Breach of Faith: An Ela of Salisbury Medieval Mystery

Ela of Salisbury Medieval Mysteries, Book 2

By: J. G. Lewis

Narrated by: Madeleine Brolly

Salisbury, 1226

A mysterious poacher claims to be a long-lost heir - to a man found crushed by his own cart wheel. Ela Longespée is determined to find the truth, even though the king has coldly appointed another sheriff in her place. Ela takes pity on the man - an injured knight who once saved her husband’s life - and convinces the sheriff to release him from jail while she investigates. Will it turn out to be a deadly mistake?

©2019 J. G. Lewis (P)2020 J. G. Lewis

Intriguing and historically accurate

This is the second Ela of Salisbury mystery I enjoyed. They are extremely well written and perfectly narrated. On to the next on!

Narrator is awesome!

Interesting story and great narration. Nothing to deep and convoluted. Just a good yarn about interesting characters.

great second story

I really enjoyed the second story better than the first, both are great and entertaining. they went by fast and kept me guessing.

This series is steadily improving.

We're getting to know the characters now and the author is"fleshing out" her world nicely. It now feels like a world you could live in and several things are coming up in the plot that could lead to some very interesting circumstances. We shall see.

Too short!

My only criticism is that it seemed to end very abruptly. I wanted to know more about several storylines, which is why I went straight on to the next book in the series.

Enjoyable listen!

Enjoyed this second installment very much and looking forward to the next one! Love Ela’s character and her search for justice on many levels.

Excellent story, compelling gender issues

A well-crafted, atmospheric medieval story that especially emphasizes gender issues. I have enjoyed the first two installments thoroughly. I do see anachronisms. However, the author explains most with good reasoning in the epilogue. I am looking forward to slowly reading all of them...quite good writing! The narration is excellent, but Alexa's voice is far louder. And Alexa is a rather incompetent and frustrating AI. An AI in need of much improvement.

Disappointing after the first book in the series

I found this story much less convincing than the first novel. Ela has lost her place as sheriff but continues to investigate a murder. Several of the scenes show the heroine Ela in a much less positive light, displaying downright poor judgment and a lack of concern for the well being of some of those who work for her. The narration was consistently good, but the story seemed to go off the rails in the middle. The story is somewhat redeemed by the historical background the author gives us. It is easy to see why the English nobility needed the Magna Carta to protect them from a King who had almost absolute power and could rule as a despot. By the terms of the Magna Carta, women no longer could be forced to remarry after the death of their husband. The Magna Carta was signed by King John, father of Henry III under whose reign the story takes place. In a final historical note, we learn that the historical Ela of Salisbury founded five monasteries in her lifetime. It is a case of historical irony that all five were dissolved by Henry VIII about 200 years later after England decided to make their monarch the head of the Church of England instead of the Pope in Rome. As a result, all the property she gave to the Catholic Church eventually ended up in the coffers of another King Henry, ten generations later, who was the heir to Henry III whom Ela had to bribe to regain her castle in Salisbury.