Consolation For An Exile
The Chronicles of Isaac of Girona
by Caroline Roe
Prime Crime
Mystery, Mystery: Historical
December 6, 2005
ISBN-13: 0425201813
Available in: Hardcover
Two-time Anthony Award nominee Caroline Roe bring fourteenth-century Spain to life in her richly detailed and intricately woven mysteries. In this tale, danger and deceit infiltrate two very different familiesand only a blind man can bring the truth to light...
The spring of 1355 brings unexpected changes in Girona. For Isaac the physician, it is time to bid farwell to his student Yusuf, who has become a well-loved member of the family. After thinking him dead for years, Yusuf's blood kin have discovered his whereabouts, and are eager for his return home to Grenada.
As Yusuf sets off on his journey, a stranger arrives at the doorstep of Raimon Forestar, one of Isaac's patients. Raimon has lately been plagued by disturbing memories in the form of nightmares. Now the bad dreams grow worse after the stranger, claiming to be his half-brother, Guillem, takes up residence at the finca. No one can ignore the striking resemblance between Raimon and Guillem, yet the two could not be more different in character, and the manipulative Guillem's obvious greed for a share of Raimon's property soon brings chaosand worseto the once-peaceful household.
Meanwhile, Yusuf faces challenges of his own as he tries to acquit himself appropriately at the court of his cousin, Muhammad V, Emir of Grenada. Although he is overjoyed to be reunited with his mother and sisters, two narrow escapes make it clear to Yusuf that someone else within the castle walls is less than happy about his return. Fleeing for his life, the boy heads for the only truly safe haven he knows...
As political, religious, and familial intrigue once again converge on Girona, Isaac copes with the sudden passing of a patient. It is the most distressing kind of lossfor no doctor can prevent death by another's hand. Now, Isaac must use all of his skills and every clue at his disposal to untangle an elaborate web of lies, secrets, and ambitionbefore another victim is claimed.
Caroline Roe is the pseudonym of acclaimed mystery author Medora Sale. She is a graduate of the prestigious Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. She holds a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies.
In medieval Spain, the blind Jewish physician Isaac of Girona is revered for his skill as a healer. But it's Isaac's uncanny sense for what is fair and what is foul that proves to be the real cure.