No Dark Place

Medieval Mysteries #1

by Joan Wolf

In the turbulent realm of Norman England, a young nobleman discovers that his identity is the link to an incredible mystery. Hugh Corbaille has just lost the person he cares for most in the world, his adoptive father, the Sheriff of Lincoln. While Hugh's grief is still raw, he is approached by a visiting knight with an unbelievable tale: Hugh may actually be Hugh de Leon, sole child of the Earl of Wiltshire, mysteriously abducted thirteen years before on the day of his father's murder. With no memory of his early years, Hugh sets out to find the truth. He soon unearths a web of death and intrigue beginning in the lost days of his childhood when he may have witnessed the stabbing of his birth father. Tormented by this tragic puzzle, Hugh must turn to the mother he has never known, a court of strangers, and the young woman whose sympathy and healing are his one support, to try to piece together his splintered past and put an end to a reign of danger and deception.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Medieval, Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical, Fiction

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Joan Wolf is a USA TODAY bestselling American writer, whose acclaimed Regency romances have earned her national recognition as a master of the genre. Her many historical and contemporary romances, some of which have been chosen as Literary Guild selections, have been highly praised by reviewers and authors alike.

Joan was born in 1951 and she grew up in the Bronx, New York. A former English teacher, she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Mercy College and Master in English and Comparative Literature at Hunter College. An avid rider and horse owner, Joan lives in Connecticut with her husband Joe and two grown children, Jay and Pam.

Reviews

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this one knowing it to be a historical mystery, set in the middle ages, but also knowing that the author is a fairly well-known romance writer. I have nothing against romance writers in general, preferring to judge every book and author on their own merits and not by some preconceived stereotype.

What I found was a nice story with an engaging mystery plot and fairly well-drawn characters. I happen to know quite a bit about the actual history of this time (just after the Battle of the Standards, the opening round of the struggle between Stephen and Matilda) and it is obvious that the author has done her research well. And I did like the way the history interacted with the mystery plot.

But overall, I was less impressed with the actual writing, especially the dialogue. Nearly every line seemed to be followed by something like, "she said knowingly" or "he said wistfully." I know that basic writing classes teach students to avoid such adverbial phrasing but I also know that rules are meant to be broken and some fantastic writers occasionally do it anyway. But repeated use of this makes for a "style" of writing and, to me, it screamed "amateur".

Similarly, each line of dialogue was followed by an activity of some kind and never strung together: (note: this is not a quote from the novel, just my own made-up example to illustrate the style)


Character 1: "Cold night out tonight, wouldn't you say?"
Activity: She glanced toward the squire, curling her hair over an ear.

Character 2: "Indeed"
Activity: The squire began to polish a set of armor.

Character 1: "Maybe it will rain"
Activity: A thrush tweeted in a nearby bush.

Character 2: "Perhaps you are right. It might rain."
Activity: Another thrush answered its mate's call with another tweet.

etc. etc. etc.


Some of that sort of thing works well to add texture to a scene but I didn't enjoy being hit over the head with it.

I could give many more examples of the writing style but...I will resist. I am certainly no master of the written word but I know a manuscript in need of an editor when I see one.

So overall I would rate the story and plot a "4" but grade the writing level at a "2" so compromised with an overall grade of the dreaded "3"

[Aneca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wolf was a familiar name to me as a writer of historical romance and traditional regencies. I was quite surprised when I discovered that she had also written two medieval mysteries and after reading them I can only say that it is a pity that she did not write more.

Set in 12th century England, No Dark Place is the story of Hugh Corbaille and the mysteries that surround him. When the story opens Hugh, the adopted son of the Sheriff of Lincoln has just lost his father and is “recognized” by a visiting man, Nigel Haslin, as the possible son of the Earl of Wiltshire who has disappeared has a child.

The unusually controlled Hugh is still having trouble dealing with his grief and at first refuses to acknowledge that possibility but eventually he decides to investigate as he is both feeling the need to escape the memories of his dead parents and the desire to know if he is really Hugh de Leon. What is known is that fourteen years earlier Roger de Leon, the powerful Earl of Wiltshire, was murdered in his chapel and his young son disappeared never to be seen again. Hugh was found starving and cold in the streets of Lincoln and has no memory of what happened before he joined the Corbaille household.

In Nigel Haslin’s household Hugh meets his daughter Cristen, a sixteen year old girl, who is already a known herbalist and with whom he feels instantly at ease. Hugh and Cristen’s relationship will slowly develop throughout the book, never overshadowing the mystery but showing us a new side to Hugh who seems very much in control of himself except when he is with Cristen.

Nigel’s plan is to “show” Hugh to his uncle and see what comes of it. They all meet in a tournament and Hugh’s physical appearance immediately calls the attention of several people. Besides the mystery of who Hugh really is there’s also the mystery of who killed Roger de Leon and some believe his brother and successor maybe have been behind it. To his natural desire to know who he is Hugh adds something of political strategy, the Earl of Wiltshire is a powerful ally of king Stephen and Hugh knows that if sworn to Mathilda’s side he would be immediately recognised by her and the rightful heir of the earldom.

It was interesting to have this outlook of the time’s political intrigues but what really made the book for me where the characters and the mystery surrounding them. Not only Hugh and Cristen but the whole set of secondary characters make this a really interesting story.

Grade: 4.5/5

[Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this because of the author and I loved The Road To Avalon, The Edge of Light, and Born Of the Sun. Enjoyed every minute of it and wish it had been longer although I understand there is a sequel...which I have ordered. A Medieval Mystery! That is unusual in itself.

I loved the young knight, Hugh, who soon after losing both of his parents when he is 21, discovers that possibly he is not who he has thought he was for all these years. He knew he was a foster son and has no memory at all of his life before he was found at age 7 with no history at all. Kudos to the author for creating Hugh! The story throughout the book is his search, first for the truth of his birth, and second his obsession to find out who murdered his father, a great and powerful Earl. A big part of that is once he realizes who he really is he knows he should be that Earl. So does his Uncle who is also a suspect in the murder of Hugh's father. His lack of memory haunts him as he comes to believe that he was there when it happened 14 years before. It was an easy read, some suspense but not intense as I read through it without being tied in knots worrying about these characters I liked so much. It is a romance although light and definitely not graphic. I just plain enjoyed every minute of it. I love reading medieval times so the setting was perfect for just a really fun read.

[Kit Door · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is well written and interesting, but contains typos (such as wrong names) and weird errors like interchangeably using "wine" and "ale".. first 5 chapters are filled with repetitive mentions of the rushes on the floors. The author is clearly aware that 'dinner' is the midday meal, but often forgets and refers to the end of the day meal as 'dinner' too. The young heroine is very beautiful, but she also has a tan, which was basically a disfigurement for a lady in the 12th century. She is also so perfect that "she never says the wrong thing". Annoying, in this case the wrong thing is telling a man that he looks tired after it was totally cool for him to basically send her to bed. LOL.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Medieval Mystery! This mystery touched on some topics one usually does not see often in medieval mysteries, but I am sure took place. Men in powerful positions especially when the feudal system was in place could do just about anything they wished, and Hugh de Leon's father was one of these type of men. It is no surprise that Hugh could not remember his years with his mother and father. Well done. I like the work of Joan Wolf.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting premise set during the early English conflict between King Stephen and Empress Matilda in 1139. We enter the story as Hugh Corbaille attends the dead of his adoptive father the Sherriff of Lincoln and leads his men in one of the small battles in southern England. There he is recognized as the long lost heir to a significant earldom of Wiltshire, which lead to the premise of the rest of the book.
Having lost all memory of his childhood, he seeks to discover the truth, falls in love, proves himself in a jousting tournament, finds his mother and walks the fine line between giving his allegiance to either Stephen or Matilda, until he can secure his true heritage.
Entertaining mystery with enough history to keep you interested to the end.

[Rosemary Rinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this from the used book shelf in Powell's during my xmas visit to Oregon. I enjoyed it. Maybe a little too close to a romance rather than pure historical mystery, some of the politics got a bit heavy, and the 2 protagonists/lovers were too perfect. So there was some predictability. But the story was intriguing and the medieval setting always interesting and fun. I left the book on the plane for someone else to enjoy.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written cozy except for a few wrong names. This is definitely a romance mystery. It isn't an exceptional book in the larger world of mysteries but it is not bad for the genre in which it fits. A nice, light read.

[Alys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a high three... I read this years ago, and remembered it fondly enough to hunt it down these many years later. Hugh and Cristen are highly sympathetic and the story is engaging, even if it does occasionally read a bit like a friendly history lecture in its descriptions.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might have rated this a two star but for the background events of the war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda. As the common folk suffered thru these years this book confirms it truly was a time when “Christ and his saints slept”. The main start about Hugh was nothing special.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this first Hugh Corbaille mystery. It had intrigue, murder, adventure, romance, a believable medieval setting, and a compelling storyline with shocking plot twists. A great choice for historical fiction readers.

[Jeannine Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good (I know it’s old but could use some editing)

The story was good, rather slowly paced. Could use some editing - names were mixed up in several chapters. - and this word count thing on a review is stupid.

[Brianna Yankasky · Rating 4 out of 5]

My coworker lent me this book and I actually really enjoyed it! I kind of wish we saw what happened with the main character and the ending a bit more, but I'm assuming it's meant to leave us to use our imagination which is totally fine too.

Anyways, I rather enjoyed the book, and glad I was able to read it! I definitely recommend it, especially if you like this era and mysteries.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

subtle but wonderful

As always, Joan Wolf characters are three dimensional people. No one is perfect or perfectly evil. Following the story is a good ride with some good twists and turns. And more foreshadowing that you will expect when you read it the second time.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was definately a fun read, a bit predictable but entertaining.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine enough but not great. Not much happened but talk. The main character was far too perfect.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in a 2 book series. I wish there were more because I liked the characters and the time period.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a mystery the way an episode of Diagnosis Murder is a mystery.

[TinaNoir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set during the twelfth century in England with the struggle for the throne between King Stephen and Matilda as the backdrop, this story features a young man named Hugh Corbaille. Hugh was the foster son of the Sheriff of Lincoln but had no memory of his early years. Until one day he is recognized by a knight visiting his foster father's lands and is told he is the missing-presumed-dead son of the late Earl of Wiltshire.

Hugh rejects this idea on a visceral level. But he consents to go with the knight, sire Nigel, to see if this could be the case. As more and more people see the young man, they are convinced he is indeed Hugh de Leon. But it isn't just a case of him swanning up to the castle and claiming his inheritance. First, his uncle Guy is now the Earl and holds the earldom tight. Second, Hugh himself isn't sure he wants to reclaim his identity or his inheritance. And third he needs to confront why his mind violent shies away from remembering his early years and what happened on the fateful day his father was murdered.

This is actually a nice little book. It has a little murder mystery element with Hugh acting as an investigator in his father's murder and his own past. It is a bit of historical fiction as the political landscape of the time is explored with how the common people and the powerful earls and barons needed to deal with, survive or exploit the imminent civil war between the two people vying for the throne. And it is a romance with Hugh finding love in Cristen, the lovely daughter of Sir Nigel.

Well written and quickly read, it is a good way to enjoy a light medieval romantic historical fiction. It isn't conventional romance as Hugh and Cristen do not end up completely HEA. Their romantic fate is left a bit up in the air as there is a sequel.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been classified as a mystery, but it didn't strike me that way. The plot is of a young man in 12th century England who doesn't remember his early childhood. What he does remember is being brought up by the sheriff of Lincoln and his wife.

In the first chapter, another knight recognizes Hugh as the missing son of the former Earl of Wiltshire who had been killed thirteen years earlier. Apparently Hugh's features are so similar to his parents' that he could be identified after such a long time. Hugh at first refuses to believe this, but eventually becomes convinced and then tries to determine who killed his father.

The book is set in the early years of the battle for the throne between King Stephen and Empress Matilda. Both sides are trying to win Hugh's allegiance once his true identity becomes known. Historical events are included which illustrate the time in which the story takes place.

For me this was more of a coming-of-age story as Hugh comes to grips with his true identity, meets his biological mother, and falls in love. It wasn't until I came to the GR page and saw it listed as Medieval Mystery #1 that I realized "Oh yeah, he was trying to solve his father's murder".

[Tish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set during the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maude, a young knight learns that he is probably the long lost son of an earl. I've loved some of Wolf's earlier books, her Dark Ages series starting with The Road to Avalon, and her Prehistoric series starting with Daughter of the Red Deer. I admit I was disappointed in this one. The story was good, the mystery wasn't obvious, and the main character was able to see strengths and weaknesses in both claimants for the throne. That said, I found the writing almost didactic. It seemed that Ms. Wolf did thorough research on the life and times of the middle ages, but I felt almost hammered by her repeated descriptions of the details. There were too many descriptions of the purpose of heavy tapestries over the cold stone walls and too many times the protagonist noticed the degree of freshness of the rushes on the floor when the setting changed. It seemed heavy handed that for every mention of our hero wearing armour, there is a corresponding mention of his being un-armed by his squire.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 in this early 12th century English mystery series. England is on the verge of civil war between dual claimants to the English throne: Stephen and his half sister Matilda. 20 year old Hugh Corbaille has just emerged from the first battle between the 2 claimants and has seen his foster father killed and his life is bout to be turned upside down. He has no memory of his first 8 years of life before being found as a street urchin in the city of Lincoln by the man who becomes his foster father. It is now 12 years later and it appears Hugh is the long lost son of a major earl whose lands can play an important role in the struggle between Stephen and Matilda. This story follows Hugh, and others, quest in determining who he really is while trying to avoid the political pitfalls in the developing civil war.

[Clotilde Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the time that Stephen and Matilda were battling it out with who was ruler of England, Hugh Corbaille's world came crashing down around him with the untimely death of his beloved foster father. It was at this time that Hugh was recognized by a visiting knight as the kidnapped son of Roger de Leon, Earl of Wilshire who was murdered as the same time that Hugh was kidnapped. Roger's brother Guy is suspected to have Roger killed in order to gain control of Wilshire but there was never any proof of Guy's involvement. As Hugh begins his investigation, he discovers that not all is what it seems to be and to his horror, the real truth of what sort of man was Roger de Leon comes out.

[Barb · Rating 1 out of 5]

The dust jacket makes this novel sound interesting, I wish I had stopped at the dust jacket.

The book itself was poorly written, the story itself was completely predictable, the dialogue was shallow and dull. There was no character development, the romance portion of the story was passionless the characters had no chemistry.

All in all the only thing I was please with was the fact that I borrowed this from the library.

If you are looking for a good historical fiction try Sharon Kaye Penman's 'The Sunne In Splendour', for an historical romance try 'Outlander' by Diana Gabaldon.

[Jean Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like a period piece every once in a while and Joan Wolf appears to be just what i need for some enjoyment. This is my first book of hers. I see she has a long list, so i will read more. Medieval England is ripe for mysterious historical fiction, there was so much going on. There are familiar and interesting characters in this book, the old, probably over-used, battle between Stephen and Maude. But this book gave a very good flavor of day-to-day life and surroundings, which i enjoy and it was an interesting story.

[Apricity · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too cliche for my taste -

The hero is a foundling with extraordinary martial skills whose true identity as the lost heir to a significant title and holdings is exposed after he wins a tournament before his uncle.

The hero's parents were estranged - his father was a stern warrior paired with a younger, gorgeous wife who, of course, was soon suspected of adultery with a young knight.

Needless to say, the hero resembles his father and there is a minor love interest...

[Kate K. F. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. The medieval period with interesting characters and a thoughtful plot, I zipped through the first part of this book. Then I got stuck on being told again and again about rituals of disarming and who owes to whom. I didn't want to make this book a DNF because I think the story and world is well created but there's far too much telling versus showing, it pulled me out of it. Also the pacing felt off, I'm curious about what happens but not enough to finish it.

[Karen Hufman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. Hugh is a very serious (boring) young man who recently loses his father. A nobleman staying at his foster father's castle sees him and realizes that he is the long lost son of a hero from the crusade who was murdered 14 years ago. The mystery surrounds the murder which Hugh has no memory of whatsoever. In the meantime, he falls in love with the daughter of another nobleman. The story moves slow and it's not very exciting. I won't be reading the next one in that series!

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A medieval mystery about a boy of royalty who disappeared 14 years earlier and who has now returned to find out who he is. I really liked this book because I found the character development interesting. The plot was solid but not totally original. I would give this book a 3.5 stars. It was good but not great.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a few days to get past the first chapter but then I couldn't put it down. I know nothing about this time in England's history but had no trouble following along nor did I feel like I was getting too much information as a way of showing that the author did her research. I am looking forward to reading the sequel.