From Kirkus Reviews
Another labyrinth adventure for one-eyed Welshman Owen Archer (The Riddle of St. Leonards, 1997, etc.), captain of the Archbishop of Yorks retainers in 14th-century England. This time, Owen is to journey to Wales, his long-unseen homeland, to recruit archers for the Duke of Lancaster, bolstering the Dukes forces against a rumored (soon-to-come) attack on England by King Charles of France. Owen is accompanied by Geoffrey Chaucer, whose mission is to inspect and report on the fortifications at the Dukes Welsh castles, overseen by his steward John Lascelles. Traveling with them are Owens ailing father-in-law, Sir Robert DArby, and Brother Michaelo, the Archbishops secretary, both on a pilgrimage to St. Davids shrine. Owen is to meet with John de Reine, the stewards son, at Castle Carreg Cernen, but de Reines murdered body has been left at the Tower Gate of St. Davids. Owen and Geoffrey offer to escort the body, in company with Father Edern, to his fathers home at Castle Cydweli. Once there, a second killing occurs and Lascelles beautiful wife Tangwystl vanishes, along with Father Edern. Tangwystls father is Gruffydd, deeply involved in a money scam and said to have ties to the infamous traitor Owain Lawgoch. There are endless comings and goings, a surfeit of characters and conflicts, and much soul-searching as Owen rediscovers his roots, suffers a deep personal loss, identifies the killer, and prepares to return home. A literate, meticulously researched jumble of confusing subplots and unpronounceable names. In all, a disappointing sixth outing for this often enthralling author. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review
"A rich and satisfying novel...Robb deftly interweaves a complex story of love, passion and murder into the troubled and tangled fabric of Welsh history."--Publishers Weekly

"Compelling historical mystery...up to the standard set by master medievalist Ellis Peters."--Booklist

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The year is 1370. England faces uncertainty from within and without: France threatens to invade, while unrest is brewing in Wales. Using a pilgrimage to St. David's as a cover, one-eyed spy Owen Archer and Geoffrey Chaucer journey into Owen's native Wales for a covert mission. Their orders are to recruit archers for the Duke of Lancaster's counterattack on France and inspect the Duke's Welsh fortifications against a French invasion. The two men must also discover whether the Duke's steward is involved in a French plot to incite rebellion in Wales. But trouble precedes the party to St. David's. On Whitesands Beach outside the cathedral city, a young man is beaten and left for dead, but is rescued and hidden away by the poet Dafydd ap Gwylim. Then, at the gateway to the city, a body is found stabbed to death, his shoes filled with white sand. The mystery thickens as the dead man is revealed to be Owen and Chaucer's contact - and, in an alarming twist, the son of the very steward they are investigating. Owen wants to resolve his business and return to his apothecary wife, Lucie, and their children. But another murder and the disappearance of the steward's beautiful young wife force Owen to take action - and question his own loyalties.

FROM THE CRITICS

Kirkus Reviews

Another labyrinth adventure for one-eyed Welshman Owen Archer (The Riddle of St. Leonard's, 1997, etc.), captain of the Archbishop of York's retainers in 14th-century England. This time, Owen is to journey to Wales, his long-unseen homeland, to recruit archers for the Duke of Lancaster, bolstering the Duke's forces against a rumored (soon-to-come) attack on England by King Charles of France. Owen is accompanied by Geoffrey Chaucer, whose mission is to inspect and report on the fortifications at the Duke's Welsh castles, overseen by his steward John Lascelles. Traveling with them are Owen's ailing father-in-law, Sir Robert D'Arby, and Brother Michaelo, the Archbishop's secretary, both on a pilgrimage to St. David's shrine. Owen is to meet with John de Reine, the steward's son, at Castle Carreg Cernen, but de Reine's murdered body has been left at the Tower Gate of St. David's. Owen and Geoffrey offer to escort the body, in company with Father Edern, to his father's home at Castle Cydweli. Once there, a second killing occurs and Lascelles' beautiful wife Tangwystl vanishes, along with Father Edern. Tangwystl's father is Gruffydd, deeply involved in a money scam and said to have ties to the infamous traitor Owain Lawgoch. There are endless comings and goings, a surfeit of characters and conflicts, and much soul-searching as Owen rediscovers his roots, suffers a deep personal loss, identifies the killer, and prepares to return home. A literate, meticulously researched jumble of confusing subplots and unpronounceable names. In all, a disappointing sixth outing for this often enthralling author. .