The Fenland Spell

A Father Eadred Tale

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Pub Date Mar 28 2023 | Archive Date Jun 13 2023

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Description

It is the year 832, and a torrent of crime is sweeping through the Kingdom of the East Angles. The cattle upon which folk depend for milk, meat and muscle are being slaughtered in droves by unknown killers and left to the wolves. Theft can be understood, but this wanton destruction of the kingdom’s lifeblood is unnerving rich and poor alike.

The new ealdorman persuades two of the most powerful families in the kingdom to end an age-old feud and unite, through marriage, against the unseen foe. The pact is precarious and would have many enemies, so it is organised in secret. The bishop despatches a young, inexperienced priest, Father Eadred, to conduct the ceremony. His decision will expose Eadred to terrible risks.

The skies open and floods leach murder victims from the earth. More killings will take place. Eadred is drawn into helping uncover the mind and the purpose behind the wave of death and destruction. He faces dangers in the world of men and from the spirit realm, but brings the conflict to a head in court and in battle. But has Eadred found all of the culprits?

It is the year 832, and a torrent of crime is sweeping through the Kingdom of the East Angles. The cattle upon which folk depend for milk, meat and muscle are being slaughtered in droves by unknown...


A Note From the Publisher

Lindsay Jacob comes from Cambridge. He followed a career of speech-writing for senior figures, where his skills as a creative thinker and writer were employed in imagining the future, but his dream was to give life to the past. His understanding of Anglo-Saxon history is recognised as intelligent and thorough. This is his second novel in the Father Eadred series and third set in the Fens.

Lindsay Jacob comes from Cambridge. He followed a career of speech-writing for senior figures, where his skills as a creative thinker and writer were employed in imagining the future, but his dream...


Advance Praise

Read the first instalment of the Father Eadred series, Murder at Elmstow Minster, available now. 

"An exciting read that creates the time of Anglo Saxon England brilliantly and sets the scene for more stories by this author." - Amazon review

"I pray and hopefully not in vain, that this tale is the opening curtain, for a long run of Father Eadred detective mysteries." - Amazon review

"A very enjoyable read that I would recommend fully. I am looking forward to reading the next one!" - Amazon review

Read the first instalment of the Father Eadred series, Murder at Elmstow Minster, available now. 

"An exciting read that creates the time of Anglo Saxon England brilliantly and sets the scene for more...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781803134734
PRICE £3.99 (GBP)
PAGES 384

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Average rating from 4 members


Featured Reviews

This well written book with great characters that are well developed and engaging and the storyline flows smoothly from beginning to the end.

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A historical mystery set in the 800s AD in East Anglia where feuding families are leaving the peasants on the edge of starvation and the landscape in ruins. Father Eadred is sent out to perform a secret marriage to unite two warring families and hopefully bring peace but corruption, murder, and evil abound. Will Father Eadred be able to ferret out the culprits and return justice and peace to this area before it destroys the kingdom?

It is well written and the atmosphere was so real you could almost touch it. Old pagan religions and Catholicism vie for the hearts of the people. Sometimes it is too wordy and a bit much of theology and philosophy but the characters are well developed and the plot is multilayered with more than just a mystery. How do you bring well-being to the hearts, spirits and bodies of parishioners when they beg for help but the priests can not stop the offenders only castigate them and have them do penance but if the parties have no wish to reform, the cries of the innocent find no mercy or justice. How do you offer succor to the peasants when the nobles do not perform their duties of having court to listen to the disputes but only abuse those under them?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

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Darkness has descended once again upon the mighty Kingdom of the East Angles where ruthless criminals are roaming the land destroying crops, cattle stealing and ruthlessly killing innocent men and women, a savage plague that sets neighbours against neighbours and threatens the land with chaos and mayhem....

Father Eadred is back in this gripping and truculent tale of murder, vengeance and martial violence, a Medieval fictional tapestry full of bloody twists and turns and blessed with a terrific cast of exquisitely drawn characters, an ensemble cast that performs a superbly choreographed "dance of death" at the borders of Christianity and Paganism....

An adrenaline-fueled ride brillantly plotted and relentlessly entertaining that really deserves to be discovered and enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!
I simply can't wait for the next installment!

Many thanks to Matador and Netgalley for this terrific ARC!

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MAGICAL MYSTERY MIND TOUR

Another enthralling story spell, by a master magician of storytelling, mixing murky marshes, murder and mystery, into succulent well flavoured solutions.

This sequel will have you spellbound, as we travel again with Father Eadred, on his new missions to new places, with a new variety of characters. These supplement the interesting cast, that we are starting to know well. The follow-on gives us equal enjoyment, to that of the first tale.

This the second of the Father Eadred tales is well paced and travels well, maintaining tension throughout the various locations and situations. This is a most rewarding read, especially for those of us, who enjoy the thrills and spills of an exhilarating who-dunnit, set in a fascinating historical period.

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