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shlbee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kiwi_fruit's review
3.0
I enjoyed this book, it’s a good mystery story with solid historical basis, but I struggled with the author’s narrative style (frequently changing stream of consciousness type POVs).
catherine_80's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
cathkj's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
besha's review against another edition
2.0
Can we not with The Evil Woman-Hating Gays Who Are Gay Because Abuse?
vesper1931's review
4.0
1363. Owen Archer has been recommended to John Thoresby, Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor of England. Thoresby decided he needs his help when there are two suspicious deaths in the infirmary of St. Mary’s Abbey. One of the dead was Thoresby's ward Sir Oswald Fitzwilliam, a man with many possible enemies.
Archer is placed in as an apprentice to Master Apothecary Nicholas Wilton, a possible suspect.
A very enjoyable well-written historical mystery, with its interesting and likeable characters.
Archer is placed in as an apprentice to Master Apothecary Nicholas Wilton, a possible suspect.
A very enjoyable well-written historical mystery, with its interesting and likeable characters.
stefhyena's review against another edition
2.0
I read this book expecting a mystery/crime story and as a representative of that group it must be said that it kind of sucked. The story itself was predictable, and didn't even pretend very hard at being either a puzzle or even a psychological view of a crime (not that I like those). So really, the story was a romance novel featuring a crime. The romance itself irritated me, while I liked the character of Mistress Wilton (I don;t remember her name and NONE of the reviewers mention it which is telling), while I liked her as a journeyman and as someone who was capable and brave, I didn;t like her irrational confrontations with Owen- both he and she irritated me in them. It was supposed to be part of the romance/chemistry I realise. The chemistry entirely was wasted on me (and not just because I am queer, occasionally...very rarely I can appreciate a boy/girl romance where it doesnt rely on stereotypes and the man "saving" the woman). Owen's acceptance of his inferior/obedient status as Mistress Wilton's apprantice is an anachronism, but a charming one (and lets be honest historical novels are full of anachronisms because there is just not enough information to really get into the mind of a person from a time before ordinary people could write and leave lots of information about how they thought).
I thought much of the historical setting, and possibly the political intrigues (though ugly and dehumanising) were accurate. I was unhappy with the many steroypes (Magda for one and the lecherous archdeacon for another but also the "tart with a heart" innkeeper that I encountered. Stereotypes are on the whole offensive, certainly these were. There were flashes of an awareness of how class and gender are constituted by society and even a beginning of complex understanding of intersectionality (which is the sort of analysis that makes history interesting) but every time I started paying attention to that Owen and his friend would have a childish, sexually frustrated squabble and the book would degenerate to a drawn out, convoluted and unsatisfying romance novel once more.
Despite a lively, capable and intelligent (some of the time) girl/love-interest the book falls back into essentialised and patriarchal portrayals of gender (and contains oblique homophobia disguised as a sort of squeamish compassion). These elements kept intruding on parts of the book that would have been interesting otherwise (though the plot itself lacked something).
People have compared Robb to Ellis Peters which is why I was interested. The comparison does Peters/Pargeter a huge disservice!
I thought much of the historical setting, and possibly the political intrigues (though ugly and dehumanising) were accurate. I was unhappy with the many steroypes (Magda for one and the lecherous archdeacon for another but also the "tart with a heart" innkeeper that I encountered. Stereotypes are on the whole offensive, certainly these were. There were flashes of an awareness of how class and gender are constituted by society and even a beginning of complex understanding of intersectionality (which is the sort of analysis that makes history interesting) but every time I started paying attention to that Owen and his friend would have a childish, sexually frustrated squabble and the book would degenerate to a drawn out, convoluted and unsatisfying romance novel once more.
Despite a lively, capable and intelligent (some of the time) girl/love-interest the book falls back into essentialised and patriarchal portrayals of gender (and contains oblique homophobia disguised as a sort of squeamish compassion). These elements kept intruding on parts of the book that would have been interesting otherwise (though the plot itself lacked something).
People have compared Robb to Ellis Peters which is why I was interested. The comparison does Peters/Pargeter a huge disservice!
frater's review against another edition
5.0
Though I first encountered historical mysteries through the tv show based on Ellis Peters' Cadfael, and have since come to quite enjoy those of Peters' books I have read, my long running love affair with Historical Mysteries began here, with Candace Robb and Owen Archer, in 14th century York. There are perhaps better historical mystery writers than Robb - I am a massive fan of Susanna Gregory's Bartholemew series for instance - but rereading this book takes me right back to that first time, discovering a whole new genre i'd never read before and loving every second of it.
Nostalgia aside, this book, and the series as a whole, deserves the 5 stars. It is a solid detective story where the process is more important than the killer (who is known to the reader right from the start), and the story itself is solidly grounded in the culture and history of the setting. The characters are three dimensional and leap into life on the page, with Summoner Digby playing a very surprisingly sympathetic hero's part.
The romance angle, though a trifle simplistic, is heartfelt enough to be warming rather than eye-rolling in the end. It is easy to empathise with both the main characters, and thus to enjoy this process despite its simplicity.
On the whole, a solid and highly enjoyable book that evokes the setting without overwhelming the reader with pointless trivia. As i've mentioned in other reviews, it is a common thing for writers of historical novels to want to cram as much of their hard-earned research into the book as possible. Robb handles this with such expert ease that you don't notice it at all, you just experience and enjoy.
Nostalgia aside, this book, and the series as a whole, deserves the 5 stars. It is a solid detective story where the process is more important than the killer (who is known to the reader right from the start), and the story itself is solidly grounded in the culture and history of the setting. The characters are three dimensional and leap into life on the page, with Summoner Digby playing a very surprisingly sympathetic hero's part.
The romance angle, though a trifle simplistic, is heartfelt enough to be warming rather than eye-rolling in the end. It is easy to empathise with both the main characters, and thus to enjoy this process despite its simplicity.
On the whole, a solid and highly enjoyable book that evokes the setting without overwhelming the reader with pointless trivia. As i've mentioned in other reviews, it is a common thing for writers of historical novels to want to cram as much of their hard-earned research into the book as possible. Robb handles this with such expert ease that you don't notice it at all, you just experience and enjoy.
eswee's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Basic pulp. This is the sort of read I usually bring along on a spa day. But with some busy days scheduled it was also nice to read something easy at night, something you don't have to become totally invested in and you can easily lay beside you for another day. There's a man, and a woman, and another man and another man, and a mystery. All pretty straight forward, but still intriguing and the character building is done well. My partner called it: a harlequin bouquet novel, but with less romance and more murder. He was trying to make a joke but he's actually pretty accurate!
lauraellis's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first in the series following Owen & Lucie Archer. This introduces us to Owen, follows as he gets his training assignment to track down a strange murder in York—where he simultaneously falls in love with Lucie (the Rose of the title) and also finds she may be the prime suspect.
An excellent series. Good complex plots, good historical detail (but not too much), good characters—including strong women.
2020 note: Also, this mystery is set during the reign of Edward III, during the time of the Black Prince, which is a great period for setting stories, but underused compared to Tudor England and WWII.
An excellent series. Good complex plots, good historical detail (but not too much), good characters—including strong women.
2020 note: Also, this mystery is set during the reign of Edward III, during the time of the Black Prince, which is a great period for setting stories, but underused compared to Tudor England and WWII.