Gift of Sanctuary
Candace Robb. St. Martin's, $22.95
(320p) ISBN 0~312-l9266-5
Sharp-witted l4th-century Welsh spy Owen Archer returns to his native Wales for the first time since his youth, in his sixth adventure (after The Riddle of St. Leonard's, 1997). The one-eyed former archer is on a dual mission. He is to select two vintaines (companies of 20 soldiers) of archers to help John of Gaunt repel an anticipated French invasion of England. And he must accompany his elderly father-in-law, Sir Robert D'Arby, on his pilgrimage to St. David's. Two famous bards play important roles in this tale: Geoffrey Chaucer accompanies Owen as an agent of John of Gaunt; and the Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym serves as a wild card whose actions roil events in fine fashion. Among the many Marcher lords of the area, loyalties and alliances were fragile and communications and travel difficult. As Owen and his accomplices journey, they are caught up in these problems, and Owen must judge one man traitor or ally and solve a murder to fulfill his mission. His return home stirs strong memories, and he learns the fate of the family he left behind many years earlier. Robb deftly interweaves a complex story of love, passion and murder into the troubled and tangled fabric of Welsh history, fashioning a rich and satisfying novel. (Nov.)
Publisher's Weekly, September 28,1998