Murder in the Cloister - (Christine de Pizan Mystery) Large Print by Tania Bayard (Hardcover)

About the Book

Scribe Christine de Pizan is sent to the Priory of Poissy by the palace, but soon senses that something is amiss. The prioress reveals that one of the sisters was murdered in the cloister. Fearing for the welfare of the king's daughter who resides at the abbey, she is eager for Christine to find out who killed the young nun.

Book Synopsis

Christine de Pizan is in danger when she is sent to the Priory of Poissy to catch the killer of a young nun in this vividly imagined historical mystery set in fourteenth-century France.

Paris, 1399. Scribe Christine de Pizan is sent to the Priory of Poissy by the palace to copy a manuscript for the prioress. But the prioress already has many copyists, and Christine senses that something is amiss.

Her suspicions are confirmed when the prioress reveals that one of the sisters has been found murdered in the cloister. Fearing for the welfare of the king's young daughter who resides at the abbey, she is eager for Christine to find out who killed the young nun - and why.

As Christine investigates, she uncovers dark mischief and closely guarded secrets, but can she unmask a killer?

Review Quotes

A good choice for Francophiles and historical-mystery readers-- "Booklist"

Bayard excels at describing people and places and puts her knowledge of the period to good use in crafting an engrossing whodunit-- "Publishers Weekly on In the Presence of Evil"

Bayard vividly immerses the reader in the complex and perilous world of medieval France-- "Kirkus Reviews on In the Company of Fools"

Enjoyable . Bayard invests this historical series with original flair-- "Publishers Weekly"

Historical details drive this period puzzle, whose heroine provides a steady presence against a backdrop of characters constantly fighting against their time and station-- "Kirkus Reviews on In the Shadow of the Enemy"

Immersive ... Fans of well-researched historical mysteries will be rewarded-- "Publishers Weekly on In the Company of Fools"

Readers will enjoy the nicely constructed mystery as well as the well-researched trip to fourteenth-century France, highlighted by an interesting backstory concerning the contents of the royal library-- "Booklist on In the Company of Fools"

Tantalizing-- "Kirkus Reviews"

The liberal sprinkling of quotations, many from the real de Pizan's own works, lend this intriguing tale an air of historical authenticity-- "Booklist on In the Shadow of the Enemy"

Well-researched . History fans will enjoy this one-- "Publishers Weekly on In the Shadow of the Enemy"

About the Author

Tania Bayard is a freelance writer and lecturer specializing in medieval art, culture, and horticulture. She has taught art history at Fordham, Rutgers, and Hofstra universities and is the author of a number of non-fiction books, including A Medieval Home Companion: Housekeeping in the Fourteenth Century. Previously, she was the curator of the Biblical Garden at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City and assistant horticulturist at The Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.