Unholy Sanctuary
Ela of Salisbury Medieval Mysteries, Book 10
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Unholy Sanctuary
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Narrated by:
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Madeleine Brolly
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By:
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J. G. Lewis
About this listen
Salisbury 1232
An elderly nun is accused of witchcraft after a priest dies under mysterious circumstances. When the nun tells Ela something that could turn the king against her nemesis, justiciar Hubert de Burgh, she knows she must whisper it in the king’s ear. Ela finds herself in a race to save the nun’s life as de Burgh tumbles from his lofty pedestal and chaos rattles the halls of power.
The Ela of Salisbury Medieval Mystery Series
This series features a real historical figure—the formidable Ela Longespée. The young Countess of Salisbury was chosen to marry King Henry II’s illegitimate son William. After her husband’s untimely death, Ela served as High Sheriff of Wiltshire, castellan of Salisbury Castle, and ultimately founder and abbess of Lacock Abbey.
Book 1: Cathedral of Bones
Book 2: Breach of Faith
Book 3: The Lost Child
Book 4: Forest of Souls
Book 5: The Bone Chess Set
Book 6: Cloister of Whispers
Book 7: Palace of Thorns
Book 8: A Surfeit of Miracles
Book 9: The d’Albiac Inheritance
Book 10: Unholy Sanctuary
©2024 J. G. Lewis (P)2024 J. G. LewisListeners also enjoyed...
With all the background and personal life build up going on in the past books i was hoping to get a really good and upsetting finish but it fell flat on its face, just an abrupt ending with Ela getting a satisfactory end with some form of justice for her husband.
Anyways, The Narrator was excellent as always, the no:1 choice for Ela by far and does an excellent job covering all the other voices including men.
I was a little disappointed with this one
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Brilliant story
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There are at least three points in the story where the author contradicts previous statements. Where was the editor? Holy cow! They were glaring errors in the story. One of the most inaccurate parts of the story is the removal of the anchoress from her cell. In actuality, the anchoress would have been excommunicated for leaving her cell as she had been consecrated to her life of solitude when she was installed there.
The author’s treatment of Ela of Salisbury is very sympathetic and she creates her with sensibilities of a woman of today, rather than as a woman of 13th Century, a noble, a sheriff, and someone who was one of the most powerful women in England at the time. She did not get that way by being a pushover and showing leniency to those who crossed her or broke the law. The 13th Century was a very violent time and nobles crushed serfs without a second thought.
The glee she expresses at the possibility that Hubert du Burgh would get some punishment is clearly injected, as the author states in the notes, as to pander to the reader. There is no factual evidence that Hubert murdered Ela’s husband William Longspee.
I’ve listened to all of the books so far hoping that Lewis would write Ela as the strong and uncompromising woman she likely was and not as the lenient, withering, and often easily led, character she portrays. Moreover, Lewis’ portrayal of William Talbot, the knight who in historical fact found Ela in Normandy and returned her to England, as a closeted homosexual is, in my opinion, offensive and without historical merit; Another instance of Lewis injecting contemporary feelings on to 13th Century lives.
On the whole, this started out as a good story, with a good plot, but the obvious contradictions, utterly ridiculous ending, and continued “Mary Sue” portrayal of Ela, turned it into one of the worst of the series.
Madeline Brolly does a good job with the voice characterizations as always.
A great start…
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Feeble
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