Reviews

The Apothecary Rose by Candace Robb

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.

sefkhet's review

dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

lsneal's review against another edition

2.0

There were aspects of this book that I found very enjoyable...the way the city of York was brought to life as almost another character in the book, for example. Also, this is one of those mysteries where you know immediately WHO did it, but the hero does not, and must work at discovering both who and why. Those types of mysteries are often tricky, because there is a danger the reader will grow bored waiting for the detective to catch on. I wasn't terribly bored with this one, but I found the hero to be a little dense and clumsy in his efforts...most of the interest came from the other characters involved, frankly. I also didn't care for the romance element to the story. It was a classic "hero and heroine fight constantly but secretly love each other" kind of thing. The fighting was constant and not particularly balanced by anything else, though, so I was left wondering what in the world these people saw in each other aside from their respective hotness. Hotness is fine, of course, but it's hardly going to serve as a basis for me to become emotionally invested in those two crazy kids working things out and getting together.

nick_borrelli's review against another edition

5.0

Terrific, and a total surprise. I bought this book because I like mysteries set in the medieval/middle ages time period. I saw it advertised on Amazon as a recommendation based on the fact that I read the Ellis Peters Brother Cadfael books. It was also free, so I figured what the heck, if it is terrible no big loss. Well, not only was it not terrible, but it was a really great read. I put it right up there with the first Cadfael book and the Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. Ms. Robb captured the time period in such a tangible way that I felt transported into that small village in York every time I picked up the book. It has been a long time since I was this engrossed in a story. Candace Robb should be more well-known because her writing is vivid, crisp, and intelligent. I absolutely loved this book and now plan on reading the entire series. Owen Archer is a former soldier turned spy/sleuth. When a mysterious soldier shows up badly wounded at the local Apothecary, and then suddenly dies after seeming to be on the road to recovery, it is up to Owen to find out the circumstances behind his inexplicable death. Was it the Apothecary himself or was it someone else in the village who may have a motive to see that the soldier does not ever get to speak of his identity. I felt that the mystery was expertly handled but what stuck out as the true strong point of the book is the imagery and vivid setting. Candace Robb can weave a great story and also deliver the goods when it comes to the history of the time period. We get to see majestic medieval abbeys as well as poor villages devastated by the black plague, both written with equal description and attention to detail. The Apothecary Rose is an excellent mystery that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys medieval mysteries or just stories set in the medieval period.

emilyren's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

barbarahowe's review

2.0

More of a medieval romance than a mystery, and the romance didn't work for me. As for the mystery, we know who did it, the only question is why, and the answer seemed more bizarre than compelling. The writing isn't bad, but is a bit plodding, and none of the characters ever quite came alive; even at the climax I never felt caught up in it.

avid_d's review

2.0

Initially, I thought I was really going to like this book, but the story did not justify the length, and it began to bore me.

wyvernfriend's review

4.0

Owen Archer is a little at a loose end because of losing an eye and by a man he trusted, and had saved. He is dispached to investigate the death of two men and is sent to be undercover as one of the most likely suspect's apprentice. There he finds the suspect dying and his wife, Lucie, in charge. A much younger and quite pretty wife that Owen finds himself drawn to.

Owen is in a bind because a lot of the clues point at Lucie, or at her husband and he is conflicted over all of this.

I liked the characters and the situations. Enjoyable. Yes not always historically accurate but still interesting.