Avail Yourself The Song Of The Nightingale (Hawkenlye Mysteries #14) Drafted By Alys Clare Distributed In Hardcover

novel was set in medieval times yet the characters seemed so modern, This was the second book to suffer from my resolution to not finish books that I am not enjoying and when I keep picking up any book but this one I realized it was time to return it to the library and move on.
As usual with this series, I thoroughly enjoyed the story, Only three more to go, . . A good entry in the series! Wonderful storynew charactersrevisiting of old characters! And the goddess/madonna!! So much to love!!. giving it justseems unfair as it's a charming little book to spend some hours with.


I wouldn't call it much of a mystery, there are some murders but they appear more like a plot device to move the rest of the story along.


My problem with the series when it gets to deeply into the mystical stuff.
Very enjoyable and captures the period beauthifully I thoroughly enjoyed this book in Alys Clare's Hawkenlye series and hope to read several more in the series.
It was an easy read and I liked the monastic setting, somewhat reminiscent of Ellis Peters and Cadfael and also the different locations in both England and France.
This is one of my favorite historical mystery series! Thought for sure this was going to be the last in the series, as the plots around each of the six main characters has such a happy ending.
That said, there is much drama involved with each person, so, the stories move swiftly and several are rather dark and violent, in keeping with the times.
While trying to survive the harsh winter under King John, Helewise, Josse and family undertake several missions, which eventually with reunite them, at the Chartres cathedral.
Clare is one of my favorite historical fiction authors, This is her newest Hawkenlye Mysteries, with Ex Abbesss, Helwise solving yet another murder, She also writes the Aelf Fen series which takes place in the reign of Alfred the Great, also a mystery series.
Excellent sense of time and place, I really enjoy this series, Tales of LONG AGO There is more to this novel than the genre mystery might imply, Part historic fiction, part fantasy, with a touch of mystery describes it better, Themes of atypical family structure, strong female characters who strain societal expectations of their time and place, faith in one true God vs.
pagan beliefs, and both natural and supernatural powers for healing mind, body and soul, Yeah, that's a lot. I haven't read other books in this series, just jumped in, and I enjoyed it very much.
I had read another in this series, The print in the book is terrible the font is clearly second rate,

The story is stilted and I read more thanpages, BUt oh slow going. Quit.  

In the latest Hawkenlye mystery, desperate men commit terrible crimes but vengeance is on its way.
. . Winter,. Former abbess Helewise moves back to her cell near Hawkenlye Abbey to help the needy, putting a strain on her relationship with Sir Josse DAcquin, who is called to examine the bodies of three men, one of whom bears a complicated symbol carved into his chest: a symbol that signifies vengeance.
Meanwhile, far from home, Sir Josses son Ninian has become involved in the cause of the doomed Cathar people soon to be swept up in a fight that they cannot hope to win I really enjoy these books.
It is a treat to think that the series will go on with the succeeding generations!

One of the better Hawkenlye mysteries I couldn't put this one down.
Three men commit a dastardly crime and their bodies later are found, one with a complicated design carved into his chest it is interpreted as a series of three runes signifying vengeanceEye for an eye revenge.
Then two more men are punished in the same form in which they had inflicted evil on othersa tax extortioner, by flogging and a sometime deputy of the sheriff, death in water since he had stood by doing nothing while a family had drowned in a raging river before his eyes.
The investigation of Josse and Helewise try to find the innocence of someone accused of the crimes.
Ninian, who has been with the Cathars in France is led to Chartres, as well as Josse and Helewise.
Who is the "Brown Man" Has he anything to do with the deaths Helewise decides to change the direction of her life henceforth.
I wonder what direction the mysteries will take now, Enjoyable medieval mystery with a lot of good plots and subplots, Josse is an older man, a father, in love with Heloise, a former abbess, His adopted son has run away to France, partly to escape a false murdering charge and partly to help out a village by delivering a precious good.
What he does not know is that his "lady," Heloise's namesake and grandaughter needs him to come back to her.
Meggie, his half sister, is blessed with unusual powers accepted as fact back then and draws upon them to try to help her family.
Added to that is a background of intense depression and poverty, complete with marauders and a woodsman sworn to vengeance.
Enjoyable! At least, Ms. Clare keeps the storyies moving, There are several stories going at the same time so I bounced back and forth between Europe and Britain several times.
My main frustration is having to read a recap of all the stories at the end before we get to the 'good' part.
My mother always read the end first so she could enjoy the story, Not me, I want to enjoy the story and then get to an ending, I do not want a recap before I get there, Ruffians have been terrorizing the weak on the fringes of the forest attacking, raping and stealing.
Then three bodies are found all killed the same way a clean stab in the heart.
Are these the ones who had been terrorizing and if so, who killed them Josse takes up the investigation in spite of word from Gervase that he should leave it for King John's men.
Heloise determines to move back to the cell by the Abbey about this time, believing it is her place to help people.
Little Heloise arrives at the House in the Woods, not looking well and Meggie reaches out to her.
The entire family misses Ninian still far away and wants him to come home,
Although there is the mystery of the killings, this is more about the members of the family and what is going on in their lives.
I can see the series winding down I know onlytitles remain, It will be interesting to see how story lines are carried out, Alys Clare is the pen name used by sitelink Elizabeth Harris for the Hawkenlye series of historical mysteries.
Alys Clare is the pseudonym of a novelist with somepublished works to her name, Brought up in the countryside close to where the Hawkenlye Novels are set, she went to school in Tonbridge and later studied archaeology at the University of Kent.
She lives for part of the year in Brittany, in a remote cottage deep in an ancient landscape where many past inhabitants have left their mark on her doorstep are relics that date from the stone circles and dolmens of the Neolithic to the commanderies, chapels and ancient tracks of those infamous warrior monks, the Knights Templar.
In England, Alyss study overlooks a stretch of parkland which incl Alys Clare is the pen name used by sitelink Elizabeth Harris for the Hawkenlye series of historical mysteries.
Alys Clare is the pseudonym of a novelist with somepublished works to her name, Brought up in the countryside close to where the Hawkenlye Novels are set, she went to school in Tonbridge and later studied archaeology at the University of Kent.
She lives for part of the year in Brittany, in a remote cottage deep in an ancient landscape where many past inhabitants have left their mark on her doorstep are relics that date from the stone circles and dolmens of the Neolithic to

the commanderies, chapels and ancient tracks of those infamous warrior monks, the Knights Templar.
In England, Alys's study overlooks a stretch of parkland which includes a valley with a little spring.
The waters of this spring are similar in colour and taste to Tunbridge Wells's famous Chalybeat Spring, and it was this that prompted Alys's setting of her fictional Hawkenlye Abbey in the very spot where her own house now stands.
sitelink.