Medieval Mystery Fiction

London, 1385: Surrounded by ruthless courtiers - including his powerful uncle, John of Gaunt, and Gaunt's artful mistress, Katherine Swynford - England's young king, Richard II, is in mortal peril. Songs are heard across London - catchy verses said to originate from an ancient book that prophesies the ends of England's kings - and among the book's predictions is Richard's assassination. Only a few powerful men know that the cryptic lines derive from a "burnable book", a seditious work that threatens the stability of the realm.

England, 1154. With King Henry II taking the throne, the long civil war that has ravaged England has finally come to an end. But conflict is now coming from overseas. Henry has inherited territories over the English Channel that are being contested by King Louis VII of France. And the new king's marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine is strained—and becomes even more so when he threatens the Church of England and Thomas Beckett.

Richard Fitzwarren is a Tudor nobleman with a dubious past who takes risks for a living. His close friendship with Princess Elizabeth leads to his banishment to France, but when he returns, he remains loyal to her. At his side is Jack, his bastard sibling, and their relationship is a troubled one due to a family secret and their opposite personalities. Will he keep the future queen safe?

April 1150. War has come yet again to Ceredigion, and Prince Hywel marches south alongside his wily uncle, preparing to battle his own cousins. Meanwhile, Gareth and Gwen learn of murder and treachery among the Hospitallers, who are succoring the ill and wounded within the army. As they investigate, even in the midst of war, they uncover not only murder, but treason and betrayal as well—and inadvertently set the stage for that long-awaited final reckoning within King Owain’s court.

May 1144. Newly wedded, Gareth and Gwen travel across the border into England on a diplomatic mission with Prince Hywel of Wales. Within moments of their arrival, however, the mission goes awry and a murder case drops (literally) at their feet. Hindered at every turn by a climate of civil war and constantly shifting political alliances, Gareth and Gwen race to solve the murder and expose a plot that threatens not only their lives, but the life of the future king of England himself.

Medieval Europe, 996 AD. Fifteen-year-old Galen survived a horrendous assault, only to be exiled by his family. Taken in by monks and grateful to be spared as a suspected sinner from the execution block, he ekes out a lonely existence of unrelenting pain. But he gains a chance to prove himself worthy when a famous young illustrator arrives at the abbey and selects him to help with an important manuscript.

Politics, religion, and international intrigue paint a gripping portrait of England in the months prior to the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, but in a book where there are no pure ideals, perfect heroes, or irredeemable villains, history becomes personal. Schism splits the Catholic Church, a teenaged king sits on England’s throne, John Wycliffe protests, Piers Plowman complains, Geoffrey Chaucer tells tales.

In the aftermath of Prince Rhun's death, King Owain and King Madog agreed their children should marry as a way to seal the peace between them. Two years later, the wedding date has finally arrived, though relations between the two kingdoms have improved only to the extent that they aren't actually at war. So when an innocent falls victim to a poisoned dish, even Queen Cristina is so desperate for the event to take place that she begs Gareth and Gwen to head off another round of murder - and wedding mayhem - in medieval Wales.

The St. Charles Players present multi-cast dramatizations of some of Edgar Allan Poe's greatest works, including The Black Cat, The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether, The Purloined Letter, and The Murders in the Rue Morgue.

January 1150. Another attempt at peace has brought the kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys together. Not everyone wants the conference to succeed, however, including King Madog of Powys, who happens to be a participant.

November 1147. Gareth and Gwen have again been called to a castle belonging to Robert, Earl of Gloucester, this time by Prince Henry, who insists his uncle was murdered. Allying with Normans doesn’t come easily to Gareth and Gwen, but initial doubts are swept aside as more losses come to light. Because Robert's death has upended the balance of power in England, friends and foes alike have a vested interest in keeping the truth from coming out, and it is up to Gareth and Gwen to stop the killer before he claims another victim - and maybe a country.

May 1147. Gareth and Gwen have traveled to Deheubarth in the retinue of Prince Hywel. The Prince of Gwynedd has temporarily allied himself with King Cadell and his Norman relations in order to finally evict the hated Flemings from south Wales. But while the battle goes well, the celebratory feast afterwards does not, leaving Gareth and Gwen among the few left standing. And it is to them, as always, that the investigation falls and on whom peace in Wales may well depend.

Ein mystischer Kriminalroman aus dem Mittelalter. Schiltach im Schwarzwald, 1344. Im Städtle geht der Teufel um. Das glauben zumindest die Bewohner, nachdem an der Kinzig eine junge Magd ermordet aufgefunden wurde. Als im Gasthaus "Hirschen" jede Nacht unheimliche Geräusche zu hören sind und eine weiße Gestalt gesichtet wird, die scheinbar durch Wände gehen kann, bricht Panik aus. Wird sich der Dämon weitere Opfer holen? Kräutersammlerin Johanna und Flößer Lukas versuchen die Wahrheit zu ergründen.

AD 1045. Godwin of Wessex, one of the most powerful earls in the country, prepares for the marriage of his daughter to King Edward of England. The mood is jubilant, his family's relationship with the Crown secured through matrimony. But one man seeks to undermine him at every opportunity.

Ostfriesland 1548 - Die Hebamme Hiske Aalken hat alle Hände voll zu tun, denn in der Herrlichkeit Gödens grassiert das Marschenfieber. Als ihr in dieser schweren Zeit der Arzt Jan Valkensteyn zur Hilfe eilt, taucht auch ein holländischer Kaufmann namens Friso van Heek auf, der Hiske wenig sympathisch ist. Gleichwohl ist er ein faszinierender Mann, den offensichtlich ein großes Geheimnis umgibt. Ein Geheimnis, das mit einem wertvollen Medaillon - dem Meerkristall - und mit einer entstellenden Narbe zu tun hat, die der Kaufmann am Arm trägt.

Ostfriesland im Jahr 1545 - Das Land ist zerstritten und es drängen immer mehr Glaubensflüchtlinge aus Holland ins Land. Zu dieser Zeit muss die Hebamme Hiske Aalken aus dem benachbarten Jever fliehen, da sie dort als "Toversche", als Hexe, angeklagt ist. Sie flieht in die Herrlichkeit Gödens und wird gleich bei ihrer Ankunft mit der bestialischen Ermordung des Cornelius von Ascheburg konfrontiert. Und sie stößt auch auf eine Gruppe von Menschen, die in einer Wagenburg rund um das Schloss Gödens lebt.

Nachdem Robin Hood einen korrupten, aber mächtigen Kirchenmann zusammengeschlagen hat, flieht er aus dem einzigen Heim, das er je gekannt hat—Wakefield in Yorkshire. Er wird zum Mitglied einer berüchtigten Band von Geächteten, und Hood und seine neuen Kameraden—einschließlich John Little und Will Scaflock—verstecken sich im großen Wald von Barnsdale, wo sie um ihr bloßes Leben kämpfen, als das Gesetz sie wie Tiere jagt.

Bologna, dicembre 1311. Mondino de' Liuzzi, medico anatomista, viene incaricato dal podestà di far luce su una morte strana e orribile: un membro del Consiglio degli Anziani è stato rinvenuto carbonizzato in casa sua, eppure nella stanza nulla fa pensare a un incendio. Perfino la poltrona su cui l'uomo era seduto è rimasta quasi integra, mentre il corpo è bruciato in modo irregolare. I piedi sono illesi, un braccio è interamente ustionato, tutto il resto è ridotto in cenere. Mondino fa trasportare le spoglie nel suo studio per esaminarle.

Penda, a warrior of immense renown, has much to prove if he is to rule the Mercian kingdom of his dead father and prevent the neighboring king of Northumbria from claiming it. Unexpectedly allying with the British kings, Penda races to battle the alliance of the Northumbrian king, unsure if his brother stands with him or against him as they seek battle glory for themselves, and the right to rule gained through bloody conquest. There will be a victor and a bloody loser and a king will rise from the ashes of the great and terrible battle of Hædfeld.

Die Reliquienhändlerin Marysa steht kurz vor der ersehnten Hochzeit. Doch ihre Unruhe ist groß - der Zukünftige kehrt nicht von seiner Reise zurück. Wie lange kann sie geheim halten, dass sie sich in anderen Umständen befindet? Auch endet bald die von der Zunft auferlegte Frist für ihre Neuvermählung, um weiterhin als Meisterin arbeiten zu dürfen. Als wäre das nicht Unglück genug, ist plötzlich Marysas guter Ruf in Gefahr: Das Silber, das ihr zur Fertigung von Pilgerzeichen übergeben wurde, entpuppt sich als versilbertes Messing. Marysa steht plötzlich als Betrügerin da.