1365. A nun Joanna Calverley dies of a fever in Beverley and is therefore buried quickly. But it is a year later when Archbishop Thoresby learns of a female in York claiming to be the resurrected nun.
He sends Owen Archer to investigate.
An enjoyable and well-written mystery story ( )

The Nun’s Tale is the 3rd book in the Owen Archer mystery series and I think it’s still getting better! Most of the covers (if one were to judge a book by it’s cover) would suggest that they are more ‘girly’ books. I feel it needs to be noted that while the series is written by a woman and has strong female characters in the book, it is not ‘girly’ or chick lit. They are good strong character driven cozy mysteries.

Here a nun who was supposed to be dead and buried, miraculously returns from the grave a year later, raving about repentance and ‘our lady’s cloak’ which performs miracles, including raising her from the dead. The nun, Dame Joanna, is a bit strange and her story seems to wander. Lucie is dragged into questioning the nun, since she seems to be the only one who gets any sense out of her. Even though it seems pretty disjointed to Lucie.

Owen on the other hand is tasked by the Archbishop to find out where Joanna has been and corroborate as much of her story as has been deciphered. One item Owen went to check on was Joanna’s grave, which was occupied, by more recent death, and much more gruesome. He also visited Joanna’s family, and discovered she came from one that was a bit dysfunctional. One of the reasons Owen was chasing these stories was that they might be linked into a treasonous plot to the crown, and Thorsby considers it worthwhile to collect some gratitude should Owen be successful.

Lucie is nearing the end of her pregnancy with Owen’s first child and he is unhappy that she has been involved with this woman. Quite a few people have been found dead in her wake and Owen does not want Lucie to be one of the next victims. ( )

This is the third of the Owen Archer mysteries and I must admit this one was a bit darker than the first two. It wasn’t a straightforward murder mystery like the others either – in this one we have nun who everyone thought was dead suddenly showing up alive. This might be something that would go over right now but in Owen Archer’s time it just didn’t happen. Unless there was evil involved. So is this woman the 14th century equivalent of a zombie or is she a touch mad?

Owen and his lady wife Lucie are dispatched to try to get to the bottom of this woman’s story – she is the titular nun. What is her tale. Is she telling the truth or is she trying to cheat someone or something. As her story unfolds others involved in her tale start turning up…dead. So what started out as only a mystery now has become a murderous problem for Owen.

Ms. Robb continues the development of her core characters while still giving adequate attention to the new ones that inhabit this mystery. Historical figures make appearances in this tale much like the other books as the author likes to tie her fictional figures and stories to real people an events.

This was another excellent tale from the talented pen of Candace Robb. This has been my favorite of the three I have read so far. I do want to mention how much I appreciate the author’s note at the end. I so love having the facts to read to understand the times the fictional folk are wandering through. ( )

So carefully researched. The amount of trouble that she went to to make everything historically accurate must have amazing. As is so often the case when that is done, the plot moves a little slowly as all of the historical background comes out, but Owen Archer is a pretty neat character and the plot is enticingly unusual for a mystery, with some gruesome bits for those who enjoy them. One drawback is an odd tendency to repeat a phrase, as if, having gone to so much trouble to come up with it, the author doesn't see any reason to only use it the one time. A bit distracting. Still, a worthwhile story. ( )

En el verano de 1365 una joven monja llamada Joanna muere víctima de las fiebres en la ciudad de Beverley, siendo enterrada inmediatamente por miedo a que se extienda la peste. Un año más tarde, una mujer que afirma ser la monja resucitada aparece en público pregonando historias delirantes sobre milagros y reliquias. Tras la aparición de esta atormentada figura, se suceden una serie de misteriosas muertes, y el arzobispo de York pide a Owen Archer, ex capitan de arqueros y hombre de su confianza, que investigue los hechos. Ni corto ni perezoso, Archer se desplaza a Leeds para entrevistarse con Geoffrey Chaucer, espía del rey Eduardo, quien le pone sobre la pista de un grupo de soldados mercenarios sospechosos de intentar traicionar al rey por encargo de la poderosa familia Percy. Mientras tanto, Lucie Wilson, boticaria y esposa de Archer, procura que la monja le explique la verdad y confiese el terrible secreto que compartía con su hermano.