The Poisoned Serpent - Joan Wolf

Norman England has little to celebrate in the new year of 1110. The country is immersed in a bitter civil war from which no one is immune, including Hugh de Leon, heir to an earldom. His Uncle Guy has arranged his marriage to the spoiled daughter of the newly named Earl of Lincoln. It is a merger that will combine two of the land's largest fortunes--and give the de Leons unparalleled power. Hugh's heart; however, belongs to the Lady Cristen, and he will do everything he can--including eloping--to make her his own.

His plan is simple enough--until the new Earl of Lincoln is murdered, and a friend of Hugh's is accused of the crime. Though he has little time in which to foil his uncle's arrangement, Hugh cannot see an innocent man wrongly hanged. To save his friend and marry the woman he loves, Hugh must work fast to track down a deadly--and wily--serpent. But when he grabs it by the tail, can he avoid its poisonous bite?

Following the first book where Hugh has to find the truth about his past we find him again when he has already been established as the Earl of Wiltshire rightful heir. This doesn’t bring him only joy because he has just been told by his uncle that he has betrothed him to the daughter of the Earl of Lincoln. The plan is to join the two most powerful families in the land and gain more power and riches. But Hugh is set and determined to marry only Cristen, his long-time love, although she doesn’t belong to a rich and influential family.

The plot thickens when the Earl of Lincoln is murdered and one of Hugh’s friends is suspected of being the killer just to help Hugh become the next Earl and get all his riches through his marriage to his daughter.

Hugh is alerted to Bernard Radver’s arrest and decides to travel to Lincoln and see if he can unravel the mystery of who killed the Earl of Lincoln. There he meets again Richard Canville, the son of the current Sheriff, whom he has known from childhood. It is apparent from the beginning that there’s past history between Hugh and Richard. Hugh evades Richard’s attempts at friendship trying to keep him at arm’s length. In Lincoln is also Elizabeth de Beauté, the young daughter of the murdered Earl, who seems as determined as Hugh not to have their betrothal be valid. Finally, Cristen proves that she is also a strong woman as she sets to Lincoln determined to help Hugh and stay with him till the truth is discovered.

Although there is a strong historical background I think in this book the attention is centered more in the detective story. Through his interview of witnesses and his deduction skills Hugh attempts to prove that his friend is innocent and that the guilt lays elsewhere. It does provide an interesting look into a medieval city’s life with its castle and its inhabitants but also with the common people going about their daily activities of selling and buying goods, attending fairs, playing games or just caring about family.

As the previous book of the series this The Poisoned Serpent is a compelling read even if at times Hugh seems almost too perfect to be true. I thought Wolf was planning a series but it seems there are just these two books. I wish she had written more because I think they were great reads.

Grade: 4/5

No Dark Place - Joan Wolf

In the turbulent realm of Norman England, a young man discovers that his identity is the link to an incredible mystery….

Bereft at the loss of his adoptive father, the Sheriff of Lincoln, Hugh Corbaille is unprepared for a further shock from a visiting knight. Hugh may actually be the sold child of the Earl of Wiltshire, mysteriously abducted thirteen years before onthe day the nobleman was murdered. With no memory of his early years, Hugh begins to believe he may be the missing heir and sets off to find his past.

The journey, however, is far from easy - or safe. Finding himself caught in a web of death and intrigue, and surrounded by a court of scheming strangers, Hugh must turn to the mother he has never known and a supportive young woman to piece together the truth. A cold-blooded killer stands between Hugh and the answers he seeks, answers that may prove his birth - and his death.

Wolf was a familiar name to me as a writer of historical romance and traditional regencies. I was quite surprised when I discovered that she had also written two medieval mysteries and after reading them I can only say that it is a pity that she did not write more.

Set in 12th century England, No Dark Place is the story of Hugh Corbaille and the mysteries that surround him. When the story opens Hugh, the adopted son of the Sheriff of Lincoln has just lost his father and is “recognized” by a visiting man, Nigel Haslin, as the possible son of the Earl of Wiltshire who has disappeared has a child.

The unusually controlled Hugh is still having trouble dealing with his grief and at first refuses to acknowledge that possibility but eventually he decides to investigate as he is both feeling the need to escape the memories of his dead parents and the desire to know if he is really Hugh de Leon. What is known is that fourteen years earlier Roger de Leon, the powerful Earl of Wiltshire, was murdered in his chapel and his young son disappeared never to be seen again. Hugh was found starving and cold in the streets of Lincoln and has no memory of what happened before he joined the Corbaille household.

In Nigel Haslin’s household Hugh meets his daughter Cristen, a sixteen year old girl, who is already a known herbalist and with whom he feels instantly at ease. Hugh and Cristen’s relationship will slowly develop throughout the book, never overshadowing the mystery but showing us a new side to Hugh who seems very much in control of himself except when he is with Cristen.

Nigel’s plan is to “show” Hugh to his uncle and see what comes of it. They all meet in a tournament and Hugh’s physical appearance immediately calls the attention of several people. Besides the mystery of who Hugh really is there’s also the mystery of who killed Roger de Leon and some believe his brother and successor maybe have been behind it. To his natural desire to know who he is Hugh adds something of political strategy, the Earl of Wiltshire is a powerful ally of king Stephen and Hugh knows that if sworn to Mathilda’s side he would be immediately recognised by her and the rightful heir of the earldom.

It was interesting to have this outlook of the time’s political intrigues but what really made the book for me where the characters and the mystery surrounding them. Not only Hugh and Cristen but the whole set of secondary characters make this a really interesting story.

Grade: 4.5/5