The King's Bishop: An Owen Archer Mystery (Dead Letter Mysteries) [Paperback]

In "The King's Bishop," Owen, the former soldier and now one-eyed spy for Archbishop Robert Thoresby of York, finds himself embroiled in one of history's more in- triguing plots. King Edward wants to nominate a favorite as a bishop, from when he could then be in line to be named chancellor of England. But Pope Urban sees it differently, and thus the power struggle begins. This story is one of intricately-patterned designs, based upon historical fact. Author Robb, however, tosses in the fictional interests and we are off and running.

A young page is found dead at Windsor and Ned Townley, one of Archer's friends, is accused of murder. Alas, the king's mistress Alice Perrers provides him with an alibi, but the suspicion, of course, remains. Ned is assigned to accompany the king's delegation heading north of confer with a local Cistercian abbey to enlist their support of his bishop's nomination. This removes Ned from the scene, but not without complications. Shortly after he leaves, his betrothed (and lady in waiting to Mistress Perrers) is found drowned in the Thames. And as Ned and his group near the abbey, a priest is murdered. Ned is in big trouble. In addition, a priest is also found murdered. All three deaths are, of course, inter-connected.

Having a friend like Owen Archer counts for something and during the course of this work, Archer is determined to exonerate his friend, even though much evidence implicates Ned. Archer is married to Lucy Wilton, noted York apothicary, and Robb uses this scenario well to her advantage. Lucy is level-headed, calm, logical--in short, the very counter ego of Archer. It is their relationship that provides much of the human

interest in this series, as well. Robb draws heavily on historical perspective, yet has an eye on what should have been in terms of the place of women in medieval society. There is a lesson here.

The novel moves well and readers who appreciate historical ventures will find this one to their tastes. Robb's works show much research (she provides annotation at the end of the book) and she concentrates more on the personalities of her characters that attempting to condemn or condone what historically was. She also does a good job of capturing the Yorkshire countryside, its manners and atmosphere.

Other good news is that Robb continues her series--there is a fifth Owen Archer! It is easy to compare her to other medieval fiction writers, but she, indeed, has a flair of her own. Her works are well worth what effort it may take!

(Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

Ms Robb is an historian just shy of her PhD and specializes in Medieval History. She is also a consummate storyteller. Her characters are multidimensional; their actions are plausible; and their setting is believable. As a mystery writer, she excels in complex motives. In the Cross Legged Knight, she was able to pull a Collin Dexter out of the hat by producing two possible endings. In The King's Bishop she is able to recreate the ambiance of court intrigue and the murders that arise when ambition is the ultimate measure of an individual and where everything rests on the success of plot and counter plot.

One of the things that took me a while to get used to was the ending to these tales. Not everything comes out happily ever after. The sleuth is not always able to denounce the villain at the end as one is accustomed to reading in stories of this sort. What the ending is, however, is very realistic. Even in modern times, the guilty are not always punished according to the dictates one would expect of "justice;" even justice itself is designed to support the class structure. It is precisely for this reason that we usually enjoy murder mysteries: the guilty are brought to justice, their crimes are made manifest to society, and they are punished accordingly. In Owen Archer mysteries, the guilty sometimes get away with their miserable acts just as they do in our own times.

The stories are wonderfully detailed with respect to historical accuracy, yet they do not overwhelm the reader. Ms Robb is not a pedant. She seeks to create a venue for the actions of her characters without making the reader feel as though there is a test at the end of the story! Most of the unfamiliar terms are understandable from context, although she does supply a glossary for those of us who like to have more information. She also includes a small bibliography and a short history of the period and the characters. And yes, many of the characters were real people from history. These short texts are generally at the end of the book so one needn't feel obligated to read them, but I've taken to reading them first. I enjoy a little background material before I get into the meat of the work.

Very impressive. I would recommend the book to anyone from advanced junior high to adult readers.