The Lammas Wild

May 1, 2021
The 10th and last in Clare's riveting Aelf Fen series completes a long and dangerous journey for the determined heroine. In the summer of 1100, supernaturally talented healer Lassair is returning to England after years spent in Spain learning to harness her formidable powers. She feels a dark cloud hanging over England and, in a vision of the future, sees a man killed in a forest, setting the stage for many hazardous adventures. At first she doesn't visit her mentor, Gurdyman, or lawman Jack Chevestrier, the man she loves, because she knows she's being followed by Errita, the murderously jealous daughter of her teacher back in Spain. Instead, she meets with Eleanor de Lacey, who's part of the king's spy ring, which was run by Lassair's late former lover, Rollo Guiscard. Eleanor has a chest full of Rollo's gold and papers for Lassair, who takes it away and hides the contents in a deserted hut where she takes up secret residence. The next day she finds Eleanor tortured and killed, the first in a chain of murders by someone determined to find the chest. Lassair dares not visit her family with Errita so close on her trail, but she investigates on her own until her inquiries collide with Jack's in a startling turn of events. An exciting, mysterious adventure, though newcomers may prefer to start with the first book in this fascinating series.

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May 31, 2021
Set in 1100, Clare’s strong 10th and final Aelf Fen mystery (after 2019’s City of Pearl) finds the talented healer Lassair, who can also read minds, back home in the Fenland of East Anglia after a seven-year absence in Spain. The tension rises with the murder of one of the first people she speaks to, wealthy widow Eleanor de Lacey. Even more ominous, an enemy from Spain is trailing Lassair, with violence clearly the intent. The investigation into Eleanor’s murder and others that follow by the man Lassair loves, Cambridge lawman Jack Chevestrier, leads to the exposure of a network of spies. Meanwhile, Lassair dares not reveal herself to Jack for fear that she’ll bring death to his door. The political strife tearing apart England during this time, with royal rivals lashing out at one another, makes an effective background, and the fantasy element never dilutes the power of the mystery. At the novel’s center is the affecting romance between Lassair and Jack, which Clare smoothly integrates into the suspenseful narrative. Readers will be sorry to see the last of Lassair. Agent: Sophie Gorell Barnes, MBA Literary (U.K.).

December 1, 2021
In the latest installment of Clare's Aelf Fen series, set in England in the twelfth century, gifted healer and visionary Lassair returns after six years spent further developing her powers in northern Spain. But as her ship enters the English port, she has a frightening vision of looming danger for her home country. She's heard troubling rumors about the King and fears a crisis will soon come to a head. She's also uneasy because her arch-enemy, Errita, has followed her back to England; Errita hates Lassair, who was favored by Errita's mother and gifted with further powers, which Errita feels are rightfully hers. Despite her worries, Lassair is happy to see her old mentor, Gurdyman, and hopes to renew her romance with lawman Jack Chevestrier. Before either of those things happens, however, three brutal murders take place, and Errita seems increasingly determined to add Lassair to the list of victims. Like her previous books, this installment is driven by Clare's vivid descriptions of life in medieval England and by a heroine who is as charismatic as she is clever.

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