Owen Archer mysteries by Candace Robb

Related Along with learning about trade, festivals and the risky business of travel in that era, Lucie’s shop provides a window into the limits of medical knowledge at the time. He lost an eye in a fight and is now a reluctant spy for The Chancellor. Even Queen Phillippa and King Edward’s mistress, Alice Perrers, were quite formidable in different ways. He goes undercover as an apprentice with Lucie Wilton, a widow who inherited her husband’s shop in York. It’s also points in her favor that she made her main character a cyclops and he’s not even a pirate. As you can tell, I enjoy these mysteries very much and can’t recommend them highly enough. Compared to the Renaissance, things were static, but there was an undercurrent of potential change. Owen Archer mysteries by Candace Robb
One of the periods I like to read about most is the Middle Ages. Share this:TwitterFacebookPinterestEmailPrintGoogleLike this:Like Loading… Even the household cats have distinct personalities. Perfectly exemplifying all of this is Candace Robb’s series set in the mid-1300’s featuring Owen Archer, formerly Captain of the King’s longbowmen. So panic and superstition would overtake a population desperate to remain healthy. Then there were the contagions which would sweep through towns, not only the plagues, but various fevers, whose origins were not understood. Energetic Bess and her husband, Tom, who runs the tavern next door to the apothecary shop and who brings humor and gossip into her friend’s lives. Though Owen is the central character, he is surrounded by strong women. No, not that time in your forties when you’re no longer young, but don’t yet qualify for senior discounts; I mean the Medieval era. Both of them bring their skills and intelligence to solving the mysteries in each book.The secondary characters are just as richly drawn, Magda the Riverwoman, midwife and healer who lives in a refurbished Viking boat. The author, who has long studied the period, brings everyday details to her stories and shows how people of all levels of society lived and interacted with each other. Lucie has more rights as a widow than she did as a wife, her profession and property are now her own. There is so much mystery surrounding those centuries, yet we know that society was quite rigid, that the Black Plague was always lurking and the Catholic Church wielded great power in nations’ and citizen’s lives. There’s still a few more books in the series for me to read and I’m looking forward to it. The eccentric Magda is full of wisdom and likable for all of her oddness. Most medicine was made from herbs and often had very little effect on the illnesses they were to treat.