Candace Robb continues Owen Archer mysteries in A Snake in the Barley. Owen Archer, Captain of York, is seeking the whereabouts of his friend, taverner, Tom Merchet. At the same time England in 1377 is unstable with a child king and his uncle the Duke of Lancaster as the most powerful person in the kingdom. Tom has some dark secrets in his past and some unsavory enemies in the present. As Owen pursues justice he also has to deal with Lancaster's commands for the return of stolen goods from his palace which have surfaced in York. Great historical mystery and view of society in that time. Dig deep to figure out who the bad guys are.

While I think this will probably be an enjoyable read for people who've read the previous books and know the characters, I'm afraid it's not working for me as a newcomer to the series. There are far too many characters and trying to separate out the important ones is like juggling chickens. In one chapter - chapter 4 - twenty-four separate characters are named. There are clearly lots of relationships and shared histories which again a regular reader will understand, but I don't. In some series, each books works as a standalone, but some series need to be read in order and require the reader to have a good memory. for events and characters from previous books This is one of the latter. I'm abandoning it at around 25%, but I may go back and read the first book in the series sometime. The writing and characterisations seems good and the setting and time period have clearly been well researched. However, the sheer number of named characters would be a weakness, I feel, even if I had read the previous books. It quickly became a memory test, and I flunked.

Another great Owen Archer story. With familiar and new characters, this is a complex plot, centring on the disappearance of innkeeper, Tom Merchet. Based in 14c York, the story is fast paced and full of historical detail. Loved it!

Owen Archer lost an eye on the field at Agincourt (1415). He was one of the famed Welsh long bowmen who filled the air with arrows and won the battle for Henry V. Now, he works for the king, keeping peace in York, along with him family and his wife, who is an apothecary. Bess and Tom Merchet are their friends and Bess comes to Owen to ask him to find Tom, who has disappeared. It is a perplexing case, no one knows where Tom might have gone. As Owen investigates, he discovers Tom has been keeping a lot of secrets from all of them. Men are dying in York as a result of Owen's investigation and no one knows how they are connected. A traveler reveals Tom is in Beverley, a three day's ride from York and he has been severely beaten. Owen travels to rescue Tom and more bodies continue to fall. How are they all connected? The best part of this series is the amount of research that goes into them. It is like a visit to the 15th century. Owen and his family and friends are great characters. This is historical fiction worth reading.

I am a fan of both Candace Robb and of Medieval Mysteries. A Snake in the Barley is a good continuation of the Owen Archer series. Though you need not read them in order, character development is a feature of the series and adds to your enjoyment. The storytelling is solid if not so surprising, the characters are likeable, and well fleshed out.

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.

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.

Candance Robb never disappoints and delivers another gripping and entertaining historical mystery
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The past catches up! Another fine Medieval Mystery!

Tom Merchet, owner of the York Tavern has disappeared. He’s been gone five days with nary a word. Bess his wife is beside herself. Close friends with Captain Owen Archer his wife Lucie and their children, Owen is as puzzled as Bess by Tom’s absence. Captain of the City, Owen is approached by Will Potter who overheard men discussing Tom, an unknown person called Jules, and a mystery woman, the Widow Cobb. Somewhere to start!
It’s 1377. Edward III has died and London has been in turmoil. Young King Richard is heir. The Duke of Lancaster had been governing for the old king. Owen is Princess Joan’s spy here in York. He’s hoping that the unrest won’t reach into the north.
Tom is located, in custody but seriously injured and beaten at the sanctuary town of Beverley. The past once more encompasses a good man’s present. Owen and a party of men leave to investigate and fetch back Tom.
A man is dead and mouldy barley might be the cause, or something other.
Magda the healer gives advice about who to have attend Tom. It seems there’s a network of healers and wise women throughout the north.
The title “Snake in the Barley” is similar to “snake in the grass” which is a metaphor for treachery. Treachery is certainly at play here.
A rather fascinating commentary on relationships within the lower classes where a partnership or series of partnerships are more the norm than marriage.
The story exposes the men of the Church for being as human as their flocks, tempted in many ways.
I love Robb’s descriptions of these medieval times.
Another wonderful Owen Archer story from Robb that continues to build on these residents of York, their daily struggles, their wants and needs as they contend with a fractious political situation.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

1377 York. Taverner Tom Merchet has been missing for five days. Captain of the guard and friend, Owen Archer and his men start a search. But a murder occurs in York and it seems that Tom's complex past and relationships have come back to haunt him.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its very likeable main characters supported by a cast of varied personalities. Another good addition to this enjoyable series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully written, compelling historical novel.

I love the depth of immersion into the period, and the characters are all compelling.
Looking forward to additional books in the series.

I think I've read every volume in Candace Robb's Owen Archer series—except maybe book 14. I've enjoyed it from the first, but lately have been finding plots and characters in new volumes difficult to keep track of. There "regulars" in the series have increased over time, and readers need more backstory to follow recent volumes. A Snake in the Barley was just such a title: lots of plots twists, lots of characters. All of which is to say, if you're not familiar with this series, I would recommend starting with a few of the earlier volumes to "get you feet under you," so to speak.

If you are familiar with the series, you most definitely will enjoy A Snake in the Barley. If you're new to the series, you will enjoy it eventually, but I would suggest not making this title your first Owen Archer read.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

I thank NetGalley and Severn House for an advance reader copy of “A Snake in the Barley.” All opinions and comments are my own.

You might need a scorecard to keep track of who’s who in “A Snake in the Barley,” the latest Owen Archer medieval mystery by Candace Robb (this is the fifteenth in the series). When Tom Merchet, tavern keeper and Owen’s long-time friend goes missing, a frantic race ensues to find out 1) where he’s gone and 2) the reasons behind his disappearance. There are deaths, Owen’s loyalty is tested, and so many questions, with answers hard to find. Suffice it to say with a lot of probing, and a lot of help, and a lot of confessing, it’s all resolved. But not before everyone goes through A LOT.

Even the book calls this “a long, complex puzzle,” and it is. I found it hard to keep track of what was going on in spots. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying how author Robb creates her setting and especially, her characters. I will always be interested in what she has in store for Owen Archer and his family and friends.

This was a strong fifteenth entry in the Owen Archer Mystery series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall concept of this and how the mystery in this worked with the setting perfectly. The characters were written in a way that worked overall and was glad I got to read this. Candace Robb does a fantastic job in writing this and can’t wait for more.