Susanna M Newstead

A locked tower room. Two young people. MURDER HAS CLAIMED THEM BOTH.The date is 1204Sixteen-year-old Matilda de Neville is set to wed the young noble Guy de Saye. But just one week before their wedding, tragedy strikes. Sir Aumary Belvoir, Warden of the Forest of Savernake and Under-Constable of Marlborough Castle, hears their brutal murder from the room above his head.The tower room where they died is a fortress within a fortress-forty feet in the air, sealed by seven feet of solid stone, and encircled by water. No one entered. No one left.Tasked with solving this impossible crime, Aumary must draw upon the investigative skills he first honed in Belvoir's Promise. Are the grim clues from the forest he manages related? And behind it all, the castle keep seems to take on a life of its own-massive, menacing and malevolent.Could these mysteries be linked to a haunting tale woven into one of the most beloved ancient folk songs? In this chilling second instalment of the series, Susanna M. Newstead was inspired to create a dark origin for the enigmatic ballad, She Moved Through the Fair.She Moved Through the Fair is the second book in Susanna M. Newstead's Savernake Medieval Murder Mystery Novel series.

A huge forest. A young nobleman. Death Stalks them both.The year is 1191A sprawling expanse of ancient woodland becomes the backdrop for a gripping tale. Amidst its towering trees, a young nobleman is bound by a sacred oath so Holy, he dare not break it...Aumary Belvoir, merely seventeen, is unexpectedly thrust into the role of Warden of Savernake forest, spanning a hundred and fifty square miles in the north of Wiltshire. As he grapples with the weight of authority, a menacing shadow falls over the land. A series of baffling fatalities shatter the peace. Do these apparent accidents conceal a more malevolent force at play?Embark on a journey to unveil the secrets of two enigmatic medieval enigmas. The first revolves around the demise of Arthur, Duke of Brittany, a nephew and rival to King John, his death veiled in mystery. The second, even more unsettling, centres around the chilling fatalities that strike close to home within the depths of Savernake forest.With unwavering determination, Aumary Belvoir sets forth to expose a plot so dastardly and cunning, so patient and intricately woven, that its sinister threads may span years before being fully unravelled...BOOK ORDERBelvoir's PromiseShe Moved Through the FairDown By the Salley GardensI Will Give My Love an AppleBlack is the Colour of My True Love's HairLong LankynOne Misty Moisty MorningThe Unquiet GraveThe Lark in the MorningA Parcel of RoguesBushes & BriarsThough I Live Not Where I LoveWynter WakenethWorldes BlisAlysoun

A scorching summer. A melancholic merchant. A mysterious murder.The date is 1208.Sir Aumary Belvoir, Lord of Durley and a king's constable and the warden of Savernake Forest, receives the strangest request. The self-important and vituperative vintner, Aldous of Pitchcott, needs protection, claiming he is about to be murdered. Aumary is sceptical but moves Pitchcott to Marlborough Castle, where he is locked in a room in the castle wall. No one can possibly reach him, but within the day, Aldous Pitchcott is dead. Aumary discovers that many in the town wished Pitchcott harm, but how did the killer reach him? Aumary and his friends are baffled Can Aumary reveal the guilty party before the murderer strikes again?Worldes Blis, a strange thirteenth-century song, provides the backdrop to the fourteenth novel in Susanna M. Newstead's Savernake Medieval Murder Mystery Novel series.Author Interview1) How difficult is it to research settings for a Medieval Murder Mystery?I've been doing it so long, I don't really know. When I first started there was no web. Much of the history was a bit of a mystery even to experts. The manuscripts one might have needed were difficult to access but with the help of many people and institutions like libraries, I managed the investigation I needed. I'm still researching - it never ends. One has to play detective oneself never mind write about secrets and intrigue.2) This is the fourteenth novel in your series. How do you keep the stories so fresh and exciting? Ah, this is just practice I think. Clues have to be eked out and red herrings buried deep in the mystery. Pacing is very important and the investigation has to go on at the right speed, with little moments of humour to lift the intrigue.3) Did you discover anything fascinating when researching this book?Yes. All about Mediaeval scaffolding Who knew exactly how the builders put together a castle? And the fact that some of that Medieval work is sometimes still there I've seen it with my own eyes.BOOK ORDERBelvoir's PromiseShe Moved Through the FairDown By the Salley GardensI Will Give My Love an AppleBlack is the Colour of My True Love's HairLong LankynOne Misty Moisty MorningThe Unquiet GraveThe Lark in the MorningA Parcel of RoguesBushes & BriarsThough I Live Not Where I LoveWynter WakenethWorldes BlisAlysoun

Thirteenth installment in the fiendishly plotted Savernake Novels Murder Mystery Series.An icy landscape. A missing peasant. And a baby.It is 1208Aumary Belvoir is about to become a father again but sadly this joyous time is marred by the disappearance of one of his cowmen, Borden Lea, who has not come home from his work in Savernake Forest. Has he absconded? Is he lying injured in the snow or is there a more sinister reason for his disappearance?A short while later, the small settlement of Braydon Oak is rocked when a cowman's wife is brutally murdered in broad daylight. Is it anything to do with the evil looking black bearded man seen in the forest by one of the forest women or is one of Bordern's cowherd companions guilty?Then a second woman is murdered in the same way. Why is this small group of forest folk being targeted?Aumary Belvoir, Constable of the county and Warden of the Forest of Savernake must travel the forest in dreadful winter weather, sifting all the available information, much of which he feels is being withheld from him. Why will people not tell him the truth? Even the usually friendly priest of Cadley is reticent.Aumary draws close to an answer but this leads him into deadly peril. An unlikely enemy has him in their sights.Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? This, the thirteenth in the series, offers an interpretation of one such; the eerie thirteenth century song, Wynter Wakeneth. (Winter Awakes.)

A tangled tale of love, loss and loyalty, the Harmonious Blacksmith is a magic realism exploration of Medieval folklore and myth; tragedy and disappointment. And above all, hope and rebirth.♥ You always fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected moment and sometimes for the most unexpected reasons. ♥In 1200 Guy Ferrier's wonderful singing voice is renowned throughout the county of Wiltshire.A well respected blacksmith of thirty, he thinks it's about time he married. But how should he go about it?Fate takes a hand when he meets Adela Lillebon, his Lord's daughter. It's love at first sight for them both.However there is no hope of the two lovers being together; he is a commoner, a simple artisan and she is a member of the nobility. Besides, Adela has been betrothed to Guiscard Courtenay for years, an arrogant member of the Berkshire aristocracy.How can Guy and Adela contrive to be together save for the few moments they can snatch whilst Guy is working on the church door; an amazing metal work of art showing Noah's Flood? And how can Guy fulfil his promise to his old friend the bailiff of East Kennet, to look after his wayward daughter, Parnell? To crown it all, Guy composes an innocent song which, upon its first hearing, causes him considerable anguish and plummets him into danger.Blamed for the death of Guiscard, Guy moves closer and closer to death himself.◆ And then 900 years later... ◆The magic of love continues across time...

Wiltshire - in the years 1200 - 1212★ Upon the thirteenth hour of the thirteenth day, upon her thirteenth birthday Mabel Wetherspring discovers that she is a shapeshifter ★Just three turns to withershynnes and Mabel can be a bat, a bird, a butterfly, a horse, any creature she likes; and it is joyous But one day when she accidentally turns into a fly, Mabel stumbles on the corpse of a murdered man in the forest.Can Mabel work out who has killed him? Should she use this supranatural power to investigate his death? She quickly realises she's uniquely placed to spy on her neighbours; to dig for deception, consider clues, track down the truth and find the felon.After an attempt on her life, she meets the charming Sir Gabriel Warrener who is charged by their overlord with protecting Mabel, as a woman.Mabel wonders who is protecting whom?Beginning her career in detecting, Mabel naively propels herself into a dangerous world where any wrong move might be her last Can she find the murderer before they find her?♥ Follow this, Mabel's first adventure as she scurries, leaps, flies or swims in search of the truth.♥

Death on the Downs. A strangled spinster. And a flitch of bacon... The Date is 1207Sir Aumary Belvoir, warden of Savernake Forest investigates the killing of one of his serfs, a harmless spinner of wool. Ninth book in the fiendishly plotted medieval murder mystery series offering sinister interpretation to a traditional folksong.

An otherwordly place. An unnatural monster. A grisly murder...The date is 1205.Aumary Belvoir warden of the forest of Savernake and the king's constable in the county of Wiltshire has barely been able to conclude his last inquiry before he is called again to investigate the most horrendous of crimes.Summoned to the village of Avebury, a place surrounded by huge stones synonymous with mystery and magic, he discovers a terrible slaughter which it is said, has been perpetrated by an evil creature as tall as the ancient stones themselves.Has Hell disgorged one of its devils?Can Aumary catch the sinister monster before more innocents die?Will Aumary be drawn into the evil magic of the place or will common sense prevail?This sad tale of Mediaeval myth, prejudice and persecution will draw you in and leave you looking over your shoulder........Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk airs? This, the fifth in a series based upon such songs, interprets the disquieting lyrics of the song, Long Lankin and lays before the reader an eerily disturbing account.