Bone of Contention: A Magdalene La Batarde Mystery

Set in the year 1139, whorehouse mistress Magdalene la Batarde begins investigating her next murder mystery. William of Ypres calls Magdalene to Oxford where King Stephen is holding council. A forced wedding changes into murder when the prospective groom (Aimery St. Cyr) is stabbed in the back. One of Sir William's men (Niall Arvagh) is the prime suspect and Magdalene is determined to find out who the real killer is. ***** Rich in historical detail and littered with many interesting characters, this novel is sure to please most everyone. The author blends a chaotic time in history with mystery and realistic people to bring us an extraordinary tale. Recommended! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

When King Steven calls a council, many people hasten to attend--those who hope to win a lawsuit, those who seek royal favor, and even whoremistresses like Magdalene la Batarde. Magdalene owes her life to William of Ypres and knows that she can serve him by providing a place of refuge and a secure meeting area. She doesn't expect to become involved in murder, but when an attempt at a forced wedding ends with the prospective groom stabbed in the back and one of William's men a suspect, Magdalene decides to investigate. Magdalene's lover, Bell, is also in Oxford, serving his master's orders at the great council. Bell is jealous of Magdalene's loyalty to William and concerned for her safety as she plunges deeper into the investigation, but overall a good sport. He pitches in, serves escort duty, and interviews men at arms, bartenders, and others that Magdalene could not approach. In BONE OF CONTENTION, author Roberta Gellis delivers a powerful and fascinating view of an important time in English history. Her historical details are excellent, providing insights to the historically inclined without being obtrusive to those following the mystery. Even more so than in A PERSONAL DEVIL, Gellis delves into her characters. Both Magdalene and Bell are successfully detailed, with understandable conflict that cannot be resolved by a simple discussion. The mystery is compelling with a rich assortment of suspects and an abundance of clues.

Once she was a wife to a minor lord and mistress of her own manor until her husband, in a fit of jealousy, tried to kill her and she defended herself by killing him first. She ran away and thanks to her beauty became a courtesan but even then two men were killed because of her beauty. Now, Magdalene la Batarde is determined to be her own woman. She is the whore mistress of the Old Priory Guesthouse and her patron is William of Ypres, King Stephen's chief enforcer.William asks Magdalene to meet him in Oxford where the king is conducting a council. He needs a place to go where he can hold meetings that will be kept secret and nobody can arrange things like that better than Magdalene. She is accompanied by her lover Sir Bellamy, the Bishop of Winchester's chief knight and together they find a place to serve William's need as well as their own. While in Oxford, a series of murders occur and to protect William's interests (and her own sense of justice) Magdalene conducts an investigation in hopes of flushing out a murderer.She is the grand mistress of medieval works of fiction and her series of medieval mysteries are some of the best ever written. One gets a sense of the era as well as learning how the different classes acted and thought. Although this is a work of fiction, the historical events are very true and make for a fascinating reading experiences. BONE OF CONTENTION will be sought after by those who like the Brother Cadfael mysteries and those written by Peter Tremayne.Harriet Klausner

William of Ypres summons Magdalene la Batarde, Whoremistress of the Old Priory Guesthouse, to Oxford as he is in need of her services. Magdalene knows that the services requested are not of the flesh but to provide William with a means of initiating covert meetings with various Lords of King Stephen's Court. Well versed in the political situation Williams finds himself in, Magdalene, through ties of patronage as well as affection for him, goes where she is bid. In the midst of providing William with his meeting place, at the Soft Nest in Oxford, Magdalene becomes involved in trying to solve the murder of one Aimery St. Cyr. Who is St. Cyr? Who does he serve? What is his connection to the Court? Why is he in Oxford? What purpose does his death serve? Who profits from his death?This compelling medieval mystery could only have been written by Roberta Gellis. Using subplots as twisted as the dark alley ways of Oxford, Ms. Gellis supplies her fans with another installment in the Magdalene la Batarde/Sir Bellamy of Itchen series. With rich, vivid imagery, and impeccable historical knowledge of the time and political situation, Ms. Gellis once more demonstrates her outstanding ability to tell a tale. She is, without a doubt in my mind, indeed, the premier author of historical fiction today. I absolutely could not put this book down.

This is a great treat for those of us who admire Roberta Gellis' historical novels and her more recent historical mysteries Set in the reign of King Stephen, a millieu that Gellis has used to good affect in previous historical novels, Gellis takes us to the King's Court at Oxford at a time when the air is filled with political intrigue and various factions are vying for the King's favor. The current favorite is Waleran of Meulan who is in contest with William of Ypres, the protector of Magdalene la Batarde, for the king's ear.William summons Magdalene, the mistress of the Old Priory Guesthouse, an upscale medieval brothal, to Oxford to help him with information gathering. Men may meet at a prostitute's lodgings without suspicion. Magdalene travels to Oxford in the Company of Sir Bellamy, the Bishop of Winchester's knight and her particular friend. In Oxford she seeks lodgings with an old friend who runs a brothel called the Soft Nest. Then events start to escalate as a man is murdered and one of William's captains is implicated-- or is it all a plot to destroy William? Magdalene meets old friends and new as she tries to unravel the mystery of who killed a drunken man at arms and why (and who was the highborn patron who had tried to help the dead man secure a marriage with a wealthy orphan in the King's wardship.)Like the two previous books in this series, this is a great read with a good feel for the period and a good mystery. And as an added inside joke for those of us who are Gellis fans there is even a reference to the hero of one of her previous historical novels (not a mystery).