E. M. Powell

A murder that defies logic--and a killer on the loose. England, 1176. Aelred Barling, esteemed clerk to the justices of King Henry II, is dispatched from the royal court with his young assistant, Hugo Stanton, to investigate a brutal murder in a village outside York. The case appears straightforward. A suspect is under lock and key in the local prison, and the angry villagers are demanding swift justice. But when more bodies are discovered, certainty turns to doubt--and amid the chaos it becomes clear that nobody is above suspicion. Facing growing unrest in the village and the fury of the lord of the manor, Stanton and Barling find themselves drawn into a mystery that defies logic, pursuing a killer who evades capture at every turn. Can they solve the riddle of who is preying upon the villagers? And can they do it without becoming prey themselves?

The King's Justice

The Monastery Murders

To escape a lifetime of poverty, mercenary Sir Benedict Palmer agrees to one final, lucrative job: help King Henry II's knights seize the traitor Archbishop Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. But what begins as a clandestine arrest ends in cold-blooded murder. And when Fitzurse, the knights' ringleader, kidnaps Theodosia, a beautiful young nun who witnessed the crime, Palmer can sit silently by no longer. For not only is Theodosia's virtue at stake, so too is the secret she unknowingly carries—a secret he knows Fitzurse will torture out of her. Now Palmer and Theodosia are on the run, strangers from different worlds forced to rely only on each other as they race to uncover the hidden motive behind Becket's grisly murder—and the shocking truth that could destroy a kingdom.

The Fifth Knight

A fire-ravaged cathedral. An ungodly murder. Easter, 1177. Canterbury Cathedral, home to the tomb of martyr Saint Thomas Becket, bears the wounds of a terrible fire. Benedict, prior of the great church, leads its rebuilding. But horror interrupts the work. One of the stonemasons is found viciously murdered, the dead man's face disfigured by a shocking wound. When King's clerk Aelred Barling and his assistant, Hugo Stanton, arrive on pilgrimage to the tomb, the prior orders them to investigate the unholy crime. But the killer soon claims another victim-and another. As turmoil embroils the congregation, the pair of sleuths face urgent pressure to find a connection between the killings. With panic on the rise, can Barling and Stanton catch the culprit before evil prevails again--and stop it before it comes for them? THE CANTERBURY MURDERS is the third book in E.M. Powell's Stanton and Barling medieval murder mystery series. Combining intricate plots, shocking twists and a winning-if unlikely-pair of investigators, this series is perfect for fans of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael or C. J. Sansom's Shardlake.

The Canterbury Murders

John is a prince without prospect of a crown. As the youngest son of Henry II, he has long borne the hated nickname 'Lackland.' When warring tribes and an ambitious Anglo-Norman lord threaten Henry's reign in Ireland, John believes his time has finally come. Henry is dispatching him there with a mighty force to impose order. Yet it is a thwarted young man who arrives on the troubled isle. John has not been granted its kingship--he is merely the Lord of Ireland, destined never to escape his father's shadow. Unknown to John, Henry has also sent his right-hand man, Sir Benedict Palmer, to root out the traitors he fears are working to steal the land from him. But Palmer is horrified when John disregards Henry's orders and embarks on a campaign of bloodshed that could destroy the kingdom. Now Palmer has to battle the increasingly powerful Lord of Ireland. Power, in John's hands, is a murderous force--and he is only just beginning to wield it.

E. M. Powell

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