The Chatter of the Maidens (Hawkenlye Mysteries)

by Alys Clare

Book Overview

The serenity of Hawkenlye Abbey has been disturbed by the arrival of a new nun and her two young sisters. Recently orphaned, Alba has had to leave her convent at Ely to take her grieving sisters far... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0340793287
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 0.7" x 4.1"

Customer Reviews

Everything is Not as it Seems

Alys Clare's novels are like a breath of fresh air. I love medieval murder mysteries and there are certainly a lot of them about (thank goodness), but the authors books breathe new life into the period and her will they won't they situation with Helewise and Sir Josse, holds the reader's attention as well. Don't be swayed into thinking that these books are written with the female reader in mind. They are for everybody, young and old, male or female. Alys Clare lives in Kent where the Hawkenlye mysteries are set. The peace and quiet of the Abbey at Hawkenlye has been disturbed by the arrival of a new nun and her two young sisters. They have been recently orphaned and Alba the eldest has had to give up her post at a convent in Ely to get her sisters as far away as possible from the scene of their grief. However Helewise, the Abbess at Hawkenlye is not sure that the gesture is solely for the benefit of the young girls, after all Alba is known by all to be a mean-minded young woman. Helewise's anxiety is increased when her friend Sir Josse is brought to the Abbey half dead from blood poisoning. Then a body is discovered and one of the sisters goes missing. Helewise sets off the Ely to discover the real reason for Alba leaving the convent there . . .

12th Century Mystery a Great Read!

This Hawkenlye mystery (fourth in the series) is a must for those who enjoyed Ellis Peters's books. However, it stands on its own, with a fresh approach to medieval crime novels. The author provides an engrossing tale, finely drawn characters in Abbess Helewise and her friend, Josse d'Acquin, and a realistic sense of the time period.