by Roberta Gellis, 324 pages
I took an elevator ride with Roberta Gellis some years ago and asked her if she was finished with the Roselynde Chronicles, her historical romance series. She said she was, because the main characters were getting to an age where she would have to start killing them off! She said she was going to write some fantasy and dabble in a few other genres.
A month or so ago I came across the first title in her medieval mystery series, which was called A Mortal Bane. I just finished this title and intend to read all of the series.
I enjoyed the well-drawn sleuth characters of Magdalene and Sir Bellamy of Itchen. A medieval scholar, Ms Gellis creates an authentic world for her characters to move through. Ms Gellis has made an interesting choice for her protagonist, since Magdalene is the proprietess of a house of ill-repute. Ironically called The Old Priory Guesthouse, Magdalene's house fills a niche in 12th century London, a place where gentlemen can enjoy female company in complete privacy. I won't spoil the story by telling you why Magdalene's establishment is unique, but because it is so, the female characters in the novels have more freedom than most women of the day.
By turns intriguing, funny and thoughtful, the books in this series will satisfy readers in the historical mystery genre.
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