Ashes of the Elements (Hawkenlye #2)
Title: Ashes of the Elements (Hawkenlye #2)
Author: Alys Clare
Hawkenlye Abbey is just coming off the high of having Eleanor of Aquitaine visit when the first body is discovered. It's fortuitous that Sir Josse d'Acquin is back in England to oversee the reconstruction of the manor King Richard has given him: Abbess Helewise is soon in almost over her head when in the race to solve the murder, a new novice and a lay female worker go missing, and two more bodies are discovered. The sheriff is content to believe the Forest People - said by locals to be a group of people living as though in the far distant past - are the ones beyond the constant savagery, but Josse and Helewise are willing to join efforts again to truly find out what's going on and clear the abbey's name, so they can continue to hold their good name as a house favored by Eleanor and their place in the pilgrim trade.
What worked for me: The new set of puzzles show us that Helewise is not as cool and calm as she purports to be, and that Josse is not a brainless clod as he hopes to fool others into thinking. They switch back and forth between surety that they've got their quarry and worry that they're in far too deep; I liked that I could sympathize even while I was shaking my head.
What didn't work for me: Abbess Helewise is strong and capable, and has known life on the outside - we discover tiny bits here and there about her deceased husband Ivo and her two sons. Josse is appreciative of this...and perhaps even attracted to it. I'm hoping this won't devolve into a clichèd “stand off!/no, come closer!” relationship, because the very fact that Helewise and Josse could work together platonically was a plus for me.
To conclude: Slowly emerging as their own characters, and not just the stereotypical prune-faced matron and nitwit jock, Helewise and Josse are interesting to read in both historical and present contexts.
Author: Alys Clare
Hawkenlye Abbey is just coming off the high of having Eleanor of Aquitaine visit when the first body is discovered. It's fortuitous that Sir Josse d'Acquin is back in England to oversee the reconstruction of the manor King Richard has given him: Abbess Helewise is soon in almost over her head when in the race to solve the murder, a new novice and a lay female worker go missing, and two more bodies are discovered. The sheriff is content to believe the Forest People - said by locals to be a group of people living as though in the far distant past - are the ones beyond the constant savagery, but Josse and Helewise are willing to join efforts again to truly find out what's going on and clear the abbey's name, so they can continue to hold their good name as a house favored by Eleanor and their place in the pilgrim trade.
What worked for me: The new set of puzzles show us that Helewise is not as cool and calm as she purports to be, and that Josse is not a brainless clod as he hopes to fool others into thinking. They switch back and forth between surety that they've got their quarry and worry that they're in far too deep; I liked that I could sympathize even while I was shaking my head.
What didn't work for me: Abbess Helewise is strong and capable, and has known life on the outside - we discover tiny bits here and there about her deceased husband Ivo and her two sons. Josse is appreciative of this...and perhaps even attracted to it. I'm hoping this won't devolve into a clichèd “stand off!/no, come closer!” relationship, because the very fact that Helewise and Josse could work together platonically was a plus for me.
To conclude: Slowly emerging as their own characters, and not just the stereotypical prune-faced matron and nitwit jock, Helewise and Josse are interesting to read in both historical and present contexts.