Murder in the Cloister

Starred review from June 18, 2018
Set in 1393 Paris, Bayard’s impressive first novel and series launch introduces Christine de Pizan, a widow who struggles to support her family as a freelance scribe. When Queen Isabeau retains her to copy a book as a wedding gift for a favored lady-in-waiting, Christine heads to the palace, only to have a frightening encounter with a man in a black cloak who’s not wearing shoes, despite the bitterly cold weather. She’s even more unnerved when she finds the same man stabbed through the heart in the palace itself, and learns that he was in the employ of the Duke of Orléans, King Charles’s brother. The motive for the murder seems clear, as a book the dead man was bringing to the duke has vanished. After a second murder claims the life of another person connected to the court, Christine turns detective to exonerate the woman suspected of that crime. Bayard (A Medieval Home Companion: Housekeeping in the Fourteenth Century) excels at describing people and places and puts her knowledge of the period to good use in crafting an engrossing whodunit. Agent: Josh Getzler, HSG Agency.

July 1, 2018

In 1393 Paris, widowed Christine de Pizan supports her family by working as a scribe at a palace often in uproar owing to the king's madness. Although she doesn't believe in witchcraft, she's uneasy when Alix de Clairy, wife of one of the king's favorite courtiers, offers mandrake, a poisonous root, to the queen, saying it will cure the king's illness. When the king is found poisoned, Alix is arrested and accused of sorcery. It will be difficult for Christine to prove Alix's innocence when evidence relies on the testimony of a less-than-reputable witness, a prostitute named Marion. Joining forces with a monk, Christine searches for a mysterious book of magic that has left a trail of bodies. In a time of superstition, it's a challenge to dig up the truth. Drawing on her knowledge of medieval culture and horticulture, the author of A Medieval Home Companion successfully creates a strong sense of place and time in her debut novel. Her amateur sleuth, based on the real Christine de Pizan (1364-1430), is complicated and compelling. VERDICT This richly detailed and atmospheric historical mystery will draw readers into a fascinating medieval world that devotees of Ellis Peters and Ariana Franklin will savor.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2018
Bayard introduces an original medieval mystery series featuring the fictional exploits of a real-life historical figure. During the late fourteenth century, widow Christine de Pizan combined her extensive literary talents with her philosophical and political convictions, authoring a number of books (The Book of the City of Ladies) in order to support her children. Using Christine's unique life story as a springboard, Bayard fashions an intricately plotted whodunit, stretching from the court of King Charles VI to the seamy backstreets where prostitutes prowl. Befriending members of both the aristocracy and the unwashed masses, she has her fingers on the collective pulse of Paris in all its grime and glory. Called upon to perform as a royal scribe, she becomes involved in a criminal investigation when a book of magic is stolen, and bodies begin to accumulate. In a race to exonerate a friend and expose a fraud, Christine musters her considerable wits and wiles to great effect in her debut appearance. An intriguing premise and a dexterously executed story. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)