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Candace Robb

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A Trust Betrayed (The Margaret Kerr Series) Kindle Edition

by Candace Robb (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.0 253 ratings

Book 1 of 4: The Margaret Kerr Series

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The acclaimed author of the Owen Archer Series “lovingly re-creates medieval Edinburgh” in a novel that introduces Scottish sleuth Margaret Kerr (Publishers Weekly).

In the spring of 1297, the English army controls lowland Scotland and Margaret Kerr’s husband Roger Sinclair is missing. He had gone to Dundee in autumn, writing to Margaret with a promise to be home for Christmas, but it’s past Easter. He could be caught up in the swelling rebellion against the English—if he’s even alive. When his cousin is murdered on the streets of Edinburgh, Roger’s last known location, Margaret coerces her brother, a priest, to escort her to the city.

She finds Edinburgh scarred by war—houses burnt, walls stained with blood, shops shuttered—and the townsfolk simmering with resentment, harboring secrets. Even her uncle, innkeeper Murdoch Kerr, meets her questions with silence. Desperate, Margaret makes alliances that risk both her own life and that of her brother in her search for answers. She learns that war twists love and loyalties, and that, until tested, we cannot know our own hearts, much less those of our loved ones.

“Robb’s writing is so rich and historically true that this is a must for all lovers of historical mysteries.” —Historical Novel Society

“Thirteenth-century Edinburgh comes off the page cold and convincing, from the smoke and noise of the tavern kitchen to Holyrood Abbey under a treacherous abbot. Most enjoyable.” —The List (Edinburgh)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Author of the acclaimed Owen Archer mystery series (The Nun's Tale; etc.) set in late 14th-century England, Robb introduces Dame Margaret Kerr in the alluring first of a new series placed in 13th-century Scotland. The spring of 1297 finds Margaret with her mother-in-law, Katherine, in Dunfermline. Roger Sinclair, Margaret's husband, has not been heard from since he set out for Edinburgh on business months earlier. Roger's cousin, Jack, leaves to find Roger, but instead returns home in a shroud, the victim of a brutal murder. After his funeral, Margaret determines to go to Edinburgh with her priest brother to search for her husband and to discover what she can about Jack's death, her only clue being a small weight clutched in Jack's dead hand. Margaret finds an Edinburgh occupied by English soldiers and clouded by political unrest. As she follows Roger's trail and seeks Jack's murderer, she uncovers truths that tear at her heart and cause her to question her beliefs and loyalties. Robb carefully unfolds her story, allowing the reader to become immersed in the day-to-day life of the characters. With meticulous attention to historical details, from the soup Margaret eats to her characters' plaid clothing and the language they speak (there's a helpful glossary), the author lovingly re-creates medieval Edinburgh. But like Katherine's altar cloth or Margaret's needlework, the story remains unfinished and readers can only wait patiently for the sequel.

From Booklist

Robb brings historical mystery fans a new series featuring Dame Margaret Kerr of Perth, Scotland. It is 1297 and the Wars of Independence against the English are raging. Intrigue abounds as the various Scottish factions fight among themselves to gain control of the country and drive the English out. Dame Margaret's husband, Roger, a merchant, has been missing for five months. After his cousin, Jack, goes to Edinburgh to find Roger and turns up murdered, Margaret sets out to determine what really happened. She quickly finds that Edinburgh, full of English soldiers, is no place for a woman alone. When she starts investigating, Margaret lands in a web of politics and betrayal. She realizes that she knew very little about her husband and his cousin. Robb's captivating blend of history and mystery vividly evokes Medieval Scotland. Those who enjoy her Owen Archer novels will want to step back a century and read about Dame Margaret Kerr. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07NDRSHHX
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Diversion Books (August 24, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 24, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3044 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 284 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #375,803 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,916 in Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction
- #3,319 in Historical Mysteries (Kindle Store)
- #5,390 in Historical Mystery

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4.0 253 ratings

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Candace Robb

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Candace Robb did her graduate work in medieval literature and history, and has continued to study the period while working first as an editor of scientific publications and now for some years as a freelance writer. Candace has published 17 crime novels set in 14th century England, Wales, and Scotland. The Owen Archer series is based in York and currently extends over 12 novels beginning with THE APOTHECARY ROSE; the most recent is A CHOIR OF CROWS. The Margaret Kerr trilogy explores the early days of Scotland’s struggle again England’s King Edward I, and includes A TRUST BETRAYED, THE FIRE IN THE FLINT, and A CRUEL COURTSHIP. The Kate Clifford series is set in York but slightly later than the Owen Archers; so far there are three books in the series--THE SERVICE OF THE DEAD; A TWISTED VENGEANCE; A MURDERED PEACE Stay up to date by following her blog at www.candacerobbbooks.com

Writing as Emma Campion, Candace has published historical novels about two fascinating women she encountered while researching the Owen Archer mysteries, Alice Perrers (THE KING’S MISTRESS) and Joan of Kent (A TRIPLE KNOT).

Candace was born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has lived most of her adult life in Seattle, Washington, which she and her husband love for its combination of natural beauty and culture. Candace enjoys walking, hiking, and gardening, and practices yoga and vipassana meditation. She travels frequently to Great Britain.

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Jugliz

An enjoyable historical mystery

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2005

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I enjoyed this novel and I am looking forward to the sequel. I found the setting to be very convincing. One of the criterion for a book being readable and engrossing is that I am surprised to look up from the page and find that it is not a wet, chilly spring outside, it's the middle of summer and in the 90s.

Robb notes that she has made a judicious use of Scots words, since lowland Scots actually sounded pretty much like the northern English. She does have a glossary in the back, which was very helpful once I found it. Also very useful are a series of maps zeroing in from a map of Britain to the neighborhood of Edinburgh where most of the action takes place.

These are not the most charming characters that I have ever met in fiction, although I became fond of some of them, but they are very real: complex, fallible and struggling with the dilemmas in their lives. I care very much what happens to them and I am anxious to read the next installment to find out.

The complexity of the Scottish political situation is made plain: there are two chief Scottish contenders for the throne, and unfortunately their adherents sometimes fight one another more than the English who are subjugating them.

I love the cover design and illustration by John Martinez.

5 people found this helpful

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Donna R.

Good read but not a completed story

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2023

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Good read but not a completed story. Need too more books to complete story. What is in this book is good so far.

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Lyn Reese

13th Century Scotland

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2009

A Trust Betrayed
by Candace Robb

Foul smells, chilly dampness, and a fearful, untrusting, poverty-stricken populous characterize the setting of Candace Robb's first story about twenty year old Margaret Kerr. Margaret has come to the still small city of Edinburgh determined to find her missing husband, and to uncover the murderer of his young cousin. Intrigues abound with the occupation of the lowlands by King Edward Longshanks's English troops, and with claimants John Balliol and Robert Bruce vying for the title of King of the Scots. The Historical Notes might have been fuller, offering a much needed crutch for those not seeped in Scotland's Wars of Independence. And the story's inconclusive ending is a rather too blatant signal that more Margaret Kerr stories will follow. That said, the story gives us a maturing, complicated female character who is feeling her way in a time when Scots are forced to choice sides.

6 people found this helpful

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pollymom

Great writing

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2019

Verified Purchase

Regardless of other reviews I found this book intriguing...after Braveheart the movie and knowing what happened...it's nice to know more of the history of Scotland of the period. I love Candace Robb's scholarship and writing abilities...you are there in her books! I cannot wait to read the next books in this series and to read the other new series to me she has written. I have read all the Owen Archer books over the past many years and loved them, as well. Candace...keep writing!

One person found this helpful

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ARG

The book kind of just ends, reads more of an installment than self contained.

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2017

Verified Purchase

Margaret Kerr has a missing husband and his cousin who went looking for him is just brought home dead. This is during the time of Robert the Bruce and England trying to take over the Scottish throne so life is rather unsettled in the backdrop to the series. No one is telling her the whole truth so she sets out to do it herself. The book kind of just ends, reads more of an installment than self contained. I liked Margaret but seems less realistic than Owen Archer series.

5 people found this helpful

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Angeline Koh

I would read the sequel

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2004

I have not read much of Candance Robb. I think having read some of her writing before did much to prepare me for what to expect in A Trust Betrayed.
No, the novel is not a "serious" piece of historical fiction. A Trust Betrayed does not echo the rich, complex and painfully crafted historicity found in... say, Emberto Eco's books. Robb's book is, instead, popular fiction for the long flight. (Popular fiction allows one to choose to switch on or switch off during reading). She has a plot which seems simple at first- Margaret Kerr searches for her husband in Edinburgh, then the plot grows more and more complex, including the civil unrest and fight for Scottish freedom.
It reads smoothly. Sure, I switched off while reading, merely enjoying the story, never contesting the historical information in the book. I finished it in a few hours. I was a pleasant read- a fine way to spend a hot Sunday afternoon. I would read the sequel.

5 people found this helpful

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