The Apothecary Rose

This could have been a mediocre-to-average historical murder mystery (though of more the whydunnit than whodunnit variety), with a decent sense of place to compensate for the absolutely rote central romance. However, having the murder's villainy and queerness be so explicitly linked, complete with flashback to childhood sexual abuse and incestuous desires, was gross and ruined whatever mild interest I had in seeing how things unfolded. I won't be seeking out the rest of the series.

THE APOTHECARY ROSE is the first instalment in Candace Robb's series featuring the exploits of Owen Archer spy-sleuth. It is somewhat comparable to Ellis Peters Cadfael series, as both heroes are Welsh, and ex-warriors with knowledge of herbal healing. Both series take place in the Middle Ages, though Cadfael lived in the mid 1100s and Archer in the mid 1300s.
Robb's obsession with medieval England shows through with great clarity. Everything is described with such detail that it's entirely possible to lose oneself in the story. The story is enticing, as well as the characters. A multitude of characters captivate the imagination. Each has believable traits, as well as flaws: Owen's self-doubts, Lucie's stubbornness, Anselm's show more obsession.
There is a mystery - but not centred on who-done-it, because that's pretty easy to figure out. The mystery revolves around the "why", which can be just as enjoyable as guessing the "who".
Owen Archer is an enthralling sleuth. The combination of medieval York and murder mystery was wonderfully done. I enjoyed it immensely. show less

I enjoy historical fiction and I especially like historical mysteries so when I saw this book on a free bookshelf I decided to take it home. One of the reasons I like historical fiction is because it puts people and places to the dry facts that I learned in school. I wish I could say I learned a lot about the period of time when this book is set ie 1363 and 1364 in the city of York. However other than learning that travel in those times was perilous and uncomfortable I don’t feel like I was immersed in the milieu.
The main character is Owen Archer who used to be the Chief Archer in the British army fighting in France. Originally from Wales Archer has not returned to his birthplace since he joined the army and he doesn’t even think show more about going home when he loses one eye and can no longer function as an archer. So he takes up a new career as a spy and he agrees to go to York to investigate the death of the ward of the Lord Chancellor there at Christmas a month previously. Archer has some knowledge of healing from his time in the army so it is suggested he obtain a position in an apothecary business. Master Apothecary Wilton fell ill just at Christmas and his lovely young wife Lucie has been trying to maintain the business on her own. Archer is rather old to be an apprentice but Wilton agrees to try him out provided Archer sleeps off the premises. Soon Archer is drawn into the doings of York where the Minster is still being built but the Archdeacon who is in charge of obtaining the funds to build it is actively operating. Archdeacon Anselm was a friend of Apothecary Wilton when they were in school and Anselm still lusts after Wilton even though he is married. When Wilton falls ill Anselm uses that as an excuse to worm his way back into Wilton’s life. Anselm knows that Wilton mixed up a potion that killed not just the Lord Chancellor’s ward but also a pilgrim who had been the lover of Lucie’s mother. Anselm will do anything to protect Wilton. Can Archer penetrate the mystery surrounding these deaths before there are other fatalities? And will Archer and Lucie act upon the feelings they develop for one another? These are the questions that will be answered by the end of the book. show less

I found The Apothecary Rose interesting to read since it I'm not that used to read historical mystery books that take place in the 14th century. This mystery was especially interesting since it involves the church. John Thoresby, Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of York sends out one-eyed spy Owen Archer to find out if the two suspicious death at the infirmary of St. Mary's Abbeys are murders and if so who's behind it. Could it be the Master Apothecary Nicholas Wilton or his wife? Or someone that works at St. Mary's Abbeys? Owen Archer takes a job at the Wilton's apothecary in a way to learn more, but the soon finds himself both in danger and in love.

It was a good book, but there were two things that just didn't work for me. show more First, the love thing, I was just not that interested in reading about Owen falling in love with Lucie, Master Apothecary Nicholas Wilton wife. I would have preferred a slower approach to their growing fondness for each other, instead of dreaming about each other, and thinking about each other, looking longing at each other. Perhaps something growing more over time than during a book. I just didn't find that interesting and every scene that in any way was about their feeling just made me mentally sigh and hope the story would return to the crime instead. Sometimes love stories work for me in historical fiction/mystery and sometimes they don't. This time, it didn't.

The second thing was that it took forever to get somewhere in the book, at last it felt like that. It just didn't happen that much in the middle of the book after the interesting beginning and frankly I was not that surprising to learn who the culprit was. But I found the last part of the book interesting when everything started to come together and the truth about the deaths were revealed.

I would like to read more books in this series. Owen Archer was an interesting character and I enjoyed reading about crimes in the 14th century.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a blog tour at TLC Book Tours. show less

A unique take on a medieval murder mystery. Plenty of intrigue and suspicion, but the plot focuses on the why rather than the who, which is never really in doubt.

The writing style is good, solid, and the switches in character keep the story flowing. Due to the character shifts however, there are fewer mysteries, as the suspicious characters clear themselves through their own thoughts.

There is a particular character that stands out as very intriguing/well written, as he is disliked and distrusted by almost all but the lead character. This was another unique device that I enjoyed. His presence did speed the plot along, but I felt his ending was a bit abrupt.

Would recommend as worth a read, but not up to the standards of some other authors show more I have read in this genre. show less

I will start by noting that I have a weakness for series type books. I enjoy getting to know a character or characters and then following them along in their lives. When presented with the opportunity to review this series it was actually pretty cool because I didn’t have to wait for the next volume to come out – I was going to have almost all of the books at once to read over a two month period. (One of the books is not being re-released. I’m going to try and find it so I can complete the set.)

This is the first book so it introduces the reader to all of the players including our hero – Owen Archer. He’s a spy in the 14th century; an ex-warrior with a real knowledge of herbal healing. An unusual skill set for a man of the show more time, eh? This book is mostly setting up characters to create the world for the books to come. There is a mystery – of course – but the who isn’t as much a focus as the why which makes this a more interesting read in a way.

The characters are well developed and diverse. The historical details are well integrated into the story without being intrusive. I felt like I was part of the story and I love that in a book. When an author can make you feel like are in another century and part of a totally different world it leaves you with the desire to keep reading. I’m looking forward to the second book in the series. show less

When Owen Archer loses the sight in one of his eyes, his military career under the duke of Lancaster is over. Or so it would seem, until the duke employs him in other ways. Once the old duke dies, Archer is unsure of his future. He’s recruited by the Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor, Thoresby, to investigate a pair of murders in St. Mary’s Abbey, just outside York’s city walls. One of the victims is Thoresby’s ward and Thoresby isn’t content with the cause of death. He sends Owen to figure out what’s really happened by apprenticing him to the apothecary and giving him an entrance into the world of medieval York.

This may have been the only time in my entire life that I have not needed the map on the first few pages of show more this book. I’m absurdly familiar with medieval York and given that my classes are held on top of the former grounds of St. Mary’s Abbey, this book had a special thrill for me. I loved the medieval atmosphere. These characters walk through places I go every day and it’s exciting to imagine it as they would have seen it.

I liked those characters, too. I can see a bit of Owen Archer’s legendary appeal, about which I have heard much. (I read this on the recommendation of Nan Hawthorne, by the way!) I enjoyed the ambiguity about many of them, particularly Lucie, and how the truth was eventually revealed. Even the supporting characters like Bess didn’t fall flat. The Archdeacon made me feel very uncomfortable, but I think that was the point.

As far as writing goes, I felt it was a bit plain. I could certainly imagine medieval York, but it’s hard for me personally to say whether I had such an easy time because I’ve tried before and am very familiar with the city or because the author did a brilliant job imagining it. It’s hard to say, but I do think the prose was the weakest point. The story was good enough for it to vanish, as should happen, but I found it hard to immerse myself at the beginning before the plot got rolling.

I would recommend this to other people who like their historical fiction set firmly in the middle ages and probably to those who like medieval mystery as well. As for me, I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

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