The Water Devil

this is a great follow up to the second book....I almost wish it *was* the second book, which was a little patchy in places. I read "Oracle Glass" years ago, and loved it, but didn't pick up Riley's other books until recently. I loved the first book of the Margaret series, but wasn't that happy with the second one, although it was satisfying! This third one, however, is really wonderful. The characters of her husband Gilbert's family are wonderful, and her daughters are hilarious! And the drama that goes on with the in-laws manor...really fabulous. If you liked the first book and wanted the 2nd to be as good, you won't be disappointed with this third book. We want more Margaret!

The Water Devil is another one of Judith Merkle Riley's wonderful medieval novels about Margaret of Ashbury. It is truly a gem of a book, colorful, descriptive, humorous, and completely fascinating. Margaret is such a wonderful character, feisty and intelligent and totally fearless. She has unusual healing powers (first revealed in A Vision of Light)and a fey quality that blurs the world of spirits and demons and ghosts with her normal surroundings. The wily Brother Malachi and his ally Sister Hilde return to help Margaret once again fight the forces of evil and save her family. Margaret's husband, Sir Gilbert, is gallant but rather clueless. Her father-in-law is my favorite comic relief character. In this book he finally meets his match and the ending is truly delightfully humorous. Once again, the world of the Middle Ages, of Edward III, the Black Prince, the Duke of Lancaster and the wars with France come vividly alive as a backdrop for Margaret's story. A must for lovers of historical fiction!

This wonderful book just sparkles with wit, humor and marvellously engaging characters. Ms. Riley writes accurately and confidently about the Middle Ages, with a particular insight into the life/psyche of people and their mechanisms adapted to cope with the restrictions and limitations posed by this era. The characters are drawn with a droll wit and charm; being of a somewhat sardonic nature, I especially loved the Sieur de Vilers. Ultimately, though, this book imparts a sense of uplifting joy and joie de vivre; and is indeed a pleasure to enjoy.

All Ms. Riley's books are wonderful, the characters delightful, intelligent and witty, the time periods wonderfully well researched, the plots suspensful and engaging. I 've been eagerly awaiting the English version of this book for a couple of years, and it was well worth the wait. The publisher's blurb/review is misleading, showing Margaret battling the Water Devil throughout the book, and suggesting a dire situation which doesn't evolve. The real villan of the book is Margaret's sister-in-law, who may or may not be mad, but is wicked in a most amusing manner through most of the book. Her horrible Father-in-Law adores his grandson and is growing a soul; and a new character is introduced, the governess of Margaret's daughters, a woman who can handle any situation in a truly ladylike manner.

This is the third book in the series that starts with "A Vision of Light" and continues with "In Pursuit of the Green Lion". Judith Merkle Riley has picked up where she left off with the characters from her previous books. The story starts when the King has decided that the time is right to take advantage of the situation in France, and Gregory aka Gilbert is off in the train of the Duke of Lancaster chronicling his mighty deeds for posterity. There's an underlying theme of "nothing will go as planned", or 'expect the unexpected'. This story weaves together several storylines with much character development intersperced with a lot of wry humor. I'm very glad this was translated into English. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and hope that the author continues the series. I look forward to her next book.