit confusing with so many moving parts and different murders but it all gets pulled together by the end.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this series.

[Natalie aka Tannat · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was a lot weaker than the previous parts of the series. Owen seems to lose all his intelligence and experience in dealing with the possibility that his friend may be a murderer, and Ned seems to lose his brain entirely and to constantly make the stupidest possible choice, almost as if he were trying to make himself guilty. The resolution of the mystery is not particularly satisfying either, and the subplot of Thoresby and Alice Perrars is highly annoying.
I hope the series will get back up to par in the next installment.

[Simona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel that in this fourth installment the author had more difficulties to integrate the life of his characters in the very well researched history of the period. Consequently the plot suffered a bit, and the less useful characters (to the narration) as Lucie, Jasper, Bess, sir Robert became two dimensional. A flaw in an otherwise exceptional series.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stelle e mezza

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as previous books in the series, it seemed repetitive and unnecessarily complicated. Hope the next one is back to the author's usual standard.

[Lane · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite of the first four volumes.
Pope and Kind Edward II disagree about pluralism: allowing one man to hold many state and church offices at once. King wants to make a rich pluralist, Wm of Wykeham, the next Bishop of Winchester (and then Chancellor).

Owen Archer, wife Lucia
Ned Townley - loves Mary, aid in waiting to Alice Perrers, the King's common mistress.
Alice covertly marries Wyndesore, a bad guy, to "protest" herself from the King's eventual abandonment.
Mary and Daniel were murdered because they served as witnesses.
Owen and family move into the adjoining house given the by Robert d'Arby;, Lucie's father

[Doris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this time period and adored the Ellis Peters' Cadfael series. I was hoping this book/author would be my next go-to but I have to say I was tremendously disappointed. To its credit, it was very well researched and authentic to the time period, but I found the characters very two-dimensional, not truly compelling and the writing didn't grab me and pull me in. The mystery certainly wove its way around but didn't come to anything near a satisfactory conclusion. I'm glad Goodreads recommended other authors of this genre; I shall try one of them.

[Werehare · Rating 2 out of 5]

4/10

Ambientazione gradevole e ben ricostruita per un giallo tutto sommato mediocre, con una soluzione per niente ad effetto e scritto in modo passabile. Gradevole, pur se non brillante, il protagonista ma insipidi e già sentiti tutti gli altri personaggi. Terribili la ripetizione ad libitum degli "occhi da gatta" di Alice Perrers, un paio di vigole tra soggetto e verbo (spesso le virgole sono messe con poco criterio) e il personaggio che parla di sé in terza persona.

[MBP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this series - they seem to be well researched (love the inclusion of maps and an author's note). The growth of the series characters is interesting to follow, as some evolve in unexpected ways. The only thing that really annoyed me about this book was the character of Ned Townley - hard to see why he would be a friend of Owen's.

[Awallens · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was Ok, though I found the plot really complex. Sometimes I love complex mysteries and other times I am hoping for an easier mystery and don't like them so much. Undoubtedly I'll read this book again when I'm in a more complex frame of mind and enjoy it.

[deni Tomgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series as all characters are well rounded and I love reading about old Windsor and York which are both familiar to me now. One of three I've found in my mother in laws collection.

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just love this series.

[ghostlibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery in the middle ages. I loved these books.

[Art Enyedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The King's Bishop is the fourth story in the Owen Archer series; it is set in 14th century England during the reign of King Edward III. Owen is a retired archer, once a soldier in the King's army, but a fight with a treacherous French jongleur left Owen blind in one eye. A one-eyed man cannot shoot a bow accurately, so now Owen is living in the city of York, where he works at an apothecary with his insightful wife. As a side job, Owen acts as a fixer for John Thoresby, the King's chancellor. When trouble brews, Thoresby sends Archer to solve the mess (Archer resents being sent away, but in medieval England, there really is no choice but to obey the wishes of the powerful) Thoresby seems to be needing Owen's skills all too often.

The novel begins with a confrontation between Ned Townley (a henchman for the Duke of Lancaster, who is the son of King Edward III), and Daniel, who is mild mannered page for the powerful William Wykeham. Ned is an ex-soldier (he served in the army alongside Owen Archer), and Daniel is merely a timid scholar - but Ned threatens Daniel nevertheless, telling Daniel to stay away from Mary. Ned hopes to marry Mary, and he doesn't want Daniel to interfere with his dreams. In truth, Daniel's relationship with Mary is strictly platonic, but Ned is a jealous man.

The next day, Daniel's body is pulled from the ditch, and naturally everyone believes Ned Townley murdered him. Mary loyally vouches for Ned, saying that he was with her that night, but no one believes her. (Mary is a maid for Alice Perrers, who is the mistress of King Edward III - the adulterous relationship is an open secret, though the court pretends that the King is still faithful to the Queen).

The bishopric of Winchester is an open position, and King Edward III wishes to install his friend, William Wykeham as the new bishop. But the pope has a differing opinion. In order to drum up support for Wykeham's candidacy, King Edward III sends a delegation of friars to the influential Cistercian abbeys at Fountain and Rievaulx in Northern England. If the Cistercian monks support Wykeham, then the King's wishes are almost certain to prevail. In order to get Ned away from London (where everyone is accusing him of Mary's murder), Ned is included as part of the armed escort for the delegation of friars. The band heads north, toward York where Owen Archer and Thoresby live.

Unbeknowst to Ned, his beloved Mary was murdered just after he departed London. When the delegation reaches York, prior to heading to the abbeys, Thoresby assigns Owen to take command of the small force. In addition to the murders back in London, there are other mysteries: why is Friar Don Ambrose so hostile and frightened toward Ned? (Ned doesn't even know yet that Mary has been killed.) Owen's instincts tell him not to trust two of the men assigned to protect the friars, Crofter and Bardolph, they don't look like trustworthy men to Owen, they seem more like brutal thugs.

Then Friar Don Ambrose goes missing, and naturally suspicion falls again on Ned, Owen's old friend from their soldiering days. Owen has a handful of crimes to sort out. Can he prove Ned's innocence? Owen chooses to believe his friend Ned is telling the truth, though Ned's accounts and explanations of his actions seem to be avoiding some crucial details.

In the end, the killers are unmasked, and cause for the murders is brought to light. Thoresby travels to London and gets involved in the intrigue at the court of King Edward III.

Overall, this an okay story. I wonder how much of this is based upon real history. I presume that the King really did have a common woman, Perrers, as his mistress. There are ten more books in this series. I intend to continue reading them, but I also have several other ongoing medieval series I am interested in (Brother Cadfael, Matthew Bartholomew, Hugh Corbett, John Shakespeare, Matthew Shardlake) - so many books, so little time!

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The King’s Bishop brings the feud between Thoresby, Owen’s employer, and Alice Perrers, the King’s mistress to the forefront. In my review of The Lady Chapel, I mentioned wanting to see more of Perrers, and I have! The King’s Bishop starts with the suspicious death of a page. Many people suspect Ned, who threatened the page for getting too close to his beloved, Mary (the maid of Alice Perrers). When a member of the clergy is found dead, things look even worse for Ned.

So it now falls to Owen to protect Ned from the men who think he’s a killer while finding out who the real killer is. At the same time, Thoresby is struggling between the urge to play politic and the desire to retire from the world altogether. Of course, he’s still in a power struggle with Alice Perrers, who’s deeply connected to this case through the death of her maid.

As I expected, I really enjoyed this story! In particular, I love the development of Thoresby and Perrers’ characters. Thoresby has already been changing in the books, as he ages and moves towards a life of contemplation, but this is the book where he gets more space to act. He’s not just Owen’s boss, he has stakes in this game and he has to decide what he wants to do. And while Perrers is Thoresby’s rival, I can’t help but admire her – she’s a woman who’s doing what she has to do to not only survive but thrive (financially). I like that neither of these characters were pure evil, but rather had many shades of grey that allowed the reader to choose who they wanted to sympathise with.

Compared to the other books, we don’t see as much of medieval York in The King’s Bishop. Instead, we spend quite a lot of time in Windsor, which is also a place that I’ve visited before! I did think that Windsor was not as vividly brought to life as York was, but that could also be because Windsor felt like a court, while York is a city with many types of people. Or it could be that I need to be in a location while reading the book to feel like it’s being brought to life.

Overall, this book was another exciting adventure in medieval England for me! As always, I appreciated how the mysteries are grounded in the history of that era, and I look forward to reading another Owen Archer mystery in the near future!

This review was first posted at Eustea Reads

[Morgana LeFay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il titolo è un po’ ingannevole.
La donna del fiume fa infatti pensare a Magda Digby, la guaritrice che vive appunto sulle rive del fiume che lambisce la città di York, e invece il titolo allude a Mary, la dama di compagnia di Alice Perrers (l’amante di re Edorardo III) che muore annegata.
Anche se il libro non inizia con la sua morte.
Comincia infatti con una rissa in una locanda che ha per protagonisti Ned, capitano delle guardie e amico di Owen Archer, e Daniel, un dongiovanni sbruffone che vive a corte.
Daniel muore, del suo omicidio viene incolpato Ned e Mary (che è anche la compagna di Ned) appunto muore.
Da qui partono le indagini e ci si aspetta di avere Owen come protagonista.
Invece no.
Non è assente come nel libro precedente, intendiamoci, ma non è nemmeno la figura centrale della storia.
A dominare la scena sono infatti Ned, Alice Perrers, l’arcivescovo Thoresby e sir William Wykeham che aspira alla carica di arcivescovo.
Questi quattro personaggi, capitolo dopo capitolo, si incontrano e scontrano fino a passare di nuovo la palla a Owen che nelle ultime venti pagine conclude l’indagine.
Non vi anticipo nulla su chi è il mandante degli omicidi, vi dico tuttavia che questo libro si avvicina molto alla realtà.
Il mandante degli omicidi infatti non verrà punito, perché è troppo potente e influente per poter essere arrestato e processato.
Un tocco alla Sciascia, che rende il romanzo molto attuale.
Notevole anche l’attenzione storica dell’autrice che inserisce nel romanzo il personaggio di Geoffrey Chaucer, il poeta aurore dei noti Canterbury Tales.
Rileggerei questo libro? Sì, ma non subito.

[Libbie Harr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Candace Robb continues to step up her writing in this Owen Archer mystery. I could not put it down. All the regular characters are there and they continue to develop including our charming Owen. William of Wykeham will soon replace our thorny, but hardworking Lord Chancellor Archdeacon John Thoresby. At first the reader has very little respect for Wykeham, but as the story emerges, a change of mind is called for. Terrible murders of a Page, then the murder of the beloved, Mary, maid of the King's mistress force Owen to find his good friend Ned who is being set up for these murders. The surrounding history of the times with King Edward and Queen Phillippa is extremely interesting and wind in and out in the mystery. The series is definitely worth the time.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning, I didn’t really enjoy this story. However I made myself finish it.I was glad I did. The story is based around the time of Edward III and his queen Philippa. The queen is failing health wise and I am aware that there is a story that say Philippa encouraged the king to take Alice Perrers as his mistress. This book is based around the theory that Alice Perrers was married but the marriage is kept secret and it suited the king to be so. This story then goes on to what might have happened to those who knew.
Captain Archer has to try to save his friend from being falsely accused by both friends and foe.
I think it might have been better if I had read some of the earlier books because I would have been more aware of some of the characters and their relationships to each other.

[Gary S · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The King’s Bishop” by Candace Robb (Owen Archer Series #4)

I continue to enjoy this series and the more I read, the more I would recommend reading it in order. This book was the most challenging to date with regard to keeping the many characters, complex plot and subplots, changing relationships, straight in my mind. This may have more to do with my reading habits (prior to bedtime) than the book itself. Nevertheless, a thoroughly enjoyable book and one of my favorites, so far. I particularly like the author’s notes at the end of each book relating the story to her historical research. History, mystery, and more!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating series of medieval mysteries with complex, nuanced characters that draw the reader in to the story. I am intrigued by how complicated life was during this “ simple time.”

My only caution to prospective readers is that, unless you have a real gift for keeping “who’s who” straight in a story, there may be times when the “ king’s men” and the evil-doers are a bit muddled in your mind. . . I just accept the fact that “ life is complicated” in these books and power through the issue of who is laying a trap for whom.

As I read, I trust that good WILL conquer evil in this series, but there do seem to be lots of casualties along the road.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid novel with a strong medieval setting, but this isn't my favorite book in the series. In my opinion, the political maneuverings overshadowed the mystery investigation and upstaged the sleuth, Owen Archer.
If you like books about obscure historical figures and the machinations of noblemen, then you will like this book. (The author provides great background information on these people and why she wanted to write their story.)
If you want to enjoy a clever sleuth unravelling a mystery then you might enjoy one of the other books in this series better.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally I really enjoy Candance Robb's Owen Archer's series, but I found this book tedious. I like historical fiction but there were too many peripheral characters in the story, and without the Xray feature on Kindle on this book, hard to keep track of them. I read her Author's Note at the outset when I could see that the history in the book was overly dense, and even read about the characters on Wikipedia, but still found the book tedious. The juxtaposition of the dense historical dialogue and the plot was disjointed. I am hoping this is not a new trend...

[Jazzysmum · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I nearly dnf this one, as the author uses real historical people in her books, and at times her view differs from contemporary sources. Though Ms Robb does research her books well..

I did carry on and am glad I did . In this the fourth offering of Owen Archer, Archbishop of York's spy, sometime apprentice apothecary and his wife Lucie Wilton -Master Apothecary. We have court intrigues, murder and hasty blaming. This continues into the wilds of Yorkshire and the minster itself.

Much heartbreak for Owen but a happy event as well.

[~EsseElle. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
This series has become my reading comfort zone. After taking a break following the third novel, I returned to immerse myself in Owen Archer's adventures. To be honest, I didn’t find this one as compelling as the previous books, which is why I’m giving it three and a half stars. The mystery behind the plot felt a bit confusing and unclear to me, and the ending didn’t completely satisfy me. However, I’m glad to be back in medieval York, with its mysterious murders, damp weather, and intriguing characters. Can't wait to crack on it!

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another excellent historical mystery series, this one set in the time of Edward III, evidencing the quality of the author's research in the complicated politics, both secular and church interwoven into the mystery. The mystery is well revealed, though it moves slowly in places, with quite a bit of brutality, reflecting the jeopardy of people dealing with those ambitiously trying to move up in the bleak times when the aged Edward is favoring his grasping young lover over his loyal wife.

[Verity Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing but depressing history

Each time I read a book in this series, I think I won't read another one. And yet I keep coming back.

I think part of why I am less eager for this series is because this is quite a depressing period in English history. But Robb brings it so thoroughly to life that I can't help myself.

This volume is quite confusing until the secret that led to the murders is brought to light, at which point it becomes quite tense. An intriguing tale.