Cruel as the Grave: A Medieval Mystery

The Justin de Quincy Mysteries

“Penman writes about the medieval world and its people with vigor, compassion, and clarity.” –San Francisco Chronicle

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Description

She was young-barely fifteen. A poor peddler’s daughter newly arrived in London, she was loved as much for her good heart as for her good looks. Someone had taken advantage of that sweet nature, leaving her dead in a churchyard, a ripped bodice testimony to her struggle, a bloodstained cross the solitary witness to her end.

England, 1193: A land awash in intrigue. While Eleanor of Aquitaine searches vainly for her eldest son, imprisoned by his enemies, her youngest plots to capture the crown. In her service: young Justin de Quincy, the Queen’s Man. What has he to do with common murder, with the death of a poor man’s child? Despite himself, Justin becomes ensnared in the case, seeking to unmask a killer. But can he also bring that killer to justice?

Hailed “an impressive debut” (Houston Chronicle), nominated for an Edgar for Best First Mystery, chosen by the ALA as a Best Book for Young Adults: The Queen’s Man established a tradition that Cruel as the Grave upholds splendidly.

Editorial Reviews

“Authentic period detail and fast-paced plot.”
Booklist

“Penman writes about the medieval world and its people with vigor, compassion, and clarity.”
San Francisco Chronicle

“Penman’s lively, articulate prose brings to life history as it could have happened–high praise for a historical mystery.”
Houston Chronicle

“Sharon Kay Penman tells her stories with passion and a strong sense of time and place.”
–MARGARET FRAZER Author of the Sister Frevisse Novels

“Once you enter Penman’s world, you’re hooked.”
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

UK edition

Cruel as the Grave

cruel as grave paperback ukShe was young-barely fifteen. A poor peddler’s daughter newly arrived in London, she was loved as much for her good heart as for her good looks. Someone had taken advantage of that sweet nature, leaving her dead in a churchyard, a ripped bodice testimony to her struggle, a bloodstained cross the solitary witness to her end.

www.amazon.co.uk

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Head of Zeus (9 Oct. 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1781857091
  • ISBN-13: 978-1781857090

 

Additional information

paperback

Publisher: Fawcett
ISBN: 0345441443
ISBN13: 9780345441447

hardcover

Published October 1998
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
A Marian Wood Book
ISBN: 0805056084