The Janna Mysteries
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The Janna Mysteries follow Janna (Johanna is her full name) and her quest to find her father in order to seek vengeance for the death of her mother. The novels are set in England in the 1140s during the civil war (see The Anarchy) between Empress Matilda and King Stephen of England.
Contents |
[edit] Book 1: Rosemary for Remembrance
Janna is learning to be a healer. She is being taught by her mother but she feels her mother is not giving her enough resposibility. They argue over this, and also because Janna wants to know the identity of her father. Her mother agrees to tell her but, before she can, she dies in mysterious circumstances. Janna suspects poison, and puts herself in danger trying to find out who was responsible. Suspects include the midwife, the apothecary, the priest and Robert of Babestoche. Helping her are the villein Godric, who is in love with Janna, and also the handsome nobleman, Hugh, who is attracted to Janna but must marry well as he has no property of his own. When her home is burned to the ground, Janna is forced to flee - but by then several secrets have been uncovered giving Janna some clues about her father's identity. She sets off to find him in order to avenge the death of her mother.
[edit] Book 2: Rue for Repentance
Janna's house has been burnt to the ground by superstitious villages and she is on the run. Disguised as a boy she meets the fugitive Edwin, and together they find work at a manor farm, which Janna later discovers is managed by the handsome Hugh, nephew of Dame Alice who owns the property. All is not as it seems. A series of 'accidents' occur, marked by the presence of a sprig of rue; finally a child goes missing, and Janna vows to find him. But who can she turn to for help? Edwin, who stole from her in the forest? Godric, who has turned against her? Or Hugh, who stands to gain everything if the child dies? Janna needs all her wit and common sense to solve the mystery of the child's disappearance - but time is running out, for both of them!
[edit] Book 3: Lilies for Love
On the run from Robert of Babestoche, the man who will stop at nothing, even murder, to hide his secret, Janna takes refuge at Wilton Abbey. There she desperately seeks to learn how to read so that she can uncover the truth about her unknown father. But first there are mysteries to be solved. Who is the newcomer asking questions about Janna? Who stabbed Hugh at St Edith's fair? Was the knife meant for Janna, or will Hugh's childhood friendship with the beautiful Emma have disastrous consequences for them all? Who is destroying a precious manuscript, and who is leaving lilies at the shrine of St Edith? The civil war between King Stephen and the empress has reached a crucial point, and Janna meets the empress when she comes to the abbey, a meeting that will open her eyes to a whole new world and further discoveries about her identity.
[edit] Book 4: Willows for Weeping
This will follow Janna's journey to find her father in the company of pilgrims and jongleurs - to be published in March, 2008 by Random House, Australia
