Welcome to Book Three in the exciting new series The Winter Murders from bestselling author E.L. Johnson!

Kitchen maid Bronwyn is on the run. Empress Maud’s attempted coronation in London has failed, and she and a loyal few are fleeing from an angry mob. Their travels end at Winchester, a stronghold loyal to the empress. But King Stephen’s wife, Queen Matilda, has been busy while her husband sits in prison, and her army is marching on Winchester.

Meanwhile, someone is pulling nasty pranks on the empress. From harmless tricks that disturb and distract the empress to serious incidents, a prankster is at her court, hiding in plain sight. Bronwyn’s reputation for solving court intrigues has raised her value in the empress’s eyes, and she is tasked with finding out who is behind these pranks. But with a suspicious new food taster and courtly figures getting involved in the investigation, Bronwyn’s suspect list only grows longer.

Once the queen’s army reaches Winchester, Bronwyn is separated from her two favorite squires—the one she fancies and the one she might just love. When Rupert defects and joins the queen’s army, they are at odds. And with Theobold working to defend the city from the queen’s invading forces, Bronwyn must solve these crimes on her own. But that’s difficult when she is captured by the queen’s army. And to make matters worse, the prankster has come along too.

Can Bronwyn find the deadly prankster before the queen’s army takes over Winchester? She must, or she’ll risk losing more than her heart.

Tropes You Love:

Castle Siege

Medieval Warfare

Deadly Pranks

Stolen Kisses

Court Intrigue

Secret Crushes

Gossiping Ladies-in-Waiting

Suspicious Nuns

Winter Murders

Book 1 – Winter’s Poison

Book 2 – Winter’s Crown

Book 3 – Winter’s Prison

Book 4 – Winter’s Rose

Book 5 – Winter’s Thief

Book 6 – Winter's Flirt

Book 7 – Winter's Fool