Candace Robb Books In Order

Publication Order of Owen Archer Books

Publication Order of Margaret Kerr Books

Publication Order of Kate Clifford Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

A past master at the historical mystery niche, Candace Robb is an American woman of letters. Robb, who has also published under the name Emma Campion, was born in 1950, in Blue Ridge Mountains upon North Carolina, in the US. Robb, who is a quinquagenarian, spent her formative years in Cincinnati upon Ohio. During her childhood, she often frequented libraries after which she forced her childhood friends to act the storyline. Robb often travels to the United Kingdom, especially Scotland and York, in her quest for materials for her literary work. However, she is presently domiciled in Washington.

In the formative years of her writing career, Robb’s penned poems and lyrics before she ventured into prose. Initially, she specialized in the science fiction genre, inspired by suchlike books in libraries, before she changed tack and started specializing exclusively in the mystery-thriller and historical fiction genres.

Candace Robb attended the University of Cincinnati wherein she studied Anglo-Saxon studies and medieval literature; she has a PhD to show for it. She has served as an editor in science-oriented publications. Incidentally, Robb uses the name Candace Robb when penning crime fiction while the name Emma Campion is used for historical books.

Candace Robb opines that even though she did not have a degree by then, she already possessed what she needed in her head, and this stood her in good stead when she eventually put pen to paper. The much-needed chance to start writing came immediately Robb left graduate school; she started penning a short story which would later on segue into the first book in her first series.

Descriptions of Two Early Books
Candace Robb debuted in 1993; the then short story was eventually published under the title The Apothecary Rose. This is the first book in the Owen Archer series. Currently, there are more than twenty five editions of this book; the first edition was initially published in 1993. This series is shelved as mystery, historical fiction (medieval), thriller, crime, European (British) literature, and historical mystery genres.

The second book is called The Chapel. The two books are set in the 13th century. There are about twenty editions of this book; the first edition appeared in January 1994. Owen Archer is the featured protagonist in the Owen Archer series of books authored by Candace Robb. Meet Owen Archer. Archer hails from the Wales. In the context of profession, Archer, who was previously a bowman, is currently an undercover agent working for an archbishop who is also a chancellor. Archer is mono-eyed; he lost his eye during a battle in France. He was discharged from the army wherein he had been supervising other archers. Another thing that prompted Archer to shift his loyalty is the death of Henry, the then duke for Lancaster. He makes up for his lost eye by wearing an eyepatch, which also makes him less suspicious in his spying missions.

On the one hand, The Apothecary Rose, which is set in 1363 during the time of King Edward III, revolves around the suspected deaths of a couple of pilgrims in St Mary’s upon York, in England. Were the two pilgrims, who are Thoresby’s ward, murdered? This is what John Thoresby, who is the York archbishop and doubles up as England’s lord chancellor, hopes to know when he dispatches Owen Archer as his undercover agent.

Disguising himself as a probationer of Nicholas Wilton, a pharmacist whose chemist sold the deadly concoction that claimed the lives of pilgrims, he gets in close contact with people in the know-how. Shortly afterwards, Archer meets Lucie Wilton, the pharmacist’s spouse, who helps him in his quest for unraveling the murderer and the motive behind the crime.

On the other hand, The Lady Chapel is set in 1365 during the Feast of the Body of Christ. The turning point is the untimely death of a wealthy man who made his fortune from wool trading. The deceased mogul is called Will Crounce. Crounce has died a grisly death wherein he has been cut at the throat plus his hand has been chopped off. What makes the murder even more complicated is the finding of the disfigured hand in the room of another businessman. To solve the murder case, Archbishop John Thoresby dispatches his go-to sleuth–Owen Archer. There is a series of murders hard on the heels of Archer’s sleuthing. In his quest for solving the murder, Owen Archer chances upon a second chopped off arm.

Best Candace Robb Books
The Apothecary Rose, The Lady Chapel, and The King’s Bishop are the best books among those authored by Candace Robb. The Apothecary Rose and The Lady Chapel have just been described. By the same token, The King’s Bishop is the forth book in the Owen Archer series penned by Robb. It is set in the late thirteenth century. Basically, Owen Archer has been dispatched by Thoresby to try to locate Ned Townley. The latter is a soldier and bosom friend of Archer.

Problems have hit Townley in quick succession; first, he was the bodyguard of a priest whom he is being fingered for his death and, secondly, he had plighted his troth to a woman who has also been killed. So who is the behind-the-scenes murderer? As Archer fastens on to Townley, who has since bolted, so as to save him and ensure he is not sacrificed at the altar of someone’s crime, a series of murders come in his train.

Other Book Series You May Like
Readers who loved the Owen Archer series authored by Candace Robb also liked the following suchlike series of books. The first one is the Sister Frevisse series penned by Margaret Frazer, and takes place in the Fifteenth century. The featured protagonist is Sister Frevisse, who is an amateur detective, and a hosteler at a priory in St Frideswide upon Oxford.

The second one is the Catherine LeVendeur series authored by Sharan Newman. The featured protagonist is Catherine LeVendeur; this historical mystery, which takes place in France during the 12th century, revolves around following characters: LeVendeur, who once schooled Heloise, LeVendeur’s husband called Edgar, and a Paris-based Jewish businessman.

The third one is called Hugh Corbett series penned by Paul Doherty. The featured protagonist is Hugh Corbett, an undercover agent working for King Edward, in medieval England.