A Vigil of Spies

By Candace Robb

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The time is September 1373 and the Archbishop of York, John Thoresby, is dying in his palace at Bishopsthorpe. Princess Joan, the fair Maid of Kent, arrives with her entourage. Among the party is Dom Lambert, an emissary from William Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. As they approach the palace, Dom Lambert’s servant falls from his horse, breaking his neck. Was it an accident or are there darker deeds afoot?

As always, Candace Robb writes a powerful story intertwined with genuine characters of the day. Apart from John Thoresby and Princess Joan there is Geoffrey Chaucer, Lewis Clifford, John Holand (Princess Joan’s son by a former husband) and Alexander Neville, who features prominently while never actually appearing. In between her fictitious characters slip, seamlessly, in and out of the arena.

This is another book in the Owen Archer mysteries, and therefore it can be assumed that the accident was no simple fall, but what is behind it and why? And then another body is found in the woods. Times are uncertain and the question of Thoresby’s successor is ever present. Rivalries, jealousies and intrigue are the order of the day.

I enjoyed this book very much.