Cruel As the Grave: A Medieval Mystery

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Readers of The Queen's Man, Sharon Kay Penman's first book about young Justin de Quincy, will feel right at home as Justin--the bastard son of a bishop--continues to help England's aged Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine find out if her son Richard Lionheart is still alive in a German prison while trying to keep another son, John, from usurping the throne. Newcomers might take a few more pages, but Penman's skill at making the daily life of 1193 England so immediately accessible should soon have them equally comfortable. Why would a messenger grab his mantle but not his boots before jumping out of a Winchester bawdy house window on a mild April night? Because that's where a traitorous message is hidden. What would Justin and his friend Luke have for supper at a Thameside cookshop? "Pork-filled pie and ginger wafers, washed down with cider." Why was "breakfast the day's dubious meal, not quite respectable?" Because, Penman tells us, "people were supposed to be able to satisfy themselves with a hearty dinner and a lighter supper." Details like these bond us quickly with distant ancestors--and make us wonder what particulars of our own lives will be fodder for future writers of historical fictions. --Dick Adler

Book Description

She was young--barely fifteen. A poor peddler's daughter newly arrived in London, she was loved as much for her good heart as for her good looks. Someone had taken advantage of that sweet nature, leaving her dead in a churchyard, a ripped bodice testimony to her struggle, a bloodstained cross the solitary witness to her end.

England, 1193: A land awash in intrigue. While Eleanor of Aquitaine searches vainly for her eldest son, imprisoned by his enemies, her youngest plots to capture the crown. In her service: young Justin de Quincy, the Queen's Man. What has he to do with common murder, with the death of a poor man's child? Despite himself, Justin becomes ensnared in the case, seeking to unmask a killer. But can he also bring that killer to justice?

Hailed "an impressive debut" (Houston Chronicle), nominated for an Edgar for Best First Mystery, chosen by the ALA as a Best Book for Young Adults: The Queen's Man established a tradition that Cruel as the Grave upholds splendidly.

Customer Reviews:

Murder most foul.......2007-01-22

It's 1193, and the Welsh girl Melangell is murdered in a London graveyard. Prince John is plotting and generally making a nuisance of himself while his brother King Richard languishes in a jail abroad. John and Richard's mother, Eleanor of Acquitane, is trying to keep the realm together.

Connecting the murder and the Court intrigues is Justin de Quincy - who sets out to solve the mystery of the murder, but he is also needed by the Queen.

This is the first Sharon Penman novel I've read and I found it an amiable enough whodunnit. The two themes of the novel tend to run in parallel rather than to help each other along, and I got the distinct feeling that you have to be prepared to read more of these novels for a full resolution of the Court-based stuff. Of the murder plot - well I sussed the culprit very early, nevertheless I thought it was OK as these type of novels go. In this I benefit from having suffered a Christian Jacq novel - nothing can beat that for dross, so others shine by comparison.

The Medieval background does get lost at times and it's always a problem giving characters who operate in settings so long ago some convincing dialogue - hence you get the occasional "mayhap" and "for certes" just to convince you these are people living in 1193.

Not to be too churlish, it's harmless enough stuff, entertaining in limited way.

G Rodgers

Pleasant reading, but no surprises or depth.......2006-09-27

Justin de Quincy, a young man in the service of Eleanor of Aquitaine, is helping his queen discover what her son John is planning as he tries to usurp the throne while his brother Richard Lionheart is in a German prison. At the same time he is asked by a friend to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. The suspects are two teenage boys, one who was sleeping with her and the other who was truly in love with her. There is a quote at the beginning about the emotion of jealousy being cruel as the grave and their is a great amount of it at the center of both story lines. Cruel as the Grave is a quick and enjoyable read. The techniques used to investigate in the 12th century were interesting as we are now so used to fingerprints and DNA evidence. Some of the details about life in the middle ages were also fascinating. The central mystery however was facile and no surprise in the end. The characters also had little depth. It's a pleasant book but not challenging in any way.

--Interesting story featuring Eleanor of Aquitaine aka Queen of England.......2006-09-26

CRUEL AS THE GRAVE is the second book about Justin de Quincy who is known as the queen's man. Justin works for Queen Eleanor the widow of Henry the II. She employs him as a messenger, spy and man that she can trust to carry out her orders.

The story takes place in the year 1193. During this time frame King Richard's life was in danger and his brother Prince John was hoping that Richard would be killed and not return to rule England. Queen Eleanor, their mother, was caught in the middle of their battle and although she wanted to stop Prince John, she did not want him hurt. Justin walks a fine line in his investigations because no one every wants to cross Prince John since there is a good chance that he will one day be King of England.

There is a dual mystery in this story where Justin also becomes involved in the murder investigation of a young woman.

The characters in this medieval mystery are a combination of historic figures and fictional characters. At the end of the book, in the author's note, Sharon Kay Penman offers some additional information about some of the characters and tells what is factual and what is not in her story. This author does a lot of research for her books, and tries to be as true to history as possible.

First Penman book I read.......2005-11-30

I normally don't read mystery books and to top it off this was my first Penman book I read. I loved it. Yes, I figured it out before the ending, but the story was compelling and I enjoyed it anyway. I loved the setting and loved the characters she has created as well as the historical ones. Penman did an awesome joby in my opinion. Since then I have read another one of her mysteries and I am looking forward to reading all of her books with Justin in them. I love how he is from humble orgins and not in the highborn culture yet he can interact with them and still keep his honor. I also love how he is honorable and just.

Justin de Quincy Undergoes the Tribulations of Success.......2005-02-03

Sharon Kay Penman's "Cruel as the Grave" continues her foray into medieval murder mysteries. In "The Queen's Man," her first such novel, Penman introduced Justin de Quincy to the world. The bastard son of a bishop, Justin is a man of talent but no means until fate brought him into the confidence of England's Queen Eleanor. Through courage, wit, and loyalty, Justin rose mightily in the eyes of both the royal court and with several of his "more common" friends . . . and made a few enemies in the bargain.

In "Cruel as the Grave," set in the early spring of 1193, immediately after "The Queen's Man" ends, Justin reaps the fruit of his success. Now an honored and trusted member of the Queen's inner circle, Justin must undertake several risky ventures to help Eleanor ransom her beloved kidnapped son, Richard Lionheart, king of England -- held in an Austrian prison cell. He must also help Eleanor in a high-stakes chess match --with the throne of England as the prize -- with her cunning younger son, John (dubbed by many, "the Prince of Darkness," and deservedly so). Since John is one of the enemies Justin made in "The Queen's Man," Justin's life is in considerable peril.

Justin must also cope with his new-found fame as a crime solver par excellence with his less-royal but no less demanding friends. A beautiful young woman is found murdered in a local churchyard, and the sons of a local merchant are implicated. Justin is forced to look into the murder, and soon learns that suspects and motives abound in this grisly affair.

Penman balances these two plot lines expertly, and the action sweeps from the streets of London to the courtroom of the palace to the siege of Windsor Castle. Penman writes with her trademark clarity, equally at home with a battle scene as with friends bantering over drinks in the alehouse. (Although fans of carnage would be better suited reading Bernard Cornwell's various works - Penman does not linger long over the violence.)

True to her last murder mystery, Penman injects "Cruel as the Grave" with more humor than her historical epics, and the novel is much shorter, as well (230-odd pages). While these novels are (almost) entirely fictional, they are fantastic opportunities to delve deeper into Penman's captivating treatment of Queen Eleanor's England. Check it out!

Note -- while some "sequels" can be read without reading earlier novels in the series, "Cruel as the Grave" will be much more enjoyable for those who have already read "The Queen's Man." (I would also recommend reading "While Christ and His Saints Slept" and "Time and Chance" first, so the reader can learn the back-story of Queen Eleanor before reading these murder mysteries, which are set in the twilight of her reign -- but reading those two novels is not as essential as reading "The Queen's Man," because Justin de Quincy does not play a role in the other works.)

Average customer rating:

Cruel as the Grave required reading for a 9th grader
Cruel as the Grave
Medieval fiction that is true to history
The other reviews are unfair
This is not the Penman quality I've come to expect.

Cruel as the Grave
Sharon Kay Penman
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345441443
Release Date: 2001-10-30

Book Description

April 1193. England’s King Richard Lionheart languishes in a German prison, and treason scents the air. Richard’s younger brother, John, seizes Windsor Castle, and Dowager Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine summons her trusted personal “queen’s man,” Justin de Quincy, to do the impossible– mediate a truce with her rebel son. Amid such fateful events, the murder of a Welsh peddler’s daughter seems small. But the cruel demise of the beautiful Melangell so troubles Justin that not even a threatened French invasion can keep him from investigating her death. Yet can he bring Melangell’s craven killer to justice?

Customer Reviews:

Cruel as the Grave required reading for a 9th grader.......2007-08-09

My son has finished the book and told me that it was a really great story! He enjoyed the story, did not have to be bugged to keep reading and loved the ending. I was suprised since this was a required book by his school for summer reading so read it!

Cruel as the Grave.......2006-02-26

This is another wonderful novel by this author, if you really like historical novels then she is the one to read. All the details and description necessary to visually visit this period of time (medieval England) and become captive of the players as she spins one intrigue after another. Justin is the lead in this and is what every man should be, just, loyal, compassionate as he leads you through the mystery created. Completely enjoyable.

Medieval fiction that is true to history.......2005-10-31

Penman's books are not the ones to appeal to those who look for the fantasy of the Middle Ages, with knights that rush to rescue fair maidens. Nary a dragon, either. But her historical research is deep and broad and her mysteries are true to the genre. In short, this is a good choice for people who are looking for historical mysteries, but not "historical fiction," or romance.

The other reviews are unfair.......2004-04-03

No this is not the same quality of novel as Penman's brilliant historical fiction. But this is also 200 pages and a mystery. I think the other reviewers are comparing apples and oranges and unfairly judging this book. This is remarkably better than The Queen's Man. I must admit I did not solve that mystery, but neither did the author. The ending of that book was a cheap way out of a knot into which the story had been wound. This book was much more logical. The clues where there and although I had early suspiscions of the ultimate culprit, it kept me intersted to the end. The mystery in this case evolves separately from the intrigue at court - so there are really two simultaneous situations for Justin to juggle. It is NOT 1000 pages of brilliant fiction - but it is a fun, quick-read mystery set in 1193. Take it for what it is and you'll enjoy it.

This is not the Penman quality I've come to expect........2002-02-04

The first novel I read of Sharon Kay Penman took me less than a week to complete. It was well over a thousand pages and I had finals in graduate school, but I couldn't put it down. Cruel of the Grave is not the same caliber of book. Penman's gift of developing characters and a storyline that readers feel intimately involved with is not established in this text. I have read all of her historical novels. After reading each novel I anxiously waited for the next to be published. Penman's talent clearly lies within her ability to write amazing medieval novels, not medieval mysteries.

Average customer rating:

A Plot! Wow!
Good book for a reader's group
Another good mystery from Ms. Myers.
fascinating third Baroque mystery

Cruel Music: A Baroque Mystery
Beverle Graves Myers
Manufacturer: Poisoned Pen Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1590582306

Book Description

Tito Amato returns from an operatic tour expecting to relax with his family. Instead he finds his merchant brother Alessandro imprisoned on a trumped-up smuggling charge, a capital crime in 1740 Venice. The senator who controls Alessandro's fate is determined to have a Venetian as the next pope. He forces Tito to Rome to sing at the villa of a powerful, music-loving cardinal who will control the coming papal election.

Spying as he serenades Cardinal Fabiani and his guests, Tito peers into the dark mirror of Roman politics. Pope Clement XII is sinking fast, and two candidates emerge as leading contenders for St. Peter's throne. Will Fabiani support the highborn Venetian whose secret passion is tinkering with electrical experiments? Or the humble cardinal with the gift of healing and a mysterious past?

The discovery of a beautiful corpse in Fabiani's garden complicates Tito's mission. Fabiani believes that a member of his household killed the young maid in a fit of madness, but Tito follows clues that indicate a more complex motive, assisted by his irrepressible manservant Benito and Englishman Gussie Rumbolt. From the heights of the Janiculum Hill to the muddy waters of the Tiber, from a cozy Trastevere cookshop to the chilly corridors of the Quirinal Palace, the trio wrestles with events that could change the course of history. Can Tito stop the killer and affect the election before Pope Clement takes his last breath? Or will Alessandro face the scaffold?

Customer Reviews:

A Plot! Wow!.......2007-07-20

Finally a book with a plot that gives the hero a huge challenge and has him work his way out of it through his own wits. I've read too many so-called mysteries lately that are solved by luck and coincidence. Tito Amato is a fascinating detective, and the background of baroque Italy is recreated in lush detail. Now, I'll go back and read the first two books in the series.

Good book for a reader's group.......2006-10-17

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (8/06)

"Cruel Music" is the third mystery in a series written by this author. Castrati, Tito Amato, is planning on relaxing at home with his family upon his return from an operatic tour. His plans are cut short when his brother is arrested on false charges. Tito is blackmailed into going to Rome to sing for a cardinal who has great influence on the next election for the pope. Tito is supposed to spy on the cardinal and find out where his interests lean. Along the way there is a murder of a young woman who is assigned to care for the cardinal's insane mother. Tito is implicated in her death. In addition to needing to save his brother, he now has to find out who the real killer is to save himself.

This is an excellent mystery written in the Baroque era. Graves easily portrays the richness of the culture of the era to the reader. I really felt like I was back in this time. In addition to enjoying the mystery and the suspense that goes with Tito's experiences, I also enjoyed the way she writes about the corruption of the church.

The plot is excellent and the characters are well developed. It was really interesting to see how paganism and the study of science were both not accepted by the church, yet still practiced by some of the people. Paganism was pretty much on its way out and science was working its way in.

This book stood well on its own, but because I enjoyed it so much, I plan to go back and read the first two in the series. It would be a great book for a reader's group to discuss and also for fans of music of the Baroque era.

Another good mystery from Ms. Myers........2006-09-29

Pope Clement XII is slowly dying. The behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing at the Vatican is intense. State Inquisitor of Venice Senator Montorio wants someone he can trust on the scene, spying for him and actively promoting the candidacy of his choice. To get this trusted spy, he hauls Alessandro Amato in on false charges of salt smuggling. If convicted, Alessandro will be killed. This is enough to convince his brother, castrato Tito Amato, to make the trip. Not willingly, mind you.

When Tito gets to Rome, there is one pleasant surprise. His love from INTERRUPTED ARIA, Liya, is in Rome. They renew their friendship, which Tito would like to see become far more than that. While doing the bidding of Senator Montorio, Tito becomes an unwilling (again) accomplice to the murder of Gemma, a maidservant. In order to keep from being arrested for that murder, Tito is coerced by the head of another faction to spy and promote a different candidate. Life is very complicated for Tito, who just wants to make lovely music and have a lovely wife.

CRUEL MUSIC, while set in the baroque period in Rome, deals with emotions that know no time. Greed, power, lust . . . the Vatican has never had a monopoly on those things. While this is definitely a historical mystery, the issues addressed are as current as any election, the politicking just as intense then as now. CRUEL MUSIC is a testament to Graves' talent as a writer; she makes "then" interesting, educational, and entertaining.

fascinating third Baroque mystery .......2006-09-03

Early in 1740 following an exhausting tour of the continent, famous castrato Tito Amato returns to Venice to relax with his family. However his respite is short as Chief of Constabulary Messer Grande arrests Tito. Soon afterward Senator Antonio Montorio explains that with Pope Clement XII near death, the Cardinals will select a replacement between his brother Cardinal Stefano and Cardinal Di Noce. Whomever Cardinal Lorenzo Fabiani supports will become the next pope. Tito is to sing for the music loving Fabiani and learn who he backs or his family will suffer.

Tito heads to Rome where he provides performances while staying at the home of Cardinal Fabiani. The singer quickly learns that the only topic amidst the residents and servants of the house is the next pope. However, someone strangles to death a beautiful maid. While Fabiani assumes a family member is the killer and decides to cover up the homicide, houseguest Tito and his two person entourage fear that they will be left singing confessions to the murder. They investigate which leads them to some underground Roman groups.

The third Baroque mystery contains an interesting whodunit, but that takes a back seat to the insightful look at Papal politics in the middle of the eighteenth century. What is fascinating is the senator's explanation that a Venetian needs to sit on the throne so that patronage can be earmarked for his city. Also appealing are the underground cultures that thrive within walking distance of the Vatican as sects of ancient pagan worshipping is prevalent and biologists, physicists and chemists abound. Though the plot takes its time to set the stage, it is worth the wait as the audience will gain a grasp on the political patronage swapping and once in Rome Tito does not do what the Romans do as he investigates.

Harriet Klausner

Cruel As The Grave (A Silver Dagger Mystery)

Average customer rating:

Lacks substance
A British country house mystery set in the American South ==
An absorbing debut mystery
A Taste of Deadly Southern Hospitality
intriguing regional amateur sleuth tale

Cruel As The Grave (A Silver Dagger Mystery)
Dean James
Manufacturer: Overmountain Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1570721270

Book Description

Maggie McLendon should be at home in Houston, studying for her Ph.D. qualifying exams, but a letter from her great aunt arrives, bearing bad news. Maggie's grandfather, Henry McLendon, whom she has never met, is seriously ill in Jackson, Mississippi.

Maggie's father, English professor Gerard McLendon, has been estranged from his family since Maggie was an infant, but now there is perhaps one last chance for the McLendons to be reunited. The family welcomes Maggie and Gerard to Jackson, and Gerard has a chance to reconcile with his father.

But a murderer strikes, savagely, and Gerard McLendon looks like the chief suspect. Maggie must sort out decades of family secrets, including the puzzle of her grandmother's death twenty-five years before and its relationship to the present crime, to arrive at the truth. But not before the killer strikes a second time. Could Maggie or her father be next on the list?

Customer Reviews:

Lacks substance.......2001-03-14

I was disappointed in this book. The characters are so flat that I couldn't keep the heroine's relatives straight. The gothic Southern atmosphere vaunted on the book cover isn't there.

A British country house mystery set in the American South ==.......2000-09-15

Suppose that Dame Agatha Christie had allowed her wonderful creation,
Miss Jane Marple, to have married when that lady was young, and the
happy couple had a child. (Certainly Miss Marple would NEVER have had
a child without having first been married!) Had this happened, it
would not then be too much of a stretch to also imagine that Miss
Magnolia Amelia McLendon could be the grand-daughter or perhaps great
grand-daughter of said Miss Marple. Intelligent, a keen observer of
both her surroundings and the people who inhabit those surroundings,
Maggie is yet a modern young miss, working on her pre-Ph.d exams,
when her life is turned upside down. A letter from the only aunt
she's ever known, her father's Aunt Helena--pleads with them to
return to the family home in Jackson, Mississippi, for two reasons.
One is the illness of the family patriarch, Maggie's grandfather, who
is, after all 80 years old, but the bigger news is that the 27
year-long breach in the family is ready to be mended.

For a variety
of reasons, all of this family history is news to Maggie, and she
urges her father, Gerard, to accept the invitation, and to include
both of them in the visit. He grudgingly accepts, inadvertently
setting off modern-day reactions to events of long ago, including a
previously unsuspected murder.

From the very first person she
meets--Adrian Worthington--driver/butler/whatever, but all too
intriguing, through aunts, uncle, cousins--the ambiance of the South
is never far from the surface, although the family secrets are
anything but that. Using the legacy of Miss Marple, (for whom both the
author and his characters freely profess a fondness) Maggie patiently
sorts through all the events, both current and past, to find the
solution.

It is rare indeed, for an author to begin with
award-winning non-fiction, proceed to highly-praised short fiction,
then graduate to a full-length mystery story, but what a pleasure this
journey by Dean James provides for us all. If you, too, share a
fondness for the works of Dame Agatha, or any of the other past
classical mistresses of mystery, you should also enjoy this
wonderfully civil, witty and well-written recreation of the classical
British country house mystery novel. It's just been transported to
the American South, that's all!

An absorbing debut mystery.......2000-08-26

Cruel As The Grave by Dean James

Maggie McLendon is surprised when a letter from her father's Aunt Helen bearing bad news of the health of her Grandfather Henry McLendon, gains little reaction from her father Gerard. Although, Maggie had met her Aunt Helen on two occasions, she had learned as a child that the rest of the family was a taboo subject. However, she reasoned, if her Grandfather was seriously ill, this could be her only chance to meet him and on this point she takes a firm stance.

Arriving with her father at the McLendon family home, Maggie is stunned and disconcerted at how wealthy the family must be, a fact concealed by her father. Welcomed eagerly by her Aunt Helen and with varying degrees of interest, disinterest and hostility by the other members of the family, Maggie starts to get to know her new family.

At her first meal with the family, Maggie becomes quickly aware of the tensions and hostility harboured by the various members. When murder strikes within a short time of their arrival, and with her father under suspicion, Maggie starts to investigate. She uncovers in this beautiful Southern home, secrets, bitterness, and maybe someone hides a need for revenge.

Dean has woven an absorbing debut mystery. The characterisation was brilliant, and as Maggie discovers more and more about the family members I kept changing my mind as to the murderers identity. I did think at one point that I worked it out, but as I read on I began to have doubts, so I had to start again.

Highly recommended. Lizzie Hayes

A Taste of Deadly Southern Hospitality.......2000-07-20

Cruel as the Grave, is a healing, homecoming, which turns into a catalytic invitation to murder.

Dean James' first novel is a rich blend of Old World elegance gingerly mixed with the more casual aspects of the modern day world. It is a veritable, literate feast of terminal pride, prejudice and old family foibles.

Maggie McLendon, whose father becomes the major suspect in a passion-filled murder, must sift through the genealogical ingredients of secrets, lies and hatred that are lavishly iced with thick smooth, geniality. As with most families, the dining room table is an area for more than just sating one's appetite.

If you like the flavor of the slow paced South, savory characterization, a hint of spice, essence of Gothic, laced with twists and turns and a cozy Agatha Christiean drawing room conclusion, then settle in with a hefty helping of fetid family values on a Silver Dagger platter.

It is my understanding that the use of the wrong Hepburn name in "The Lion in Winter" was not from the mind or hand of the author.

I look forward to reading more of Dean James' work and I give this book an extra cheer for the old tortoise lawyer and the name that was given him!

intriguing regional amateur sleuth tale.......2000-07-08

As she prepares for her Ph.D. exams in Houston, Maggie McLendon learns that her fraternal grandfather Henry lies dying in Jackson, Mississippi. Her father Gerald plans to travel alone to visit his estranged family to pay his last respects to Henry. However, Maggie, who has not seen her father's side of the family since she was a baby, persuades Gerald to take her with him.

In Jackson, the McLendon brood welcome Gerald and Maggie. Before Gerald and Henry have a last chance to reconcile and Maggie spend some quality time with her grandfather, someone kills Henry. The local police suspect Gerald murdered his father as a final act of revenge. Maggie knows her English professor dad could not have committed the crime. She begins her own inquiries into what caused the family schism and who murdered Henry.

CRUEL AS THE GRAVE is an intriguing regional amateur sleuth tale that fans of both sub-genes will enjoy. The story line centers on Maggie's need to learn the truth even though it amplifies not so positive family relationships. The main charcaters are fully developed and the estrangement completely understandable by the audience. Though a scorecard would have helped identify who's who, the audience will quickly work through that due to the terrific plot that showcases the talent of Dean James.

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Cruel As the Grave
Helen McCloy
Manufacturer: Ulverscroft Large Print Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 070890260X

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Cruel as the Grave

Manufacturer: Flambard [INPRESS]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1873226306

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Cruel as the Grave
Sharon K. Penman
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140270760

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Cruel as the Grave
E.D.E.N. Southworth
Manufacturer: Cosimo Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1596056959

Book Description

"Now, my darling, we are long together once more, with no one to divide us!" "Thank Heaven!" breathed Sybil with all her heart; and her jealousy was lulled to rest again by the kisses that he pressed on her lips. She said to herself that all his devotion to Rosa Blondelle in the stage-coach was but the proper courtesy of a gentleman to a lady guest, who was, besides, a stranger in the country; and that she, his wife, ought to admire, rather than to blame him for it-ought to be pleased, rather than pained by it, -from "Down in the Dark Vale" The most popular American novelist of the late 19th century, Mrs. Southworth began writing to support herself and her children after her husband abandoned them, and her marvelous fiction about women who were adventurous without ever exceeding the rules of female respectability were enormously beloved. This 1871 work is the tale of bright, beautiful, and impetuous heiress Sybil Berners, whose headstrong ways and sentimental leanings may be her downfall... unless the indulgent, besotted men in her life can save her from herself. Gloriously romantic and immensely entertaining, this is 19th-century melodrama at its entertaining best. American writer EMMA DOROTHY ELIZA NEVITTE SOUTHWORTH (1819-1899), friend to Harriet Beecher Stowe, wrote more than 60 novels, including The Hidden Hand (1859), The Bride's Fate (1869), The Changed Brides (1869), Ismael (1876), and numerous other books.

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Cruel as the Grave
Sharon Penman
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ6GIM

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Cruel As the Grave
Meg Elizabeth Atkins
Manufacturer: Chivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786245867

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