A Mortal Bane

By: Roberta Gellis

Narrated by: Nadia May

Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Magdalene la Batarde is the madam of the Old Priory Guesthouse in Southwark. She and her women are expected to engage in a number of sinful activities, but bloody murder isn't one of them until Baldassare, the messenger, dies. Though Baldassare isn't a regular client of the Old Priory Guesthouse, Magdalene and her women refuse to allow his death to go unavenged. Of course, their efforts aren't completely altruistic. Chances are if they don't find the killer, they will be assumed guilty, because they are whores, and will be gutted and hanged.

Into this sea of intrigue steps the handsome Sir Bellamy of Itchen. The bishop of Winchester, who was served for many years by Baldassare, has put Bellamy, his most trusted knight, in charge of the murder investigation and ordered him to prove Magdalene is the killer. Bellamy is instantly captivated by his chief suspect but also convinced that she is hiding something. Sure that she is involved in the messenger's death right up to her beautiful eyebrows but unable to believe she's a killer, Bellamy must find out how and why Baldassare died, or watch the mysterious Magdalene meet her fate on the gallows.

©1999 Roberta Gellis (P)2002 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"In this top-notch production Nadia May uses different cadences to effectively denote different characters. Her mellifluous voice and accents are perfect for the story. The authentic historical detail, mystery, romance, and well-defined characters work together to create a memorable story." (AudioFile)

at first I didn't want to continue

Once I got into it I didn't want to put it down, it was a good story with a Who Done It.. I didn't feel bad every time they were called Whore, but I also laughed some

A real pleasure

This book translates very well to the audio format. The narrator is terrific. The book keep my interest both because of the well crafted mystery and the many details about life in that time.

whores & heros

medieval england is alive with intrigue, emotion and the not so everyday trials and tribulations of life in a whorehouse. it's easy to find a kinship with these characters whose lives are so distant in time, but similar in the need to survive.

Delightful

A beautifully crafted historical mystery, which gives a real sense of the period, while maintaining a tight and intriguing story line. The characters are as well realised as their setting, and their actions and underlying motivations are believeable and natural. The pace of the book is gentle, this is not a swashbuckling romp, but what there is is gripping enough. I am not sure what vague dissatisfaction made me drop the rating from a five to a four, but I can whole heartedly recommend it as a companion for the 10 hours it will take to finish.

Roberta Gellis triumphs again!

I was introduced to Ms. Gellis' works many years ago when the Roselynde Chronicles first came out in paperback. Honestly, I was so enthralled with that series, I didn't think Ms. Gellis could do it again. However, she did. I cannot wait to purchase the second book in this series to find out what happens next! I love the attention to historical detail. However, this book is very short (approximately 350 page), when compared to the nearly 1,000 pages in each of the books in the Roselynde series. That is my only complaint. The narrator does a great job. I highly recommend this series to those readers/listeners who enjoy historical mysteries. Please excuse me while I purchase the second book in this series!

Could have been better

This was only so-so. The premise was good, but the characters were a bit formulaic and the main character could have been MUCH more interesting than she was! She lacked any strong emotions or convictions from what I could tell, no matter what she tried to express.The mystery was good tho, although I doubt I'll rush to follow up in a second book.

A Good New - to me - Series

I'm enjoying this series and into the second book. The historical details are interesting, though I don't have the knowledge to judge their veracity, and the crime mysteries are complex. I am having trouble listening with less than my full attention because there is a big cast and the names are not familiar. So while the narrator is very good, I'm thinking about reading rather than listening to the next book so I can keep better track of the characters. Finally, the sexual tension between the two main characters, which can become so predictable and annoying as a plot device when it goes on for book after book (because get a room or move on), so far doesn't overshadow other elements of the story.

Canny sinner makes the case

I love that this could be a romance with a great detective story without the predictable HEA ending —something more real and hopeful. The writer managed to emancipate females even though set in the Middle Ages -bravo

Nadia May is the best

I love listening to anything narrated by Nadia May. She is one of the best. I enjoyed the book and characters. I would have given it four stars except for a huge plot hole related to the murder that occurs near the beginning of the book. A papal messenger is murdered after visiting the "guest house" and the women of the house work to cover up the fact he had done more than just ask for directions. Yet when his horse, which is in their shed, and his saddle bags are searched, it never occurs to them that someone must be aware of how the messenger spent his evening, because someone knew about the horse. This nagged at me the entire book and I felt it was never adequately addressed in the resolution. A big DUH moment for me.

Fun and different.

I’ve never read a murder mystery set in that era. It was atypical and surprising. I liked the characters of the whites and their manipulations