The Paths of the Air

by Alys Clare

Overview

A Hawkenlye medieval mystery - Autumn 1196. A secretive stranger arrives at New Winnowlands, and Sir Josse d'Acquin guesses that he is a returning Crusader. Josse seeks the assistance of Abbess Helewise of Hawkenlye to have the man's injuries treated in the infirmary. But then the various demons who are on the man's trail begin to turn up, and Josse realizes that his mysterious guest has brought with him a terrible secret . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780102542
Publisher:	Severn House Publishers
Publication date:	03/01/2012
Series:	A Hawkenlye Historical Mystery , #11
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	238,823
File size:	904 KB

About the Author

Alys Clare divides her time between Tonbridge, England-in the area where "Tavern in the Morning" is set—and her ancient stone cottage in Brittany. The author of two previous Hawkenlye mysteries, "Fortune Like the Moon" and "Ashes of the Elements," she has also studied archaeology at the University of Kent at Canterbury.

Editorial Reviews

Clare's absorbing 11th entry in her Hawkenlye series (The Enchanter's Forest, etc.) highlights the many perils of life in medieval England. One cold November day in 1196, an exhausted stranger arrives at the estate of Sir Josse d'Acquin, a loyal soldier of the king bored with inactivity. Josse gives the man shelter in an outbuilding, suspecting him to be the servant of a crusader recently returned from the Holy Land. After a fortnight, the stranger abruptly vanishes, then a body, brutalized beyond recognition, turns up in the nearby woods. Meanwhile, a prisoner exchange gone wrong has led to a hunt across Europe for a runaway monk carrying unknown treasure. Josse relies on Abbess Helewise of Hawkenlye Abbey for counsel and solace, while the local sheriff, Gervase de Gifford, helps Josse track down a secret with the potential to change warfare forever. A lurid subplot set in the Holy Land adds to the suspense. (Aug.)

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Publishers Weekly

Abbess Helewise of Hawkenlye and her friend Sir Josse d'Acquin are caught up in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. John Damianos, a closely hooded and exhausted stranger, appears to be a Saracen servant who's been abandoned by the returning crusader he was serving. Whoever and whatever he is, Josse can't turn him away. When Damianos vanishes and a tortured body is found near Hawkenlye, Josse and Helewise want to determine if they are one and the same. The plot thickens when Hawkenlye is visited by three members of the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, led by Thibault of Margat. They claim to be seeking a runaway monk of their order but are closemouthed about their reasons. The next day Josse is visited by two Saracens tasked with recovering a treasure they say Damianos has stolen from their master in Outremer. Even when one of the Hospitallers is killed in a mysterious fire and the other two are badly injured, Thibault still refuses to divulge his real reason for seeking the missing monk. It is up to Josse and Helewise to discover who Damianos really is and why such disparate and dangerous men are on his trail. Adroitly weaving medieval history into a rousing and mystical tale, the latest in the Hawkenlye series (The Enchanter's Forest, 2008, etc.) may be Clare's best yet.

Kirkus Reviews