A Choir of Crows

Once again Candace Robb has delivered a fascinating picture of the political atmosphere in late 1374 in the north of England, specifically the city of York. A new Archbishop of York has been appointed and he, his brother and their contingent are on their way to York for Alexander Neville's enthronement. England is a country divided between two powerful factions and spies are everywhere ready to report the slightest bit of information. The tension begins to intensify even more when a vicar with the cathedral is found dead. Before the authorities can even examine the body of the first victim a second is found, also on the cathedral grounds. Connected or not Owen Archer knows he has to solve the questions surrounding these deaths before the city is overflowing with strangers here to attend the enthroning.

This twelfth book in the Owen Archer series kept me thoroughly involved in the lives of Owen, his wife Lucie and the political climate of York. Owen has been suffering through a year of grief due to the death of Sir John Thoresby, but he has agreed to become a spy for Prince Edward in the north as well as captain of the cities bailiffs putting him right in the middle of all the actions which take place in this story. Naturally this series has accumulated a regular list of characters who return with each story. There are also a goodly number of new characters specific to this book. Combined they make for a character list which proved unwieldly at times to such an extent that I had to stop reading and try to remember what position that character was occupying. I have read most of the previous books but still had trouble keeping up with everybody. Perhaps a list of characters might be a good addition to the next book.

The research for this book was helped immensely by the author's involvement in a medieval choir. I was grateful for the information provided both in the body of the story and in the Author's Note regarding the title of the book. Candace Robb is one of my favorite authors who write medieval mysteries and this latest addition to her list was a success with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishing Crème de la Crime for an e-galley of this novel.