In The Presence of Evil, Tania Bayard
In The Presence of Evil, Tania Bayard
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In The Presence of Evil
A French Medieval Mystery

Author: Tania Bayard

Narrator: Steven Crossley

Unabridged: 10 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/30/2019

Synopsis

Introducing scribe sleuth Christine de Pizan in the first of an intriguing new historical mystery series set in fourteenth-century France

Paris, 1393. Recent widow Christine de Pizan became a scribe to support her family, but when she is called to the palace to work, she dreads going. There, everyone fears the king's attacks of unreason and they believe the charlatans who claim they can cure him with vile potions. But when a mysterious book of magic leaves a trail of real murdered bodies in its wake, Christine has more than black magic to worry about.

Then one of the king's favorites, Hugues de Précy, is found murdered and his wife Alix de Clairy is blamed. Can Christine prove Alix's innocence and save her from being burned at the stake?

About Tania Bayard

Tania Bayard is a freelance writer and lecturer specializing in medieval art, culture, and horticulture. She has taught art history at Fordham, Rutgers, and Hofstra universities and is the author of a number of books, including A Medieval Home Companion: Housekeeping in the Fourteenth Century. Previously, she was the curator of the Biblical Garden at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City and assistant horticulturist at The Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Melisende

I was drawn to this cozy-mystery as it featured one of medieval Frances' better known women - Christise de Pizan. Set in France in 1392 during the reign of mad King Charles VI, recently widowed Christine, is employed as a scribe for the French Queen, Isabeau of Bavaria. The French Court in this perio......more

Goodreads review by Ruhani

What I really liked about this book is that it actually showed how difficult it is for a woman to play the role of detective in social contexts where their freedom and agency is limited - as is true of most historical periods. Yet, this protagonist manages to crack the mystery and (more or less) fre......more

Goodreads review by Nance Roepke

What many people liked about this book was one of the things that I did not like. Christine De pizan was a real person and her story this fascinating to me. I don't think that the character in this book does her justice at all. It would have been much better to have the real Christine involved in so......more

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