Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
After giving birth to a son, Catherine LeVendeur is looking forward to an idyllic
life with her husband, Edgar, in Paris. Yet her contentment is shattered when
she and Edgar receive tragic news from Scotland: Edgar's two oldest brothers
have been ambushed and murdered, and Edgar must return home to help avenge their
deaths.
Once in Scotland, Catherine is surprised to learn that Edgar's family is not
what she imagined. His father, Waldeve, is a cold tyrant, and his remaining
siblings are strange and secretive.
Separated from Edgar in their efforts to uncover the truth, Catherine becomes
a stranger in a strange land, searching for refuge in a war-torn country at
the same time she searches for her husband. Yet she knows that any haven she
finds will only be temporary until she answers this question: Who among Waldeve's
enemies hates him passionately enough to destroy his whole family—including,
she fears, his new infant grandson?
Synopsis
After giving birth to a son, Catherine LeVendeur is looking forward to an idyllic
life with her husband, Edgar, in Paris. Yet her contentment is shattered when
she and Edgar receive tragic news from Scotland: Edgar's two oldest brothers
have been ambushed and murdered, and Edgar must return home to help avenge their
deaths.
Once in Scotland, Catherine is surprised to learn that Edgar's family is not
what she imagined. His father, Waldeve, is a cold tyrant, and his remaining
siblings are strange and secretive.
Separated from Edgar in their efforts to uncover the truth, Catherine becomes
a stranger in a strange land, searching for refuge in a war-torn country at
the same time she searches for her husband. Yet she knows that any haven she
finds will only be temporary until she answers this question: Who among Waldeve's
enemies hates him passionately enough to destroy his whole family—including,
she fears, his new infant grandson?
Publishers Weekly
In the fifth book of the Catherine LeVendeur series (after Strong as Death, 1996), Newman once again brings medieval times to life. Catherine, Edgar and their baby, James, leave France for Scotland after receiving news that Edgar's two oldest brothers and his nephew have recently been ambushed and murdered. Meeting her in-laws for the first time, Catherine learns that Edgar's harsh father is hated by all his subjects and feared by his family, especially his second wife. The patriarch is worried not only about his family troubles but also about the disputed bishopric of Durham. After the men ride off to help William Cumin win the see and also find the killer of Edgar's brothers, Catherine befriends her husband's stepmother and the woman's daughter. She also discovers an emaciated anonymous prisoner on the estate whom no one knows about. When the manor burns to the ground, she, James, the stepmother, the stepmother's daughter and the prisoner save themselves and seek asylum on an island cloister. While Edgar becomes more embroiled in the religious war and Catherine fights to keep her surrogate family alive, they come to realize that someone is trying to wipe out Edgar's family and, separately, they both slowly hone in on the culprit. If the pace is slow and the language sometimes anachronistically modern, Newman nevertheless manages to render the complicated matters of state and church interesting and comprehensible. (Aug.)