Published by Allison and
Busby,
12 March 2020.
ISBN: 978-0-7490-2478-9 (PB)
12 March 2020.
ISBN: 978-0-7490-2478-9 (PB)
It
is early January 1144 and Hugh Bradecote, Undersheriff of Worcestershire, has
been celebrating the Christmas season at his own manor with his betrothed wife,
Christina. The couple have much to rejoice about, for both have been married
before and widowed but this is the first time that they have chosen a spouse
for love. In the past, Christina has failed to carry her babies to full term; she
adores Gilbert, Bradecote’s infant son by his first marriage, and longs to bear
Bradecote’s children.
Bradecote is summoned back to Worcester
by the sheriff, William de Beauchamp, and Christina accompanies him. Beauchamp
is concerned that somebody has been forging coins, replacing the silver with
lead lightly plated with silver. This is a serious offence and one which could
lead to devastating civil unrest. The country is already in a state of war
between King Stephen and his cousin, the Empress Maud, and undermining trust in
the value of coinage could be catastrophic.
While Bradecote and his wily second in
command, Serjeant Catchpoll, investigate the source of the false coinage,
Christina decides to accompany the Archbishop of Canterbury’s envoy and his
attendant monks to the shrine of St. Edgyth at Polesworth. Christina’s pilgrimage
is to implore the saint to intervene for her and help her bear Bradecote a
healthy child. Bradecote does not want Christina to risk such a journey in
winter, without his escort, but their relationship is not one that allows him
to forbid her and he believes, as she does, that she will be safe with Father
Samson and his monks. However, the travellers are attacked and held prisoner by
a party of renegades, the leader of whom hates religion and enjoys killing and
torture.
Beauchamp and Catchpoll’s deputy,
Walkelin, continue to investigate the false coinage, and Bradecote and
Catchpoll follow the trail of murder and devastation left by the renegades and
desperately attempt to anticipate their leader’s next move. At the same time,
Christina uses her courage and quick wits to avoid death or rape at the the
hands of her captors. The stakes get higher as the psychopathic renegade leader
loses all control, and Catchpoll fears that if Christina dies Bradecote will
crack under the strain.
Hostage to Fortune is the fourth in the Bradecote and Catchpoll mysteries and
this is a series that started well and grows stronger all the time. Both
characterisation and historical detail are impeccable and the plot is
intriguing and cleverly interwoven. It is especially enjoyable to see how the
characters throughout the series develop, as the gruff, cynical Catchpoll finds
himself increasingly respecting and liking Bradecote, while young Walkelin
develops in confidence and shrewdness, and Christina reveals herself as a courageous,
compassionate and quick-witted woman. Hostage to Fortune is a thoroughly
enjoyable read, which I recommend.
------
Reviewer: Carol Westron
Sarah Hawkswood read Modern History at Oxford University and
specialised in Military History and Theory of War. She turned from writing
military history to mediaeval murder mysteries set in the turmoil of The
Anarchy in the mid 12thC, all set in Worcestershire, where she now lives. The
Bradecote & Catchpoll series began with Servant of Death (previously
published as The Lord Bishop's Clerk) set in Pershore Abbey. The second, Ordeal
by Fire, is set in Worcester itself, and there are already another five written.
Writing is intrinsic to who she is, and she claims she gets 'grumpy' when there
is not another manuscript on the go. Her aim is to create a 'world', one in
which the reader can become immersed, and with an accurate historical context,
not 'dressing up'. Sarah Hawkswood is a pen name.
Carol
Westron
is a successful short story writer and a Creative
Writing teacher. She is the moderator
for the cosy/historical crime panel, The Deadly Dames. Her crime novels are set both in contemporary and Victorian times. The Terminal Velocity of Cats the
first in her Scene of Crimes novels, was published July 2013. Carol recently
gave an interview to Mystery People. To read the interview click on the link
below.
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