The White Rose Rent

The Tudor Era has dawned. Richard III lies in a shallow grave at Greyfriars in Leicester and Henry Tudor sits upon an uneasy throne. Richard's illegitimate daughter, Katherine Plantagenet, wife of one year to William Herbert, Earl of Huntingdon, struggles to find her path in the strange new world of Tudor England. Only fifteen years old, she fears her husband will put her aside due to her relationship to the deposed King. Frightened and alone, she recalls the events of her younger years, when Richard, Duke of Gloucester took her and her half-brother John to be raised at Sheriff Hutton Castle. Days when it seemed a baseborn girl could reach dizzying heights... Days of happiness before her father took the crown, before her cousins Edward and Richard vanished from the Tower of London, before beautiful Elizabeth of York danced in gold at the Christmas Feast of 1484 and started rumours flying...

The sleuthing monk unravels a thorny case of murder in this “accomplished whodunit meticulously wrought with a wealth of medieval detail” (Booklist). A late spring in 1142 brings dismay to the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, for there may be no roses by June 22. On that day the young widow Perle must receive one white rose as rent for the house she has given to benefit the abbey, or the contract is void. When nature finally complies, a pious monk is sent to pay the rent—and is found murdered beside the hacked rosebush. The abbey’s wise herbalist, Brother Cadfael, follows the trail of bloodied petals. He knows the lovely widow’s dowry is far greater with her house included, and she will likely wed again. Before Cadfael can ponder if a greedy suitor has done this dreadful deed, another crime is committed. Now the good monk must thread his way through a tangle more tortuous than the widow’s thorny bushes.

An Expat's Life, Luxembourg & The White Rose is a refreshing and forthright take on the Englishman Abroad genre. Reading David Robinson's relaxed prose is like sitting down for a drink or two with the author in the pub of the title. Indeed, as the tome progresses, so the reader warms to Robinson's down-to-earth character. The author's very personal view of an expat's life in Luxembourg is not overbearing, and even the most informed reader will learn something new about the history of the Grand Duchy, its bureaucracy and social conventions and attitudes. The book is brimful with little snippets of useful information and trivia for those unfamiliar with the country, and Robinson's anecdotes will spark empathy with readers who live, or have lived, in Luxembourg. --Duncan Roberts, editor of 352 Magazine.

Donated by Sydney Harris.