A review by abbythompson
Cruel as the Grave by Sharon Kay Penman

4.0

Book 2 in the Justin de Quincy series, Cruel as the Grave find de Quincy doing double duty as the Queen's Man, negotiating between would-be-King John and his mother Eleanor, as well as hunting down the killer of a local Welsh girl who was brutally murdered in a churchyard. The dual mysteries as well as the attention to historic detail kept me riveted. The cast of characters is brilliantly written, from the beautiful and wily Claudine, the tart-tongued Nell, tough-guy Luke, and my favorite, the sardonic and one-eyed Jonas.

Highly recommended for readers who like historical fiction or mysteries. There's enough of each in here to appeal to a broad audience.