Blessed are the Dead

'Politics, family rivalries and political tensions are all stirred up to create a thrilling adventure ... unputdownable!' - Sharon Bennett Connolly, historian, and author of Defenders of the Norman Crown: The Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey April 1219: Edwin Weaver finds himself at Tickhill Castle under false pretences. Earl Warenne wants Tickhill for himself and is convinced that a royal order for the castle to be handed over has been hidden, so he's sent Edwin to find it and told him not to come back until he does. Frantic with worry about the danger to his family, Edwin is forced to lie to everyone around him while searching for a document that might not even exist. The situation escalates when a body is found and the earl musters armed troops to take the castle by force; Edwin must race against time to discover the crucial information so he can stop the violence and bloodshed. But his quest for the truth is more dangerous than he could possibly have anticipated, and he must endure tragic and wrenching loss before his duty is complete.

C.B. HANLEY holds a PhD in Medieval Studies specialising in warfare in the 12th and 13th centuries and its portrayal in contemporary vernacular literature. She has published an academic book and a number of scholarly articles on the period, and continues to write non-fiction history as well as novels. Between her first degree and PhD she spent some time working as a historical interpreter, which gave her a practical grounding in medieval life to add to her theoretical studies, which is very useful in adding background colour to her novels. She is also a freelance copy editor and proof-reader.