The Fifth Knight by E.M. Powell
The Blurb
To escape a lifetime of poverty, mercenary Sir Benedict Palmer agrees to one final, lucrative job: help King Henry II’s knights seize the traitor Archbishop Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. But what begins as a clandestine arrest ends in cold-blooded murder. And when Fitzurse, the knights’ ringleader, kidnaps Theodosia, a beautiful young nun who witnessed the crime, Palmer can sit silently by no longer. For not only is Theodosia’s virtue at stake, so too is the secret she unknowingly carries—a secret he knows Fitzurse will torture out of her. Now Palmer and Theodosia are on the run, strangers from different worlds forced to rely only on each other as they race to uncover the hidden motive behind Becket’s grisly murder—and the shocking truth that could destroy a kingdom.
About E.M. Powell
E.M. Powell is the author of medieval thriller The Fifth Knight, which was a #1 Amazon Bestseller. Born and raised in the Republic of Ireland into the family of Michael Collins (the legendary revolutionary and founder of the Irish Free State), she now lives in the northwest of England with her husband and daughter and a Facebook-friendly dog. She is a regular blogger on English Historical Fiction Authors and a reviewer for the Historical Novel Society. Learn more about E.M. Powell on her website www.empowell.com.
My Review
The murder of Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket in the year 1170, by the four knights, captured the author's imagination, with the creation of a 'fifth knight' who would become the saviour of and an anchoress nun, Sister Theodosia, whom the four knights wanted to capture and obtain, by whatever means, information leading to the capture of Theodosia's mother Sister Amélie. This book brought history to life for me, taking me back to something I learned at school half a century ago, and probably hadn't given it much thought since. I know this is fiction based on fact, but the historical facts will always remain meaningful to me now and will lead to me wanting to know more. I highly recommend this book, and the best part is that this is part one of a series, so plenty more to come where this came from.
