The Stallions of Woodstock

by Edward Marston Narrated by David Thorpe

Overview

Three powerful Norman lords and a Saxon thegn watch their horses competing in a race near Woodstock. When one of the riders is murdered during the race, suspicion falls on the Saxon. Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret are guests at Oxford Castle while they deliberate on land disputes in the area. Caught up in the murder investigation, they feel that a man has been wrongly accused and, in trying to save him from execution, get themselves immersed in a sea of malice, treachery, lust and simmering hostility.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The sixth installment of Marston's solidly written Domesday series (The Serpents of Harbledown, etc.) is every bit as entertaining as its forerunners. Gervase Bret and Ralph Delchard, commissioners to King William the Conqueror, are sent to Oxford, England, to settle a land dispute and soon find themselves embroiled in a murder investigation. Three Norman lords, Wymarc, Milo Crispin and Bertrand Gamberell, along with a Saxon, bet against each other in a horse race that turns deadly when Gamberell's jockey is murdered. Oxford sheriff Robert d'Oilly brutally arrests a suspect, but Bret and Delchard are skeptical of his rush to justice and decide to unravel the complex situation. Further distress follows as Wymarc's sister, a former choir singer under the deceptive Chaplain Arnulf, mysteriously commits suicide. D'Oilly fumes and fusses over the upcoming visit of a prominent Norman bishop and Oxford's apparent disorder, while Arnulf moves in on his new protege and the murderer runs loose. Despite the seeming infallibility of Bret and Delchard, the mystery, as the others in this readable series, brings to life the turmoil of an England torn between Norman and Saxon, where the conquered's underlying resentment of the conquerors often bubbled over into murder. (Feb.)

Library Journal

Marston breathes life once more into 11th-century England with this addition to his Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret series. This time, the pair investigate the stabbing death of a prominent rider during a horse race. A likely selection for historical fans.

Kirkus Reviews

It's 11th-century England and King William has sent a trusted team to Oxford to settle opposing land claims: ex-soldier Ralph Delchard (The Serpents of Harbledown, 1998, etc.), lawyer Gervase Bret, rough-hewn Maurice Pagnol, and scribe Brother Columbanus, replacing gentle Brother Simon. The group is housed at Oxford Castle, the imposing territory of Sheriff Robert d'Oilly, its garrison church presided over by Alnulf the Chaplain. The Sheriff's idea of Justice, observed by Ralph and wife Golde, is his merciless beating of the slave Ebbi, accused of killing Walter Payne, the rider of Bertrand Gamberell's horse Hyperion, in the middle of a hotly contested race. Ralph and Gervase do some sleuthing at the race site and are convinced that Ebbi is innocent. Not so innocent, however, is their co-worker Maurice-found wanting in the ethics department and sent off in disgrace. Meanwhile, the Castle is preparing for a visit of Norman prelate Bishop Geoffrey Coutances, and the chaplain is grooming young Bristeva, daughter of Ordgar, to sing at the banquet, hoping to keep her from the news that Helene, her friend and once chapel singer, has killed herself. There's more, a great deal more, as the villains get their just deserts and the heroes live on to populate the next adventure. Too much of everything-especially plots and people-make this sixth in the series less fun than it should be. .

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177436715
Publisher:	Soundings, Limited
Publication date:	11/19/2020
Series:	Domesday , #6
Edition description:	Unabridged

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