The Service of the Dead, Candace Robb
The Service of the Dead, Candace Robb
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
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The Service of the Dead
A Kate Clifford Mystery

Author: Candace Robb

Narrator: Sarah Nichols

Unabridged: 8 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/02/2016

Synopsis

Expertly recreating the social and political upheavals of late medieval Europe, acclaimed author Candace Robb introduces a new series starring Kate Clifford, a woman forged on the warring northern marches of fourteenth-century England.Political unrest permeates York at the cusp of the fifteenth century, as warring factions take sides on who should be the rightful king—Richard II or his estranged, powerful cousin in exile, Henry Bolingbroke. Independent-minded twenty-year-old Kate Clifford is struggling to dig out from beneath the debt left by her late husband. Determined to find a way to be secure in her own wealth and establish her independence in a male-dominated society, Kate turns one of her properties near the minster into a guest house and sets up a business. In a dance of power, she also quietly rents the discreet bedchambers to the wealthy, powerful merchants of York for nights with their mistresses. But the brutal murder of a mysterious guest and the disappearance of his companion for the evening threatens all that Kate has built. Before others in town hear word of a looming scandal, she must call upon all of her hard-won survival skills to save herself from ruin.

About Candace Robb

Candace Robb did her graduate work in medieval literature and history, and has continued to study the period while working first as an editor of scientific publications and now for some years as a freelance writer. Candace has published fifteen crime novels set in fourteenth-century England, Wales, and Scotland. The Owen Archer series is based in York and currently extends over ten novels beginning with The Apothecary Rose; the most recent is A Vigil Of Spies. The Margaret Kerr trilogy explores the early days of Scotland's struggle against England's King Edward I, and includes A Trust Betrayed, The Fire In The Flint, and A Cruel Courtship. Candace was born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has lived most of her adult life in Seattle, Washington, which she and her husband love for its combination of natural beauty and culture. Candace enjoys walking, hiking, and gardening, and practices yoga and vipassana meditation. She travels frequently to Great Britain.

Reviews

Goodreads review by booksofallkinds on July 04, 2017

**RATING 4.5** REVIEW OF BOOK ONE AND TWO TOGETHER! While I do enjoy reading historical novels, historical mysteries is not a genre that I have much experience of, but I am so glad that I picked up the Kate Clifford series as they really are so descriptive and engrossing. Having devoured the first bo......more

Goodreads review by Deanna on February 19, 2018

In this historical mystery set in York, England in 1399, Candace Robb immerses you in the world of the late 14th century. Right from the beginning the detail is mind-blowing: the place, the people, the freezing cold winter weather—it all feels so real. And Kate Clifford, who is the novel’s beating h......more

Goodreads review by Lucy on June 15, 2017

I was disappointed in this book, having very much enjoyed Robb's Apothecary Rose series. The Wars of the Roses make for dense background, of course, but they seemed to weigh down this narrative without giving it much sense of urgency. The whole novel is also very expository... when conversations DO......more

Goodreads review by Derrick on September 19, 2016

I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway and I'm glad I did even though it took me a while to get to it! This isn't my typical genre of choosing and it definitely took me at least a quarter of the book to get used to the terminology and titles of the various characters. I'm a big fan of the pr......more

Goodreads review by Denise on May 31, 2017

I expected to love this. I did love both Emma Campion (same author) historical fiction "strong women" books. This one just didn't hold my interest. I got about a quarter into it, and put it down. So disappointed.......more

Quotes

“The novel resonates with its compelling portrayal of an England on the brink of crisis.” Publishers Weekly

“Robb’s deft hand creates a realistic political and commercial climate as King Richard II’s reign draws to a close in 1399…a satisfying historical read…Comparable to Sara Poole’s Poisoner mysteries and Ariana Franklin’s Adelia Aguilar series, with its strong political setting and multiple plot strands.” Booklist

“A tasty brew of political intrigue, larceny, and murder set within the walls of medieval York. Candace Robb’s latest historical mystery is steeped in the atmosphere of the late fourteenth century, and in Kate Clifford she’s given us a no-nonsense heroine and sleuth who is not only smart, but fierce when those she cares about are threatened. You’re going to love her.” Patricia Bracewell, author of the Emma of Normandy trilogy

“Candace Robb has created another wonderful, strong character in Kate Clifford, a widow of York…With plot twists as tangled and unexpected as the streets of medieval York, this gritty story kept me enthralled and guessing up to the end. Robb’s thorough knowledge of the time and place brings a texture to her portrayal of York that brings the reader into Kate’s life as if transported through time.” Sharan Newman, Macavity Award–winning author of Death Comes as an Epiphany

Awards

  • Library Journal Audio-in-Advance Pick
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