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Perfect for fans of CJ Sansom, SW Perry, SJ Parris and SG Maclean …
“I was expecting a common bodice ripping historical romance and was happily surprised to find myself immersed in 15th-century intrigue instead.”
Jetta needs to escape …
As a kitchen maid who has finally managed to escape abuse at her master’s hand, she finds herself at the scene of a crime. Now involved in murder. How many times can she her life be turned upside down? Never knowing her parentage, she has struggled alone for too long.
Dominic is a friend of the king…
Enjoying a peaceful life was never his choice, he wanted a change from the monotony. But finding his Farrier murdered, with only a slip of a girl the likely culprit, was possibly taking things too far.
But murder isn’t always what it seems…
Sometimes it can be a revelation. Introducing strangers who would never have met. Revealing secrets kept hidden. Yet murder is still murder. And being arrested for one you had nothing to do with brings more than a few catastrophes, as well as new friends and strange paths to discover.
With the Battle of Bosworth looming…
murder also becomes a terror spread across the fields, the blood and bodies of the slain. And with it a new king, and many changes that effect the country.
Jetta narrowly escapes one trauma after another. As murder and mayhem ensues, unlikely alliances come to her rescue. But where does that leave an impoverished kitchen maid?
“I was expecting a common bodice ripping historical romance and was happily surprised to find myself immersed in 15th-century intrigue instead.”
Jetta needs to escape …
As a kitchen maid who has finally managed to escape abuse at her master’s hand, she finds herself at the scene of a crime. Now involved in murder. How many times can she her life be turned upside down? Never knowing her parentage, she has struggled alone for too long.
Dominic is a friend of the king…
Enjoying a peaceful life was never his choice, he wanted a change from the monotony. But finding his Farrier murdered, with only a slip of a girl the likely culprit, was possibly taking things too far.
But murder isn’t always what it seems…
Sometimes it can be a revelation. Introducing strangers who would never have met. Revealing secrets kept hidden. Yet murder is still murder. And being arrested for one you had nothing to do with brings more than a few catastrophes, as well as new friends and strange paths to discover.
With the Battle of Bosworth looming…
murder also becomes a terror spread across the fields, the blood and bodies of the slain. And with it a new king, and many changes that effect the country.
Jetta narrowly escapes one trauma after another. As murder and mayhem ensues, unlikely alliances come to her rescue. But where does that leave an impoverished kitchen maid?
418 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 4, 2021
128 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Gaskell Denvil
43 books63 followersI was born approximately two hundred years ago (It sometimes feels that way) in Gloucestershire, England, right in the heart of the Cotswolds. After a few years, I moved to London and fell in love with the history which oozes through the old stones, and the medieval atmosphere leaks from the beautiful old buildings. For many years, I walked the old cobbled lanes and researched the 15th century from original sources, and the books in the British Museum. I worked there in the Department of Ancient Documents, a place which I adored, full of scrolls illuminated by medieval monks, and hordes of informative parchments.
My father was an academic and playwright, my mother was a retired teacher, and my sister was an author of fantasy. I had no other passion except the arts, and books
Already a passionate reader half-crazed by the avid consumption of literature, I had grown out of Enid Blyton when I was about six. Next came a passion for Georgette Heyer, although far too young to understand romance. Once again it was the historical details I loved and I moved quickly onto Shakespeare, Dorothy Dunnett, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and a host of others.
I started writing. Nonsense naturally! But I kept it up and eventually write articles and short stories for current magazines and newspapers. I was also a tutor for scriptwriting, and a reviewer for Books and Bookmen. That kept me busy until I married. A husband and three little girls (including identical twins) were a full-time job, and for most of the time I also worked at secretarial jobs, keeping the threat of starvation at bay and paying for the baked beans.
After leaving my husband, I started writing again but this time I was distracted by something different, as I had a wonderful 18-year romance with a man who lived on his yacht in the Mediterranean, sailing during spring, summer, and autumn, and exploring Europe by car in winter.
My partner died, and I was bereft, deciding to come to Australia for a change instead of sitting around in stagnant tears. Writing again, and seriously this time, I wrote full length books in all my favourite genres. I was accepted by one of the big top 5 publishers, and two of my historical crime/mysteries were published in the traditional manner. However, although I was reasonably well paid and sold reasonably well, I also found myself disliking the control system. I had to write as commanded, insert bucket loads more romance, accept covers I hated, and generally do as I was told.
Now, happy and free, I self-publish, and enjoy every minute of my writing. I live in Australia, adore the weather, the birds and the wildlife, and live a placid life during the day and a wonderfully exciting one in my dreams at night.
I have written fantasy and historical fiction. Very different genres, but all are crime mysteries in one way or another. I have almost finished my children’s series (Bannister’s Muster series, for middle-grade children), no crime here, but a vibrant mixture of history and fantasy. After this is complete I am moving onto a series of modern crime mysteries, and I’m looking forward to that.
Writing is and always has been my passion, now that I am able to do this full time, I am in my element and life couldn’t be better (a little more sunshine might help though).
My father was an academic and playwright, my mother was a retired teacher, and my sister was an author of fantasy. I had no other passion except the arts, and books
Already a passionate reader half-crazed by the avid consumption of literature, I had grown out of Enid Blyton when I was about six. Next came a passion for Georgette Heyer, although far too young to understand romance. Once again it was the historical details I loved and I moved quickly onto Shakespeare, Dorothy Dunnett, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and a host of others.
I started writing. Nonsense naturally! But I kept it up and eventually write articles and short stories for current magazines and newspapers. I was also a tutor for scriptwriting, and a reviewer for Books and Bookmen. That kept me busy until I married. A husband and three little girls (including identical twins) were a full-time job, and for most of the time I also worked at secretarial jobs, keeping the threat of starvation at bay and paying for the baked beans.
After leaving my husband, I started writing again but this time I was distracted by something different, as I had a wonderful 18-year romance with a man who lived on his yacht in the Mediterranean, sailing during spring, summer, and autumn, and exploring Europe by car in winter.
My partner died, and I was bereft, deciding to come to Australia for a change instead of sitting around in stagnant tears. Writing again, and seriously this time, I wrote full length books in all my favourite genres. I was accepted by one of the big top 5 publishers, and two of my historical crime/mysteries were published in the traditional manner. However, although I was reasonably well paid and sold reasonably well, I also found myself disliking the control system. I had to write as commanded, insert bucket loads more romance, accept covers I hated, and generally do as I was told.
Now, happy and free, I self-publish, and enjoy every minute of my writing. I live in Australia, adore the weather, the birds and the wildlife, and live a placid life during the day and a wonderfully exciting one in my dreams at night.
I have written fantasy and historical fiction. Very different genres, but all are crime mysteries in one way or another. I have almost finished my children’s series (Bannister’s Muster series, for middle-grade children), no crime here, but a vibrant mixture of history and fantasy. After this is complete I am moving onto a series of modern crime mysteries, and I’m looking forward to that.
Writing is and always has been my passion, now that I am able to do this full time, I am in my element and life couldn’t be better (a little more sunshine might help though).
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 6, 2022
Good story, but needs a professional editor
I thought that this was an interesting story and the author is very well-versed in English medieval/early renaissance history; however, the book desperately needs a good editor and copy editor.
If you go by the description on the back of the book, one would assume that this is a murder mystery about a servant in the wrong place at the wrong time—not so. The murder is merely a set-up to introduce the main characters and the many side-characters in the book. The book is actually an examination of society in late 15th century England and its treatment of those without power (with a focus on women). The second major storyline is a look at Richard III’s last few months in power from the view of his supporters and the immediate aftermath of Henry Tudor’s capture of the English throne. I think that the concept is really interesting and the prose is good, but for the desperate need of a good editor to streamline it and a copy-editor to remove numerous spelling and grammatical errors. For example, I thought the convent storyline (I won’t go into specifics because I don’t want to give anything away) was going to much more important than it actually was in the end. In my mind, it was simply there to give an explanation as to the reason the main female character was more than she seemed, but was not necessary in the larger story. There are lots of areas like that which could use some whittling down or a more obvious connection to the larger story.
At the very least, this book needs desperately needs a good copy editor. If you are someone who gets annoyed reading things that have multiple grammar and spelling errors, this isn’t the book for you. There were so many mistakes that I began to lose count. There were multiple times when a character’s name was spelled differently on the same page. Another example was When the grandmother character was referred to as either the grandmother of or the mother of the earl in the same conversation. Clearly these are just silly autocorrect mistakes, but they get annoying. I’m usually one who will stop reading a book after the first few grammatical or spelling errors; however, the overall strength of the prose and the story compelled me to continue reading. I think the author can be successful and I see that she’s written many more books. I just hope that in future books that she’s found herself some good editors because I think that with the right help these books could be great, rather than just good.
I thought that this was an interesting story and the author is very well-versed in English medieval/early renaissance history; however, the book desperately needs a good editor and copy editor.
If you go by the description on the back of the book, one would assume that this is a murder mystery about a servant in the wrong place at the wrong time—not so. The murder is merely a set-up to introduce the main characters and the many side-characters in the book. The book is actually an examination of society in late 15th century England and its treatment of those without power (with a focus on women). The second major storyline is a look at Richard III’s last few months in power from the view of his supporters and the immediate aftermath of Henry Tudor’s capture of the English throne. I think that the concept is really interesting and the prose is good, but for the desperate need of a good editor to streamline it and a copy-editor to remove numerous spelling and grammatical errors. For example, I thought the convent storyline (I won’t go into specifics because I don’t want to give anything away) was going to much more important than it actually was in the end. In my mind, it was simply there to give an explanation as to the reason the main female character was more than she seemed, but was not necessary in the larger story. There are lots of areas like that which could use some whittling down or a more obvious connection to the larger story.
At the very least, this book needs desperately needs a good copy editor. If you are someone who gets annoyed reading things that have multiple grammar and spelling errors, this isn’t the book for you. There were so many mistakes that I began to lose count. There were multiple times when a character’s name was spelled differently on the same page. Another example was When the grandmother character was referred to as either the grandmother of or the mother of the earl in the same conversation. Clearly these are just silly autocorrect mistakes, but they get annoying. I’m usually one who will stop reading a book after the first few grammatical or spelling errors; however, the overall strength of the prose and the story compelled me to continue reading. I think the author can be successful and I see that she’s written many more books. I just hope that in future books that she’s found herself some good editors because I think that with the right help these books could be great, rather than just good.
March 24, 2022
Denvil is one of my favorite novelists of the late 15th-early 16th centuries, and I have read all of her Historical Mysteries Collection. In this novel, set in 1485, the author twines the story of orphan Jetta and the household of Dominic, Lord Stark, around the activities leading up to the Battle of Fen Lane (Bosworth). Stark and his friends, some of whom we have met in earlier novels, are supporters of Richard III. Real historical persons have significant roles in the story, whose climax is at the battle. Denvil has a talent for describing the sights and smells and the gritty awfulness of the 15th century, while at the same time involving the reader in the characters' participation in the historical events. However, I felt that this book was rushed--too much repetition, too many events happening over and over, and the Kindle edition desperately needs proof reading.
March 26, 2022
Historical Fiction
I consider historical fiction to be probably my fourth favorite type of reading. Not knowing much about this period of English history I hope that the author has a better understanding and I must say I enjoy reading this novel. A bit convoluted but interesting.
I consider historical fiction to be probably my fourth favorite type of reading. Not knowing much about this period of English history I hope that the author has a better understanding and I must say I enjoy reading this novel. A bit convoluted but interesting.
March 1, 2024
I really enjoyed the first book in this series and had high hopes for the second. I managed to get through about half of it before giving up. I wish I had kept track of the typos, sloppy grammatical errors, and countless instances of, for example, mother rather than grandmother, son rather than grandson, etc. Distracting, to say the very least.
January 15, 2022
Well worth reading
A well written, believable, exciting story with interesting characters. A handsome resourceful lord as hero and a clever unusual heroine, who through her wit saves his life. In all a thoroughly good read.
A well written, believable, exciting story with interesting characters. A handsome resourceful lord as hero and a clever unusual heroine, who through her wit saves his life. In all a thoroughly good read.
January 17, 2022
A wonderful tale
I spent a Sunday afternoon enmeshed in political intrigues of medieval.England. The protagonists go from one danger to another. The author wove an enjoyable story.
I spent a Sunday afternoon enmeshed in political intrigues of medieval.England. The protagonists go from one danger to another. The author wove an enjoyable story.
February 11, 2023
Not my cup of tea
Not quite sure why I persevered with this as it moved from fish to tosh. Suspension of disbelief is clearly important for any fiction but this is the giddy limit!
Not quite sure why I persevered with this as it moved from fish to tosh. Suspension of disbelief is clearly important for any fiction but this is the giddy limit!
January 17, 2024
It is helpful to have some understanding of Richard III and Henry Tudor and though it says you don't need to read in order, you should read Blessop's Wife first. This is an interesting take on that time period, though the two main characters getting captured over and over becomes tedious.
April 17, 2024
Vespers
Such a magnificent, entertaining and enthralling story. Everything you could want. There’s excitement and warmth in the midst of terror and chaos. And situations change in an instant. You’ll be kept on your toes.
Such a magnificent, entertaining and enthralling story. Everything you could want. There’s excitement and warmth in the midst of terror and chaos. And situations change in an instant. You’ll be kept on your toes.
March 25, 2022
All right
This book tells the improbable story of illegitimate/ slippery maid marries her rich and powerful prince. Not the best story told by BGD.
This book tells the improbable story of illegitimate/ slippery maid marries her rich and powerful prince. Not the best story told by BGD.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews