1571: A contract killer is sent to Hailes Abbey to remove a priest suspected of plotting against Elizabeth I. But he has his own motives for murder.Today: When a skeleton is discovered in the grounds of Hailes Abbey, alongside an artefact supposedly destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, TV producer Lewis Jordan comes to Cheltenham to make a documentary about the relic, but murder … murder is close at hand. Called upon to track down a poison pen writer, private investigator Eden Grey soon finds herself on the hunt for a killer that will lead to revenge, espionage and bloodshed.
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16th Century England
Dark secrets surround Hailes Abbey – a medieval monastery with a shrine supposedly containing the blood of Christ. Then there is the dissolution of the monastery. A young apprentice to Brother John escapes. Years later when one of the priests is suspected of hatching a deadly plot against Queen Elizabeth I, a contract killer is sent to what remains of the Abbey.
Cheltenham, 2015
500 years later, Private Investigator Eden Grey stumbles upon a medieval skeleton when rescuing a child who fell whilst exploring Hailes Abbey with her boyfriend, archaeologist Aidan Fox.
Next to the corpse is an ancient relic – a relic that could contain legendary ‘Holy Blood’ – an artefact that some people believe to have miraculous powers.
The press become involved & then a film crew arrange to come & film a documentary about the skeleton & the phial. Then the phial goes missing, there’s a murder & then a vicious attack.
This is the second book in the series, whilst it could be easily be read on its own there is an unresolved issue involving Eden which runs through the books. I found it to be an engrossing read that I devoured in under a day. I particularly loved the two stories linked around the abbey & how they were interconnected. I really like Eden & the more I read the more I like her. I also like Aidan with obsession with patterns & also how he’s not the stereotype archaeologist. Well written & it flows really well, I look forward to more books about Eden
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
3 and 1 / 2 stars
While touring the site of the Hailes Abbey, Eden Grey and her boyfriend archeologist Aidan Fox stumble upon a disarticulated skeleton. Aidan and his team recover all the bones they could find. Also they locate what could just be the Holy Blood of Hailes. It was supposed to have been destroyed during the dissolution of the Abbey which occurred during the reign of Henry VIII in the 14th Century. Could it really be? It would be an artifact of priceless value.
Eden gets a job to look into some threatening letters that a splashy “journalist” has received. The man is loud and brassy and Eden can easily see how he could have made any number of enemies. When he turns up dead, Eden feels she has failed in her mission and is more than determined to find his killer.
The historical part of the story was the best. I was fascinated by the history of the Hailes Abbey, Brother John and Matthew Sweet’s stories. The letters reprinted from and between the “secret” Catholics was especially good. The more current era wasn’t nearly as entrancing, except for the small part about archeology. I found that Eden’s research into the initial death and her search for the killer went on far too long. She didn’t strike me as especially competent.
The book is well written, but the story pace was slow. I thought that Eden was a little bit of a ditz. Perhaps it was that her part of the story dragged. I liked Aidan though. He seemed to be very good at his profession. I thought that the Aidan/Eden thing was a little too cute. The language used in the story was very good. The story was written at a higher level than most. It was very literate.
I want to thank NetGalley and Sapere Books for forwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read, enjoy and review.