Plague Land (Somershill Manor Mystery, #1)

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Oswald de Lacy was never meant to be the Lord of Somerhill Manor Despatched to a monastery at the age of seven, sent back at seventeen when his father and two older brothers are killed by the Plague, Oswald has no experience of running an estate He finds the years of pestilence and neglect have changed the old place dramatically, not to mention the attitude of the surviving peasants.Yet some things never change Oswald s mother remains the powerful matriarch of the family, and his sister Clemence simmers in the background, dangerous and unmarried.Before he can do anything, Oswald is confronted by the shocking death of a young woman, Alison Starvecrow The ambitious village priest claims that Alison was killed by a band of demonic dog headed men Oswald is certain this is nonsense, but proving it by finding the real murderer is quite a different matter Every step he takes seems to lead Oswald deeper into a dark maze of political intrigue, family secrets and violent strife.And then the body of another girl is found.Sarah Sykes brilliantly evokes the landscape and people of medieval Kent in this thrillingly suspenseful debut. New Read [ Plague Land (Somershill Manor Mystery, #1) ] Author [ S.D. Sykes ] – kino-fada.fr Oswald de Lacy, sent to live in a monastery when he was 7 years old, returns home to become Lord of Somerhill Manor after his father and brothers succumb to the plague It s the mid 1300s, and being head of the plague afflicted manor isn t easy Many of the estate s rent paying tenants died and their dilapidated homes are falling apart there are barely enough workers to harvest the manor s crops the self serving village priest, John of Cornwall, encourages superstition and sells fake religious Oswald de Lacy, sent to live in a monastery when he was 7 years old, returns home to become Lord of Somerhill Manor after his father and brothers succumb to the plague It s the mid 1300s, and being hea...Sent to a monastery at the age of seven Oswald, the youngest son, never expected to inherit his family manor and holdings Thanks to the plague which has devastated the land, taking the lives of Oswald s father and two elder brothers, leaving only his mother and sister Clemence at home he now has new and big responsibilities form which he was never trained With Brother Peter, whose care he had been under for over ten years at the monastery, he arrives to take his rightful, position of the new L Sent to a monastery at the age of seven Oswald, the youngest son, never expected to inherit his family manor and holdings Thanks to the plague which has devastated the land, taking the lives of Oswald s father and two elder brothers, leaving only his mother and sister Clemence at home he now has new and big responsibilities form which he was never trained With Brother Peter, whose care he had been under for over ten years at the monastery, he arrives to take his rightful,...The field of medieval mystery solving historical fiction is generally speaking bogged down with the mediocre Obviously there are exceptions to this CJ Sansom, Mel Starr, Susannah Gregory And this story is the start of a new series that is definitely better than the average.Set just after the Black Death in 1350, landowners struggle to harvest their lands and gather rents from the severely reduced number of peasants Oswald de Lacey, the youngest 18 year old son, is recalled from a life at a m The field of medieval mystery solving historical fiction is generally speaking bogged down with the mediocre Obviously there are exceptions to this CJ Sansom, Mel Starr, Susannah Gregory And this story is the start of a new series that is definitely better than the average.Set just after the Black Death in 1350, landowners struggle to harvest their lands and gather rents from ...Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but it seemed rather incomplete Some characters and situations could have been taken further or explainedfully It is not as much about the plague as it is about a community in the aftermath of the disease Contains vivid descriptions of life in the 14th century, ...Set in a small village of Kent in 1350 The Black Death has changed Europe forever, killing up to a third of the population, with no regard for class Oswald deLacy, sent to a monastery at seven is sent home ten years later to become Lord of Somershill Manor after his father and both his older brothers were killed by the plague He finds the estate badly run down with so many of his tennants dead and those left behind struggling to feed themselves His mother and sister are no help but expect hi Set in a small village of Kent in 1350 The Black Death has changed Europe forever, killing up to a third of the population, with no regard for class Oswald deLacy, sent to a monastery at seven is sent home ten years later to become Lord of Somershill Manor after his father and both his older brothers were killed by the plague He finds the estate badly run down with so many of his tennants dead and those left behind struggling to feed themselves His mother and sister are no help but expect him to step into his father s shoes overnight and restore their wealth On top of that a young girl is viciously murdered and her younger sister is missing The village priest, a poorly educated man has filled the peasants heads with tales o...I cannot praise this novel enough It combines a thoroughly enjoyable mystery with a fascinating and truly quite horrifying portrait of life in a small Kent village in the immediate aftermath of the devastating Black Death I really enjoy Sykes style More, pleaseI would not have picked this book up except that it was chosen as the book of the month of one of my good reads groups, Ancient Medieval Historical Fiction I am so glad I did The book is wonderful The novel is set in medieval England just after the end of the plague The young main character, Oswald de Lacy returns home after spending the years of the plague at a monastery for safety He returns to find the manor has not been kept up and few people left to run the estate He also finds I would not have picked this book up except that it was chosen as the book of the month of one of my good reads groups, Ancient Medieval Historical Fiction I am so glad I did The book is wonderful The novel is set in medieval England just after the end of the plague The young main character, Oswald de Lacy returns home after spending the years of the plague at a monastery for safety He returns to find the manor has not been kept up and few people left to run the estate He also finds there has been a murder And then there is anotherOswald must find the people person who committed these murders all the while trying to take on the mantle of lordship he is not prepared for The peasants have become enad of the local priest who is spewing religious nonsense and spreading stories...A really great medieval story Very entertaining, full of intrigue New talented writer A sequel to follow Hopefully, enjoyed this one immensely Recommended.Delightful medieval murder mystery A younger son, Oswald de Lacy, returns to his family s estate from a monastery with his mentor tutor after the death of his father and two older brothers to become the heir Immediately he s faced with a mystery murder of a young girl Encouraged by Brother Peter, the mentor tutor, he begins to investigate A suspect is clapped into jail There s another murder, the suspect is freed, and finally the suspicion points to Oswald I guessed the perpetrator early Delightful medieval murder mystery A younger son, Oswald de Lacy, returns to his family s estate from a monastery with his mentor tutor after the death of his father and two older brothers to become the heir Immediately he s faced with a mystery murder of a young girl Encouraged by Brother Peter, the mentor tutor, he begins to investigate A suspect is clapped into jail There s another murder, the suspect is freed, and finally the suspicion points to Oswald I guessed the perpetrator early on, but what intrigued me was the whydunnit Red herrings abound Long held secrets are revealed The revelations seemed somewhat unbelievable to me, but considering the s of the time.A fast paced, well written story,...This book, set in 1350, is the beginning of a new historical fiction mystery series Oswald de Lacy, 18, had been working as a novice in the hospital of a remote Benedictine monastery under the guidance of his long time mentor, Brother Peter After the death of the Abbot from the Black Plague, Oswald returned home, bringing Brother Peter with him Since Oswald s father and two older brothers had also been taken by the plague, Oswald was now to be Lord of the Somershill estate, as well as the tow This book, set in 1350, is the beginning of a new historical fiction mystery series Oswald de Lacy, 18, had been working as a novice in the hospital of a remote Benedictine monastery under the guidance of his long time mentor, Brother Peter After the death of the Abbot from the Black Plague, Oswald returned home, bringing Brother Peter with him Since Oswald s father and two older brothers had also been taken by the plague, Oswald was now to be Lord of the Somershill estate, as well as the town Constable.Upon his return, Oswald is immediately beset upon by a host of problems he hasthan a thousand acres that need tending, revenues to be raised, and taxes to be collected, but a large proportion of the villagers died from the plague Moreover, a disreputable local priest, John of Cornwall, comes to announce that a young girl has been found dead in the forest, and he is convinced it was at the hands of The Cynocephalus, an alleged dog headed beast that did the ...

Plague Land (Somershill Manor Mystery, #1)
  • English
  • 09 February 2017
  • Hardcover
  • 336 pages
  • 1605986739
  • S.D. Sykes
  • Plague Land (Somershill Manor Mystery, #1)