A Swarming of Bees - Theresa Tomlinson

"A herbwife on a mule may go where warriors cannot - she may see what warriors cannot see and hear what warriors cannot hear!" The Monastery at Whitby is ruled over by the powerful and independent Abbess Hild. But when she needs someone to confide in, she turns to the honest warmth of her friend Fridgyth, the half-pagan herb-wife. A divisive and life-altering decision taken at the Great Synod is swiftly overshadowed as the monastery is ravaged by a deadly plague. As she tends the sick, Fridgyth starts to suspect that not all the deaths are natural. Despite Hild's stern warnings "not to meddle" she sets out to investigate. Can Fridgyth's wisdom and intuition unmask the murderer and unravel the dark politics surrounding the deaths and clandestine arrival of two young scholars? A SWARMING OF BEES is an absorbing and richly atmospheric murder mystery.