A Twisted Vengeance

1399. York is preparing for civil war, teeming with knights and their armed retainers summoned for the city’s defense. Henry of Lancaster is rumored to have landed on the northeast coast of England, not so far from York, intent on reclaiming his inheritance―an inheritance which his cousin, King Richard, has declared forfeit.

With the city unsettled and rife with rumors, Eleanor Clifford’s abrupt return to York upon the mysterious death of her husband in Strasbourg is met with suspicion in the city. Her daughter Kate is determined to keep her distance, but it will not be easy―Eleanor has settled next door with the intention of establishing a house of beguines, or poor sisters. When one of the beguines is set upon in the night by an intruder, Kate knows that for the sake of her own reputation and the safety of her young wards she must investigate.

From the first, Eleanor is clearly frightened yet maintains a stubborn silence. The brutal murder of one of Eleanor’s servants leads Kate to suspect that her mother’s troubles have followed her from Strasbourg. Is she secretly involved in the political upheaval? When one of her wards is frightened by a too-curious stranger, Kate is desperate to draw her mother out of her silence before tragedy strikes her own household.

Praise!

“Lovers of Shakespeare’s Richard II will find Robb’s intricate sequel to 2016’s The Service of the Dead a particular treat. Kate Clifford is compelling and finely drawn, and the answers to a series of mysteries are highly satisfying.”
– Publishers Weekly (starred)

“A Twisted Vengeance will remind you of Shakespeare. A compelling female lead and solid historical details make this a satisfying read.”
– Mystery Tribune

“Lovers of Shakespeare’s Richard II will find Robb’s intricate sequel to 2016’s The Service of the Dead a particular treat. Kate Clifford is compelling and finely drawn, and the answers to a series of mysteries are highly satisfying.”
– Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Candace Robb’s latest absorbing and carefully detailed work of historical fiction is A Twisted Vengeance. Robb is a compelling writer, skilled in conjuring a feel for life back then―both the sweeping backdrop of history and the day-to-day workings of a household in that turbulent period.”
– Seattle Times

“A historical mystery well worth your time with its satisfying, textured characters and hard-to-guess-where-it’s-all-going plot.”
– Criminal Element