Another story featuring the stunning whoremistress Magdalene la Bâtarde as heroine/investigator - and that she is stunning, Roberta Gellis leaves us in no doubt: the book contains many lines like "Magdalene thought she heard a gasp, but she did not bother to look for who had uttered the sound; it was a frequent enough occurrence when men had not seen her before." But Magdalene is no dumb blonde; she is highly intelligent - and kind, too. (Yes, all right, I suppose that like most male readers I have fallen in love with her.)
In this story, which follows on immediately from A Personal Devil (reviewed by Kate), Magdalene's patron, William of Ypres, is with King Stephen in Oxford, where the King is holding court and proposing to confront the powerful but ageing Bishop of Salisbury, who had virtually run the country under Stephen's uncle, Henry I, and to a large extent still does. But Stephen does not trust the Bishop, suspecting him of supporting the other contender for the throne, Matilda, Henry's daughter and legitimate heir.
However, this is simply the setting. What concerns us is not the impending civil war but something that is going on beneath the surface.
In the Prologue, a double murder is witnessed by a certain Carl Butcherson, who then blackmails the murderer, rises in the world, and changes his name. Now, four years later, another murder takes place; and this time Magdalene becomes involved when William of Ypres summons her to Oxford, where for reasons of security and anonymity (William's, not hers) she lodges at a local whorehouse, the Soft Nest. Soon, though, investigating on behalf both of William and some young friends, one of whom has been accused of the murder, she finds herself under threat from the real murderer. Then her other regular lover (and Knight Protector), Sir Bellamy, has to leave Oxford on an important mission; but before leaving he makes her promise not to leave the Soft Nest on her own ...
Unputdownable. During the summer, I shall read A Mortal Bane, the first in the series, which we seem to have overlooked on this site. And I shall review it. (Magdalene is wasted on Kate!)
JM
