"appealing historical mystery"
By 1354, the plague has finally ebbed in Europe. In
Girona, Isaac, a blind Jew, serves as the physician to
Bishop Berenguer. Isaac's protégé Yusuf is a ward of King
Don Pedro who is fighting in Sardina. A malicious person
threatens Yusuf so his patrons feel it is safer for him to
leave the area. The Bishop has a packet for the king so Yusuf joins the
party escorting it. Before they reach the gates, Pasqual
Robert arrives with a knife in his chest. He shortly dies
but the man who posed as a cleric for years was really
acting as an agent for the king. On the road to their
destination, Yusuf and his companions meet a girl, Clara,
who is obviously of aristocratic stock. She accompanies
the envoy to Sardinia where they search the records to find
out who Pasqual's wife is and where she lives so they can
notify her of her husband's death. How Clara is connected
to Pasqual makes for a fairy tale. It is very obvious that Caroline Roe has done
meticulous research on late Medieval Spain so that the
reader will gain a better understanding of the callousness
of the leadership along with their politics and social
mores. Although Isaac plays a secondary role in this tale,
he is a pivotal person to the story line. There are
various sub-plots that return to the main story line so
that no loose threats remain dangling. A POTION FOR A WIDOW
is a colorful and appealing historical mystery. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted November 2, 2001
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