The Winter Murders #2
Winter’s Crown, the second in E.L. Johnson’s historical mystery series picks up where the first book left off, directly after heroine Bronwyn saved Empress Maud’s life.* Despite her heroic act, however, Bronwyn’s life doesn’t change too much. She remains a cook, serving the empress with dwindling supplies in their ramshackle campsite. Separated from her family, as well as her friend Lady Alice and crush Rupert, Bronwyn is lonely and listless. She doesn’t even know for sure if her family is alive.
While trying to find her footing, Bronwyn stumbles into another death – one of the Empress’s ladies who had been kind to Bronwyn just the day before. She was found outside a tent that held, among other things, the Empress’s crown, alongside the knocked out, and generally unpleasant, Sir Bors. Though Bors recovered, Lady Eleanor does not. He suspects Eleanor of trying to steal the crown, but Bronwyn isn’t so sure.
Hoping that the Empress remembers her, she expresses this doubt to Maud. As Eleanor was Maud’s best friend, she agrees at once, and tasks Bronwyn with discovering who actually took the crown, and what actually happened to the good Lady Eleanor. Given that Bronwyn came from King Stephen’s court originally, however, and Maud and Stephen are at war, Maud doesn’t fully trust her. She asks one of her squires, Theobold, to keep a close eye on Bronwyn and make sure she wasn’t involved in the theft of the crown. Get in her good graces, even if that means flirting with her the way he does to every other lady in the camp.
Theobold becomes a second narrator in this book, and he immediately brings with him a love triangle (or, rather, a love square). Serving as the snarky dark haired love interest, in contrast to the kindly fair haired Rupert, Theobold quickly becomes interested in Bronwyn, while Bronwyn still has feelings for Rupert, who seems to be seriously courting Lady Alice. Alongside friendship strife, the interpersonal relationships take center stage in this installment more so than they did in the first. However, if love woe’s aren’t the reader’s cup of tea, they’re pretty easy to ignore and focus on the mystery.
Winter’s Crown was just as enjoyable as the first book in the series, though it makes a lot more sense after reading the first book and doesn’t stand as well on its own. The mystery is strong, and the murder methods are interesting. Alongside a fleshed out, fun cast, this is a great read for anyone interested in a medieval historical setting alongside their intrigue. — Margaret Agnew
*Maud or Matilda ruled part of England during the civil war known as “The Anarchy” (1138-1153) keeping half the country while her cousin King Stephen held the other half.