Cathedral of Bones

Ela of Salisbury Medieval Mysteries #1

by J.G. Lewis

Salisbury, 1226
A young pregnant woman is found tangled in reeds in the river Avon, her identity a mystery. Grieving widow Ela Longespée is determined to succeed her husband as sheriff of Salisbury, and quickly takes charge of the investigation. She soon finds herself in the thick of a neighborhood scandal and a struggle to maintain her authority. With multiple suspects, can she identify the true killer?

The Ela of Salisbury Medieval Mystery Series
This series features a real historical figure—the formidable Ela Longespée. The young Countess of Salisbury was chosen to marry King Henry II’s illegitimate son William. After her husband’s untimely death, Ela served as High Sheriff of Wiltshire, castellan of Salisbury Castle, and ultimately founder and abbess of Lacock Abbey.
Book 1: Cathedral of Bones
Book 2: Breach of Faith
Book 3: The Lost Child
Book 4: Forest of Souls
Book 5: The Bone Chess Set
Coming fall 2021... Book 6 Cloister of Whispers

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Medieval, Historical, Historical Mystery, Audiobook

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2019

About the author

J. G. Lewis grew up in London, England. She came to the U.S. for college and a career as a museum curator.

Her mysteries evolved from the idea of bringing almost-forgotten but fascinating historical figures to life by creating stories for them. The Ela of Salisbury series features the formidable Ela Longespée, wife of King Henry II’s illegitimate son William. The widowed mother of eight children, Ela served as High Sheriff of Wiltshire and castellan of Salisbury and ultimately founder and abbess of Lacock Abbey.

J. G. Lewis currently lives in Florida with her dogs and horses.

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Why did such men assume a woman needed a man at her side?” J. G. Lewis’ Cathedral of Bones (Ela of Salisbury Medieval Mystery, #1) begins at the new Salisbury Cathedral on March 8, 1226 - the funeral of Count William Longespée. His wife, Countess Ela of Salisbury who was born to this rank and lives in Salisbury Castle is now his widow. On the way back to the castle, a dead pregnant young dead woman is found partially frozen in water, and Ela decides as her husband had been Sheriff of Wiltshire that she would become the acting sheriff of Wiltshire. (In the author’s notes she states that In her research she did read that Ela Longespée of Salisbury became Sheriff of Wiltshire in the early 13th c.) Ela responds to ‘the hue and cry’ and has the young dead woman transported to the castle and notifies the coroner. Then Ela discovers all a sheriff must do and analyze. She realizes what a difficult job it is, and how people may react to her gender. The author handles the situation well as the story and the author’s writing proves. Very enjoyable and it made me proud to read that a woman made it in the medieval man’s world. Needless to state - I am a woman also. 4.75 stars.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, but there were a few expressions used that didn’t seem to fit the time period (such as the word “tacky”). Also, the protagonist agonized over perceived insults so often that it became tedious. The plot was a bit thin, also. If I could find the second book on my library app, I would probably give this series another chance, but as it is I doubt I will read any more.

[Jan Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ela of Salisbury was a noble widow who served as sheriff of Salisbury after her husband's death. The mystery was very good, the characters around Ela were well written, and I look forward to following their stories in future volumes. The audiobook was well narrated by Madeleine Brolly, although it was a bit slow in pace.

[Sarah Maguire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly enjoyable to read though the writing was clunky and repetitive in places - better editing required perhaps. I appreciated the effort to make the heroine think like a pious medieval woman rather than a 21st century person in fancy dress as is the tendency with too much historical fiction. In general, the historical background seemed convincing. There were some moments of genuine tension in the story,though the main plot was only moderately engaging. I might read more of these and see how the series develops.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ela Longespee believes that her husband was murdered. However, the man she suspects is too powerful to be safely accused. As Countess of Salisbury in her own right, Ela is determined to take her husband’s place as castellan and Sheriff of Wiltshire. She has little support from Bishop Poole, who has dismantled the cathedral within the castle walls and moved it to a nearby site where a new town begins to arise. It is important to note the character is inspired by a historical woman who was indeed Sheriff of Wiltshire for a time. However, aside from this historical basis, the book reads very much like modern characters thrust into a 13th century setting.

[Brianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Murder mystery ended by judge basically deciding who was guilty instead of any sort of reveal. Book riddled with obvious editing errors and poor punctuation (or lack of). Modern phrases and nicknames fit poorly in a medieval setting. This is a shining example of why I don't often read indie published books; not everything deserves to be published, or could benefit from the services of a real editor to be considered passable. I won't be bothering with the rest of the series, which is a shame, because the person this series is based on was interesting. She deserved better than this.

[MasterSal]

This series randomly popped up on Amazon when searching for Forest of Souls as book 4 shares the same name.

Dont know much about this series but the historical premise sounds interesting and I generally like detective mysteries

[Helen Hollick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs

"There is no doubt that Ms Lewis is passionate about her era and characters, she has done a pretty good job of examining the politics of the time and she particularly excels at conjuring the religious fervour of the period"

[Drew Osburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A female sheriff set in medieval times immediately had me interested in this book. I was delighted to learn our main character and several details about her life are based on a real life person while the mystery she solved was entirely the authors invention. This book was well written with a satisfying conclusion. That being said I still found it a bit boring and I never felt particularly invested.

[Cheryl Sinclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting characters, love the medieval setting.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable mystery. Good reading. If this is your genre bent, don't miss the Ann Swinfin tales of a very similar ilk..

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book but it needed a couple of rounds of editing to reduce repetition.

[Jami Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great historical fiction based on a true character, the first female sheriff in the early 13th century. Very entertaining mystery!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful and engrossing Medieval mystery about a real person, Ela of Salisbury. I stumbled upon this at Amazon and cannot wait for the next book, out next month. I hope J.G.Lewis has many more planned as she is a terrific writer!

We meet Ela, who was the Countess of Salisbury in her own right, at the funeral mass of her beloved husband William Longespee. As she leaves the Cathedral, she is informed of a body of a young woman found in the River Avon, and as she has determined to assume what she feels is her role as sheriff of Salisbury she rides with the Coroner to the site.

Ela is a widow and hereditary castellan of Salisbury Castle as well as a mother of 8 children. The author makes this character into a vibrant female with ideas far beyond the norm of her time.

A very complicated murder investigation ensues, as well as the illness of her younger children and an attempt on her life. I should add that she is not sure of how her husband died, perhaps he was poisoned?

I am hoping of many more in this series, both before and after Ela plans to take the veil in a religious house she will found. An amazing first mystery!

[Kim Shively · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the medieval setting and the mystery, but there were many anachronisms both in language and assumptions. In the afterward, the author recognizes that the nobility and the peasantry would be speaking different languages in medieval England, yet in the story, peasants and nobility are chattering away at each other without much problem. And the easy interaction between the classes seems rather farfetched as well. There is little recognitions of the complexities of feudal land arrangements - all the peasants seem to own private property, and no reference is made to tribute or any other obligations the peasantry had to the feudal lords.

These are more academic issues, perhaps. From a stylistic perspective, the author spends too much time explaining Ela's thought processes and concerns. It drags the story down and gets repetitive. Yes, she's worried about nobody taking her seriously as sheriff, and as a widow she feels vulnerable to exploitation. No need to keep reminding us.

[V. P. Lougheed · Rating 4 out of 5]

My bar was set by Ellis Peter's "Brother Cadafael" and Michael Jecks "Knights Templar" books. Unfortunately, JG Lewis does not rise to their level. The story is fast-paced, but out-of-sync with the medieval period. Further, Ela of Salisbury does not come across as the noblewoman she was; it would be unlikely for her to freely mingle with peasants or even merchants, for her to ride as the only woman in a party or for her not be accompanied by a personal maid or attendant. While the plot makes for an interesting story, the details keep it from being a good story.

(There were also a lot of anachronisms that grated.)

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not really like it, though I am not sure why. Perhaps the style was too similar to other books.
Perhaps it had too much feminism about it and the author seemed to be following a trend rather than really interested in the time and culture. Perhaps the main character is a little too good and pious.
There is a nice twist in that the murderers (2 of them) are not the ones I would suspect at first.
I will not recommend this to my book club.

[patricia tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ho hum

I was bored. The main character was perfect , smart, and the most enlightened person of the middle ages. This was too sugary sweet.

[Kathy Moberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars means it's just OK and that's about right for this one.

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted so much to enjoy this book but it didn't feel an authentic representation of the medieval characters she was writing about. I gave up and didn't even finish the book.

[Janice Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled to get through this book. The constant reference to religion was annoying and unrealistic. Characters were shallow and the plot was predictable.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cathedral of Bones by J. G. Lewis, the first book in a medieval mystery series featuring Ela of Salisbury
Reviewed April 19, 2021


It is early March, 1226 in Salisbury. Ela, Countess of Salisbury in her own right, has laid her husband, William Longespée, to rest. Ela is troubled by the circumstances surrounding her husband’s sudden and unexpected death, suspecting that Hugh de Burgh, the king’s justiciar, is somehow involved. But on the way home, other urgent news is brought to her – a young woman has been found dead, her body partially frozen in the river. Further examination reveals that the woman, probably in her mid-twenties, was pregnant. As her husband was Sheriff of Wiltshire, Ela intends to assume this role and sets out to identify the young woman, and bring her murderer (because yes, she was murdered) to justice.

There are some who might question the author making a woman sheriff in 13th century England, but Ela did, in fact, assume the office with the approval of King Henry III and held that position for several years until she left public life to become a nun and later abbess at Lacock Abbey, which she founded.

As the first in a series, I found the mystery wasn’t the most intricate that I’ve come across, but it wasn’t a complete slam dunk when it came to solving it, either. I suspect that as the author continues the series, she will hone her skills and give us deeper mysteries to solve.

In this story, there are several suspects. Is it the cuckolded husband who learned his young wife was carrying another man’s baby? Is it the man she was sleeping with? The angry wife who learns her husband’s been sleeping around? Or someone else? Running throughout the background of all this are Ela’s concerns over her own husband’s death, and while there’s no resolution to this problem by the end of the book, I have a hunch it will be a recurring thread in future books.

Ms Lewis did a good job of exploring what Ela must have been going through in those days immediately following her husband’s death, keeping herself busy to help get her through her grief (something many of us can easily relate to). I also liked how Ela learns how it is to be a woman inserting herself into a man’s world, finding out when to use subtlety and when to be authoritative, and who she can trust.

Cathedral of Bones is a quick, easy to read mystery, and I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

[Mary M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character of this novel (& series of novels) is based on Ela Longespee, a thirteenth century noblewoman, Sheriff of Wilshire, & ancestor of the author. As the story begins, Ela is newly widowed & suspicious that her husband was killed by a scheming associate of the king, but there is little time for grief while her eight children require her care & management (finding suitable marriage partners for the oldest two), the castle's finances have to be carefully managed, & she has to demonstrate that she can handle the role of Sheriff, previously held by her husband & to be held in the future by her eldest son & heir to the title & lands she inherited from her father.

On the day of her husband's funeral the body of a young woman is found in a nearby thawing stream & Ela does not hesitate to fulfill the duties of the role she is determined to hold. A number of credible suspects are identified & a second murder complicates the case.

This is an interesting, not-too-challenging mystery story, not as clever as Agatha Christie, & not as relatable as the early 20th century Maisie Dobbs, but I found it enjoyable & did not predict the identity of the killer. I will read the second novel in the series when it is available from my library.

[Briansmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A decent start to this series, with a few caveats.

The setting, England 1226, is intriguing. Although I am a huge Anglophile, I confess that I know very little about this period in English history. Ela of Salisbury is a real woman who served as sheriff for several years following the untimely death of her husband, before her oldest son reached his majorly and assumed his position. Using this real-life woman as a starting point, the author invents a murder mystery which Ela solves. I enjoyed following a mystery which Ela solves even within the constraints of her time, which prove to be many. Even though the story is fictitious, I imagine many of Ela’s struggles as a woman in a “man’s job” in medieval England were real. It was interesting to think of what life would be like when women got around on horseback but rode side-saddle, and were treated as “less-than” just because they were women. I also found the passages which depicted Ela’s tender interactions with her ch8ld, and her anguish over losing her husband.

The drawbacks here were mainly that the book dragged in places and that there were many anachronistic words and phrases.

Otherwise, an interesting read.

[Amy Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book is a series of three medieval mysteries set in England in the 1200's during the reign of Henry III. These mysteries are based on research on the period and the area. The main character is an intelligent, resourceful and resilient woman, and the lead investigator. Ela, Countess of Salisbury England, is the widow of the Sheriff of Salisbury, and is determined to become the sheriff following her husband's death. As a woman, I have enjoyed her character and how she handles the numerous complications of pursuing justice for those who have been wronged, be they men, women or children. She is bucking the perception and role of women of that day, and refuses to back down when she meets resistance in many places. I also liked that she shares strong friendships based on mutual respect with men who are important to her safety, and her work. I was delighted to discover that she is based on an actual person, Ela, Countess of Salisbury, and while the stories are fictional, the author has respectfully researched her character's life. Enjoy! I'm now reading the third book in the series and hoping she has written, or is in the process of writing more!

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at life in 13th Century England, about ten years after the signing of the Magna Carta, and about one hundred and fifty years after the Norman conquest. The protagonist, Ela, Countess of Salisbury, is a real person; in an author’s note, JG Lewis says that the general details of Ela’s life are based on fact while the mysteries themselves are made up.

Ela was a widow with eight children when she became sheriff, taking over her husband’s duties after he was likely poisoned. The novel describes the difficulties of being widowed, even for one so fortunate as to have wealth and a title in her favor. It was almost unheard of for women to be in such positions of power so there are many scenes of Ela struggling to be taken seriously at a time when grief renders her especially vulnerable.

The mystery is interesting and the character of Ela is sympathetic. The book might have been more tightly edited - we’re told she’s thirty-nine three times within the first few chapters. Her frustration, real as it must have been, is belabored. Overall, though, I enjoyed this book and promptly bought the next four in the series.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book one of the seven book Ella of Salisbury, medieval mysteries.

Newly widowed Ela Longesprée is returning from her husband‘s funeral when the body of a young pregnant woman is found tangled in the Reeds of the River Avon in Salisbury, 1226. Ela is determined to take over all of the jobs and responsibilities of her husband and her inheritance from her father as the countess of Salisbury which she has discharged for years while her husband has been away, serving his cousin the king and fighting in the wars. There are several men who would prefer that they occupy the position of sheriff, but Ela is determined not to give up her rights and responsibilities and determined to find Justice for the young woman. With eight children including a rambunctious son not yet of age and a hiscreluctant sister, both soon to be married, Ela manages her castle household, investigates not one but two murders, navigates the prickly politics of church and state and struggles to maintain her authority despite false rumors she gains respect of her community for her insightful questions, avoidance of graft, and fair treatment of all.
I will continues to read the rest of the series.

[Nance Roepke · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5. I love medieval Mysteries so I was excited to come across this series. It is set in the early 13th century and has a female protagonist as the high Sheriff. That seemed pretty far-fetched but I learned that such a woman did exist in that time.. so I jumped in with great excitement.

It had all of the elements any good medieval mystery and the mystery was not solved until nearly the end. But it never took off for me. It just seemed to plod along. I kept plodding along with it hoping that it would fire up my interest at some point but it never really did. Perhaps it was because there was so much side "drama" involved. Perhaps because I didn't really care about any of the characters. Perhaps it was not the best writing. And probably it was a combination of all those things.

For those who love medieval Mysteries as I do, give it a try. It might be a series that you can like. Other reviewers have liked it much better than I.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learning who is behind a couple of murders that are central to this novel's storyline is interesting and well-told, but what I most appreciated and enjoyed was the author's allowing me to "dip into" the world of some 800 years ago in England as readers follow the heroine -- the widow of a much-loved, very powerful, and the owner of a castle and much land surrounding it -- and encounter the various people whom she encounters, including numerous staff and soldiers of the castle, townsfolk, and farmers and artisans.

The characters are well-drawn, but I especially liked the images of the wide-open countryside, the sounds of multitudes of birds everywhere, and the various sights and smells that people living then would have taken for granted but which, for us moderns, in many cases would have been both frightful and intolerable!

It's a good adventure, and I liked it sufficiently that I have obtained the copy of its sequel.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this well enough, though there were several anachronisms that I feel could've been avoided. (For example, the Catholic Church banned mutilation of dead bodies in 1153 yet the coroner had 0 issues cutting into the dead woman's body to see if she had drowned)

I understand why she'd used it to move the plot along but it seemed glaringly obvious to me. (Particularly after reading the Mistress of the Art of Death books.) It was a fun, light enough read. Though I definitely pegged the killer upon first meeting him--the foreshadowing was at least there compared to some. I did like the main character, she was interesting and did some poking around to see more of the historical aspects of her life.