by Candace Robb
Release Date: December 3, 2024
2024 Severn House
Ebook ARC; 325 Pages
ISBN: 978-9448315758
ASIN: B0D6YZ1417
Genre: Fiction / Historical / Mystery
Source: Review copy from publisher
4 / 5 Stars
Summary
York, 1377. Owen Archer is determined to
find his friend, taverner Tom Merchet, who has been missing for five
days. His wife, Bess, is frantic with worry.
Who is the elusive Widow Cobb that Tom was seen visiting? And who is the man spotted following Tom before he vanished? As Owen hunts for clues, Bess decides to visit the widow’s lodgings and makes a terrifying discovery.
Owen digs up past sins and long-buried secrets that answer some of the questions surrounding Tom’s disappearance. But who is the sly and malevolent figure intent on destroying his friend, and why? A shocking confession will rock Owen to his core . . .
Who is the elusive Widow Cobb that Tom was seen visiting? And who is the man spotted following Tom before he vanished? As Owen hunts for clues, Bess decides to visit the widow’s lodgings and makes a terrifying discovery.
Owen digs up past sins and long-buried secrets that answer some of the questions surrounding Tom’s disappearance. But who is the sly and malevolent figure intent on destroying his friend, and why? A shocking confession will rock Owen to his core . . .
My Thoughts
A Snake in the Barley is the next entry in the long-running Owen Archer mystery series, and honestly, I don't know how this author manages to come up with engaging mysteries book after book. This instalment features Tom and Bess from the York tavern, and I was thrilled to get to know them better and have them feature in their very own mystery.
Being book fifteen in this series, it is hard to keep developing Owen and his family as we have gotten to know them pretty well, so I was glad the focus was on developing the characters around Owen. Although Tom and Bess feature in older books, we don't really know a lot about them so it was nice to have their characters in the foreground and learn more about their history. I thought the author did a great job weaving the past into the present and how that eventually has consequences if you haven't dealt with major things from your past. Although the concept of PTSD and other mental illnesses did not really exist during this period, the author managed to include that in that book but from the perspective of the time period which we know doesn't really go well for those who suffer.
The descriptions of the time period are well done, and I like how the author does not romanticize the past. I personally would not want to live during this time period as it was pretty rough and disease ran rampant through people's lives. Although it was sad to read about those downtrodden people, it was the reality. In fact, I think it was probably worse than even the descriptions showed in this book. Hunger, cold, homelessness, starvation, disease, etc.. all all realities of this time, much worse than in today's world. Although it can be bleak however, the author shows a nice balance of what life is like for those who work hard and are comfortable, and the reliance on each other in order to survive.
Verdict
A Snake in the Barley has a mystery that was quite fascinating and although it was quite a complex case, with a lot of people involved, I was captivated by the concept of how you can't really run away from your past actions. It can be hard to keep track of all the players, especially if you are not familiar with the books, and there were quite a few secondary themes running through the story. However, the author managed to pull them all together in the end in a satisfactory way. This was definitely another entertaining entry to the series, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
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