Murder at Penwood Manor: Book 5 of The Harwood Mysteries by Antony Barone Kolenc on Amazon
Young medieval sleuth Xan returns in this continuation of The Harwood Mysteries. When he and Christina travel to Harwood Abbey, a terrible murder at Penwood Manor drags them into conflict with a Crusader named Laurence. This strange man appears to be very ill and tormented by demons from the past. Did Laurence really kill a smithy from his own village, just as he returned from the Holy Land?
Xan’s old friends, Lucy and Joshua reunite with him as he tries to solve the murder and free Laurence from the threat of the hangman’s noose. Laurence’s intended bride, Muriel, has ties with Lucy and the nunnery. Roger Smithy, the murder victim, terrorized Muriel and other maidens in the village, so everyone has a vested interest in this case.
Things really get out of hand when someone tries to confess to the murder, Brother Leo is attacked, and Xan must decide between listening to Lucy, or Christina. Do both girls really love him? Is their love getting in the way of the investigation?
Christina struggles with a terrible face scar, Xan learns about the wicked power of envy, and Lucy battles obedience versus offering her help with Laurence and Muriel.
Kolenc is a masterful author, able to juggle so many different relationships and draw his readers into a tale full of intrigue. My favorite part of his writing is Xan’s frequent exhortations to the Lord, which appear in italics. “How strange is this world, Lord.” What a motto for the story, and for our times!
This book is appropriate for older teens, due to some mentions of heavy themes: death in the Holy Land during the Crusades, women being taken advantage of (without being graphic), prison, teen love, and bodily and emotional scarring.
Eight Hobbits 