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The Catherine LeVendeur Novels
The Witch in the Well
Catherine LeVendeur is a creature of 12th century France whose life is a
mirror of her times -- and she is armed with a keen mind and lively
curiosity.
When Catherine's grandfather sends for his family to tell them their well is
going dry, Catherine is alarmed. The family's wealth depends on its status,
and if the well goes dry, their castle will fall. Her grandfather seems
wracked with a fear deeper than that, though --and there's a mysterious woman
who is either old or young, dead or alive-- depending on whom you ask.
Catherine doesn't believe the magical legends her family has handed down
that they are the descendents of a knight of Charlemagne's and a faerie --she
puts her faith and trust in the human condition.
I don't usually add photos of my awards to my website but she is too wonderful not to share. This is the Bruce Alexander Award [right] for best historical mystery of 2004 and it was won for The Witch in the Well.
I was thrilled to receive it especially because I knew Bruce Alexander and was a great fan of his work. I am proud to be honored in his name.
Outcast Dove
Catherine LeVendeur's curiosity and passion for justice have sometimes led her to brave horrors and solve grisly murders.but this time the threat is to those she loves.
Catherine's family business relies on her cousin Solomon to negotiate the treacherous path to riches. The fact that Solomon is her cousin is secret, however, because he's Jewish-and if their family connections were discovered, it could mean ruin or death.
Heresy
...When her dearest friend in the world, Astrolabe, the son of the fabled theologian Peter Abelard and Heloise, flees wrongful prosecution for the vicious murder of a young woman, Catherine's family takes him in to hide. But there are darker forces than murder at work here. Someone wishes to use Astrolabe to complete the destruction of his father's fame in the name of faith...and there are those that would see the destruction of the very order of Christian life...
To Wear The White Cloak
With its attention to detail, depth of research and well developed characters, this 7th book in Newman's Catherine LeVendeur series, should delight fans of her medieval mysteries. In a simple prologue, three men, a lord, a miller and a servant, set out on Easter from their small French village to join the Knights of the Temple and King Louis' expedition to rid the Holy Land of the Sarcens.
Meanwhile Catherine and her extended family arrive in Paris, expecting to find their house aired and ready for them. Instead there's moldy and rancid food in the kitchen and the decaying body of a murdered man wearing the white cloak of the Knights of the Temple, in the counting room. Fearful that certain family secrets are at risk of exposure, Catherine, her husband Edgar, and her cousin Solomon determine to discover the mans' identity and his murderer.
Thus begins a story that will bring the three pilgrims and Catherine's clan together and change their lives forever. Besides providing an intriguing mystery, the author touches on such large issues of medieval life in 12th century France as Jewish-Christian relations the restrictions and obligations imposed by a rigid class order and health hazards faced by craftsman as well as more personal matters of housekeeping, child rearing and birth control. Seasoned with wit and humor, this is a recommended reading for mystery lovers and historical devotees alike.
-Publishers Weekly Sep 18, 2000-
The Difficult Saint
......When Catherine's estranged sister's marriage to a German lord ends with her being accused of his murder, Catherine knows she must do everything she can to save her sister's life. And when Catherine and her brood travel to Germany to begin sleuthing in a dangerously anti-Semitic climate, it becomes clear that Catherine and Edgar's long-dreamt-of life of peace remains in the distant future -- if they live to see it at all
"Readers looking for quality historical fiction should add Newman's name to their lists of must-read authors. In addition to providing readers with a vivid look at life in France in the twelth century, Newman also offers absorbing stories with well-drawn sympathetic characters."
Cursed in the Blood
The fifth story in the series finds Catherine LeVendeur venturing into the cold and tumultuous homeland of her husband- only to realize the vast differences between Edgar's family and her own. After making the pilgrimage to Compostela and giving birth to a son, Catherine is looking forward to an idyllic life at home in Paris.Yet her contentment is shattered when she and Edgar receive news from his family that Edgar's two oldest brothers have been ambushed and murdered.
"...suspenseful, dramatic, meticulously researched, and utterly riveting.... Her best book yet."
-Sharon Kay Penman, author of THE QUEEN'S MAN .
"A well-researched and graphically imagined view of northern England in the mid-12th century. The tribalism, violence, piety, and personalities are convincingly portrayed. Those who love the Middle Ages will be drawn into Sharan Newman's story and her recreation of a strange and forgotten world."
-Norman Cantor, Professor, Medieval History, NYU
Strong As Death
Ex-novice Catherine LeVendeur and her Saxon husband, Edgar, desperate to have a child, go on pilgrimage to pray at the fabled Spanish shrine of Santiago de Compostela. They encounter mad monks, jongleurs, a possibly reformed whore, and four elderly knights, two of whom are murdered.
"The vibrant, often unexpected dynamics of Catherine's family give emotional punch to Newman's vivid depiction of medieval life"
-- Publisher's Weekly
Nominated for the Agatha Award for Best Mystery of 1996.
The Wandering Arm
The mummified arm of St. Aldhelm has been stolen from the Salisbury Cathedral in England and hidden somewhere in Paris, passing from pious to treacherous hands by means of murder most foul. Catherine's husband Edgar, is approached to help find the Anglo-Saxon relic and bring in safely home.
"Sharan Newman has done it again. The WANDERING ARM is a triumph- a sweeping historical of romance and dark mystery" --
-Faye Kellerman, Author of JUSTICE
The Devil's Door
A wealthy countess lies dying at the convent of the Paraclete, brutally beaten by unknown assailants. Her last wish is to take the veil, to become one of the order, but she is unwilling- or unable- to name her killer. Catherine LeVendeur's curiosity and her keen sense of justice demand that she find out the identity of the noblewoman's attacker.
"Fans of [Ellis Peters'] Brother Cadfael should rejoice at this new find"
-Deadly Pleasures
"A wonderful book that kept me turning the pages late at night"
-Dorothy Cannell, author of FEMMES FATAL
Death Comes As Epiphany
Note: I have added an errata that corrects some inaccuracies in the volume.
"Catherine LeVendeur is a young scholar at the Convent of the Paraclete, a convent famous for learning and prayer...and its most famous abbess, the fabled Heloise. Catherine's natural curiosity and individualism have always set her apart and she has come to the convent to conquer her sin of pride But service can come in many forms...A manuscript that the convent produced for the great Abb‚ Suger has disappeared and rumors have surfaced that the book contains sacrilegious passages and will be used to condemn Heloise's famous lover- Peter Abelard. Catherine must find the manuscript and discover who has altered the text before it destroys all she holds dear. "
"A sweeping historical novel- meticulously researched, with humor, richness and detail."
-Anne Perry, Author of BETHLEHEM ROAD
"The pages of this remarkable novel glow with a strange light. The characters are clear and sharply focused, but the medieval setting establishes the mood and tone that is simply never encountered in even the best of the modern murder mysteries."
-Steve Allen, Author of MURDER IN MANHATTAN, and host of the PBS series Meeting of the Minds
Death Comes as Epiphany has been recorded and is now available on tape through
www.booksontape.com
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When bodies begin appearing --not ghostly specters, but freshly-dead
humans-- Catherine knows she's right, and must uncover the secrets of the
witch in the well...
