The Catherine LeVendeur books by Sharan Newman – a series review

Back in the 1990s and 2000s, Sharan Newman wrote ten excellent historical mysteries, set in 12th century France, featuring former religieuse and scholar Catherine LeVendeur as the protagonist.  Newman herself has a doctorate in medieval studies, and this shows in the wonderful and informative (but never boring) settings she created.  The tensions between Jews and Christians, the challenges of Heloise and Abelard (Catherine’s mentors/tutors/friends), the difficulties of pregnancy and childbirth, the belief in the intercessions of saints – all become grist for Newman’s pen.   (Yes, that is a mixed metaphor, but apt…)   These books, which I read in paperback decades ago, and especially the fourth book in the series, Strong as Death, are responsible for my life-long fascination with the commune of Vézelay, its Basilica of St Mary Magdalene, and its crucial role in the history of medieval pilgrimages and the crusades.   And not just my fasciation with Vézelay, but with many of the religious sites of the time:  Troyes, and St Denis, and Ferreux-Quincey, and Le Puy, and even Santiago de Compostela.   (But primarily with Vézelay – twenty years later, I’m still trying to persuade my husband that when we retire, we should retire there.)

And if you’re saying, “well, but what about the mysteries?”, you can be assured there are some challenging mysteries woven in as well.   The first book in the series, Death Comes as Epiphany, won the Macavity Award for Best First Novel in 1994.   And just to book-end things, the last book in the series, The Witch in the Well, won the 2005 Bruce Alexander Award.   And in between, the third and fourth book were finalists for the Agatha Award for Best Novel – not just the best Historical Novel, but Best Novel.

So, if you’re a lover of historical mysteries, but haven’t tried this series yet – give it a try.   It’s well worth the risk that you’ll end up trying to persuade your partner to move to some obscure corner of France or Spain 😁!

Finally, please note that although these e-books can be quite expensive in the US, they are very reasonably priced in the UK (different publisher), ranging from £1.99 to £2.99 there.   And they do go on sale from time-to-time in the US as well.

Find the series webpage at:   Kindle US  |  Kobo US  |  Kindle UK  |  Kobo UK