Read for the RIP VIII Reading Challenge.
Gwen’s father is a bard, and has been summoned back to the court of King Owain Gwynedd to perform at the wedding of the king’s daughter to one of the neighboring kings. On the journey there, they find the wedding party of King Anarawd slain on the road, including Anarawd.
One of the first people on the scene is Sir Gareth, who Gwen has not seen for seven years, when her father refused to give her hand to Gareth, and he subsequently left the court of King Owain. Turns out he’s now a knight serving Prince Hywel, the king’s second son. What Gareth doesn’t know is that Gwen also works for Hywel, bringing him information as her family travels around Gwynedd. Together, working with Hywel, they need to solve Anarawd’s murder.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s set in the real 12th century court of King Owain. However, it reads quite a bit like a modern crime scene investigation novel, so anyone who’s a real stickler for authentic historical fiction may not like this book. Still, I liked the characters, and the mystery definitely kept me guessing right up until the end. It was a good, quick, vacation read.