None could go against the king of England ... not overtly, anyway. April 1284. As a newly widowed lady-in-waiting to the very pregnant Queen Eleanor of England, Catrin never expected to return to Wales again. She was definitely unprepared to be confronted with murder when she got there--or to find herself face-to-face with Rhys, the childhood friend she lost twenty years before. Rhys had never intended to return home either, but a lifetime of war has deposited him right back where he started--impoverished and owing service to Catrin's older brother. With Wales fallen irrevocably to England and not knowing whom else they can trust, Catrin and Rhys join forces against the treachery and intrigue rife within the half-built Caernarfon Castle. And when the killer strikes again, this time within the royal court, the pair race to uncover his identity before he touches the king himself--or his infant son. (Crouchback is a medieval word derived from cross-back and indicates participation in a crusade) Crouchback is the first book in The Welsh Guard Mysteries. Series so far: Crouchback, Chevalier (coming November 2020)

With Wales fallen irrevocably to England and not knowing whom else they can trust, Catrin and Rhys join forces against the treachery and intrigue rife within the half-built Caernarfon Castle. And when the killer strikes again, the pair race to uncover his identity before he touches the king himself--or his infant son.

**Crouchback is a medieval word derived from cross-back and indicates participation in a crusade**April 1284. As a newly widowed lady-in-waiting to the very pregnant Queen Eleanor of England, Catrin never expected to return to Wales again. She was definitely unprepared to be confronted with murder when she got there--or to find herself face-to-face with Rhys, the childhood friend she lost twenty years before. Rhys had never intended to return home either, but a lifetime of war has deposited him right back where he started--impoverished and owing service to Catrin's older brother.With Wales fallen irrevocably to England and not knowing whom else they can trust, Catrin and Rhys join forces against the treachery and intrigue rife within the half-built Caernarfon Castle. And when the killer strikes again, this time within the royal court, the pair race to uncover his identity before he touches the king himself--or his infant son.Crouchback is the first book in The Welsh Guard Mysteries.

None could go against the King of England ... not overtly, anyway. April 1284. As a newly widowed lady-in-waiting to the very pregnant Queen Eleanor of England, Catrin never expected to return to Wales again. She was definitely unprepared to be confronted with murder when she got there-or to find herself face-to-face with Rhys, the childhood friend she lost twenty years before. Rhys had never intended to return home either, but a lifetime of war has deposited him right back where he started-impoverished and owing service to Catrin's older brother. With Wales fallen irrevocably to England and not knowing whom else they can trust, Catrin and Rhys join forces against the treachery and intrigue rife within the royal court in the first three books of The Welsh Guard Mysteries: Crouchback, Chevalier, Paladin.

Catrin and Rhys travel to Windsor Castle for their third medieval mystery together… August 1284. On the heels of King Edward's triumph over Wales, the high point of his reign thus far, he receives the worst news possible: his eldest living son and heir to the throne of England has died. Concerned that his victories in Wales, and even more the means by which he came by them, have brought the wrath of the Almighty down upon his house, King Edward sends Catrin and Rhys to Windsor Castle to investigate. But although they find victims and villains aplenty, their far greater test—of friendship, loyalty, and allegiance—is managing the expectations of a grieving king, who fears his son was murdered—and fears even more that he wasn't. Paladin is the third book in The Welsh Guard Mysteries. Series so far: Crouchback, Chevalier, Paladin, Herald

King Edward invites his barons to a 'Round Table' tournament in the spirit of King Arthur ... only to find a murderer lurks among them. July 1284. King Edward has invited the nobility of England, Ireland, and Scotland to Nefyn, one of the most remote spots in Wales, for a Round Table—a tournament as in the tales of King Arthur to celebrate Edward's victory over the Welsh and his ascension to Arthur's throne. Not everyone sees the tournament as a friendly competition, however, and in short order, Rhys and Catrin are called to investigate the death of a knight in the retinue of the Earl of Gloucester. But just as in King Arthur's court, malice and treason lurk beneath the surface, so when murder turns to treachery, it is up to Catrin and Rhys to separate fact from fiction in Chevalier, the second book in The Welsh Guard Mysteries. Series so far: Crouchback, Chevalier, Paladin, Herald

Rhys and Catrin become embroiled in murder when King Edward summons the bards of Wales ... September 1284. Catrin and Rhys travel with the royal court to Overton-on-Dee where King Edward has called a thousand Welsh bards to a royal eisteddfod, a music festival, in honor of his conquest of Wales. Every bardd in Wales has been commanded to attend, and tensions are running high under the forbidding gaze of the king, who has summoned them to uncover dissidence and to rein in their power. Nonetheless, when one of the chief contestants turns up dead with a forbidden song stuffed into his mouth, it’s up to Rhys and Catrin to catch his killer—even if it means putting themselves between their people and the wrath of the English king. Bardd is the fifth book in The Welsh Guard Mysteries. Series so far: Crouchback, Chevalier, Paladin, Herald, Bardd