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Savernake
Savernake
Series ·
13
books · 2017-2022
By
Susanna M. Newstead
,
Susanna Newstead
Books in series
#1
Belvoir's Promise
2017
A huge forest. A young nobleman. And death stalks them both.... The date is 1191 Aumary Belvoir is seventeen. Seventeen, and bound by an oath so holy, he dare not break it. Unexpectedly thrust into the position of the Warden of the Savernake; a woodland of one hundred and fifty square miles in Wiltshire, will Aumary succeed in stamping his authority on the forest? He has also acquired a half brother he did not know he had. With the help of his experienced staff and his willing family, things go well. The surprise brother, Robert proves a worthy assistant. Then the deaths begin. Are they accidents as they seem or is there something more sinister happening in the forest? Seventy year old Aumary is dictating his story to a scribe. He can no longer write for himself and wishes to set down for all time, the truth of two mysteries; the death of Arthur Duke of Brittany, King John's nephew and rival, and other more disturbing deaths closer to home. Aumary Belvoir sets off to uncover a plot so dastardly and deadly, so patient and well planned that it takes thirteen years to lay bare.
#2
She Moved Through the Fair
2017
A locked tower room. Two young people. Murder has claimed them both. The date is 1204. The 16 year old Matilda de Neville is to marry the young noble Guy de Saye but a week before the marriage, Sir Aumary Belvoir, warden of the forest of Savernake, under constable of Marlborough castle, hears their murder in a room in the keep, above his head. No one went in. No one came out. They were forty feet in the air, behind seven feet of solid stone and surrounded by water. Drawing on the skills he first honed in Belvoir’s Promise, Aumary sets out to unearth the awful truth about that locked tower room. Is there a connection to the decayed body recently found in his forest? Does the fair, newly granted to the town by King John have any bearing upon the deaths? Massive, menacing and malevolent, the castle keep seems to take on a life of its own. Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? This, the first in a series, offers a chilling explanation of one such song, She Moved Through the Fair.
#3
Down By the Salley Gardens
2017
The date is 1204 A loathed priest. A shocking secret. A terrible curse. The peaceful village of Durley deep in the Savernake Forest, of which Sir Aumary Belvoir is lord, is rocked by a bloody and unholy murder. The village priest lies gruesomely slain in his house; dead of twenty knife blows and everyone knows the steward cursed him with twenty knife blows. Is Pierson guilty? Aumary Belvoir isn’t so certain. Digging into the past, he realises that his manor is not the serene place he imagines. Some very nasty secrets lie buried just under the surface and someone is determined to keep them buried. Following on from the shocking revelation in She Moved Through the Fair, we find Aumary drawing again on his considerable skills of detection. The stately willow trees of the riverside Salley Gardens hold a disturbing mystery only he can unravel. Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? The third book in the Savernake series, offers a disquieting explanation of this well known song.
#4
I will Give my Love an Apple
2018
A long and icy winter. A village cut off by snow. A murderer is sealed in with them....The date is 1204 An injured man is discovered in the lane leading to the village in the forest of Savernake. However, the cold is not the immediate cause of his ills. He has been hit on the head and left to die. Aumary Belvoir Lord of Durley and warden of the forest sets out to discover the identity of the mystery man, for although he recovers, he can recall nothing, not even his own name. With him, death comes prowling. Aumary Belvoir, now the king’s constable must discover the murderer before another innocent is struck down. But what he learns rocks him to the core. Will he be able to bring himself to admit the truth before that cruel winter is the death of them all? Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? This, the fourth in the series, offers a novel meaning to the gem that is 'I will Give my Love an Apple'.
#5
Black is the Colour of my True Love's Hair
2018
A gentle spring follows a wicked winter. But the kindly forest conceals a monstrous murderer... The date is 1205 A hanged man is found in the newly greening forest of Savernake. Was it self-murder or something more sinister? Sir Aumary Belvoir, warden of the forest and the king’s constable is duty bound to investigate. Drawn to the nearby town of Marlborough and into the shady world of the local horse racing, Aumary wonders if this man is a victim of the uglier side of this sport. Gambling. Or is there some even nastier reason for his death? A newly married woman and a poor demented matron, fall prey to this monster. No one in the forest is safe; not even Aumary’s wife Lydia. Time is running out for the warden. The beast is getting closer. Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? In this tale, the fourth in a series based upon such songs, a sinister interpretation of Black is the Colour, is laid before the reader.
#6
Long Lankyn
2018
An otherwordly place. An unnatural monster. A grisly murder...The date is 1205.Aumary Belvoir warden of the forest of Savernake and the king’s constable in the county of Wiltshire has barely been able to conclude his last inquiry before he is called again to investigate the most horrendous of crimes.Summoned to the village of Avebury, a place surrounded by huge stones synonymous with mystery and magic, he discovers a terrible slaughter which it is said, has been perpetrated by an evil creature as tall as the ancient stones themselves.Has Hell disgorged one of its devils?Can Aumary catch the sinister monster before more innocents die?Will Aumary be drawn into the evil magic of the place or will common sense prevail?This sad tale of Mediaeval myth, prejudice and persecution will draw you in and leave you looking over your shoulder……..Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk airs? This, the fifth in a series based upon such songs, interprets the disquieting lyrics of the song, Long Lankin and lays before the reader an eerily disturbing account.
#7
One Misty Moisty Morning
2018
A barrel of ale. beastly bloodshed. And a bear... The date is 1206. Sir Aumary Belvoir, warden of the forest of Savernake and constable of the county of Wiltshire is called to the strangest murder scene in Marlborough town. A man horribly dead… and the only witness, an old bear. With his usual aplomb, Aumary sets off to discover the evil which lies buried under the seemingly serene surface of the little forest town of Marlborough. Then a terrible tragedy at the town mill leads the warden into serious danger. Greed, the lust for power and the desire for revenge are amongst the twisted threads he must untangle. Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? This tale, the sixth in a series, offers a sinister interpretation to this well known and jolly song.
#8
The Unquiet Grave
2019
A missing bridegroom. Stolen coin. And a ghost haunting Savernake Forest...The date is 1206. Young forester Peter Brenthall is not given to hysteria but there is no doubt something has frightened him out of his wits. A disgusting corpse rises from the ground and speaks to him and he flees in terror. But Sir Aumary Belvoir, warden of Savernake Forest, doesn’t believe in apparitions - until his good friend and the most rational of fellows, Dr. Johannes of Salerno experiences this ghost too. In order to calm the panic, Aumary must lay this ghost to rest. And what is the significance of the body in the Crammer, a pond at the nearby town of Devizes? What is going on at dead of night near this body of water?Aumary must have all his wits about him and in order to unmask a murderer, he must somehow lay hands on an other-worldly adversary. Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? This tale, the eighth in the series, leads the reader into a world full of Mediaeval superstition and dread.
#9
The Lark in the Morning
2019
Death on the Downs. A strangled spinster. And a flitch of bacon... The Date is 1207 A harmless contest turns deadly when one of the participants is murdered.Sir Aumary Belvoir, Lord of Durley and warden of Savernake Forest investigates the killing of one of his own serfs, a harmless spinner of wool, wife to one of his shepherds.Has her husband suffered a fit of the brain, and killed her? The town of Marlborough, close to the forest is buzzing with rumour. Aumary must search for a motive for her murder and in doing so, is drawn nearer to death himself, for, as the number of bodies rise, the murderer becomes desperate and seeks to destroy the man who is endeavouring to unmask them. Aumary meets his deadliest foe yet; quick witted, clever and as cool as a cat.Can the Lord of Durley outwit this fiend and send them to the gallows before he too becomes a victim? Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? This, the ninth in the series, offers a sinister interpretation to this jolly song.
#10
A Parcel of Rogues
2020
The date is 1207 A town cut off by floods. A desperate dilemma. And murder comes to Marlborough. Aumary Belvoir, Lord of Durley and warden of the forest of Savernake, is charged by the chief forester of the land, Hugh de Neville, with the job of supervising a clandestine meeting at the castle in Marlborough. Shortly after one party arrives, the corpse of an unknown wealthy man is washed up on the bank of the torrent that is the swollen River Kennet. Who is this murdered man and has he any connection to the enigmatic young woman found dying a most horrendous death by the church yard wall? Aumary’s enquiries lead him into conflict with some of the most influential families in Marlborough. How can he shine a light upon the evil without throwing the innocent into the glaring eye of the law? Belvoir begins to fear that his King may be at the very heart of the murders? Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? This, the tenth in the series, offers a surprising interpretation of one such beautiful song.
Authors
Susanna M. Newstead
Author · 15 books
Susanna Newstead
Author · 1 book
#11
Bushes & Briars
2020
Shifting shadows. Macabre murders. And a glorious garden. The Date is 1207. One of Sir Aumary Belvoir’s unpopular villeins lies murdered in his own home. Has the daughter with whom he recently quarrelled finally broken and killed him? Has her lover dispatched him so that they can be free to marry? What does his death have to do with a missing will and a disputed patch of ground in Savernake, the forest of which Sir Aumary Belvoir is warden? To make matters worse, King John desires a garden to be built close to the castle in Marlborough and the townsmen are bitterly opposed. Aumary must be able to keep the peace and placate his King. As the deaths pile up, Aumary realises, contrary to his belief, that which he sees with his very own eyes, cannot possibly be the truth. Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? This, the eleventh in the series, offers a novel interpretation of this sweet song.
#12
Though I Live Not Where I Love
2021
Twelfth installment in the fiendishly plotted Savernake Novels Murder Mystery Series. A love betrayed. A friendship shattered. A miscarriage of justice? It is 1207. A young woman arrives at Durley village, deep in Savernake Forest . It seems she has walked the many miles from Hereford seeking the father of her unborn child. She swears that he’s a Durleyman and that his name is Tom Potter. But Tom denies it. He has never been to Hereford. The child is born but by the following day the young mother is dead. Murdered by strangulation. Is Tom guilty after all? Who are the men who are raiding the forest indiscriminately killing any artisan working there and what are they searching for? Aumary Belvoir, Warden of Savernake Forest and the King’s constable in Wiltshire is duty bound to investigate and finds himself pitted against both the sheriff of the county and the chief forester in this tense tale of mystery and enigma. Aumary must prove Tom Potter innocent or it’s likely he’ll go to the gallows and if he isn’t careful, Aumary may swiftly follow him! Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? This, the twelfth in the series, offers an interpretation of one such song, Though I Live Not Where I Love.
#13
Wynter Wakeneth
2022
It is 1208. An icy landscape. A missing peasant. And a baby. Aumary Belvoir is about to become a father again but sadly this joyous time is marred by the disappearance of one of his cowmen, Borden Lea, who has not come home from his work in Savernake Forest. Has he absconded? Is he lying injured in the snow or is there a more sinister reason for his disappearance? A short while later, the small settlement of Braydon Oak is rocked when a cowman's wife is brutally murdered in broad daylight. Is it anything to do with the evil looking black bearded man seen in the forest by one of the forest women or is one of Bordern's cowherd companions guilty? Then a second woman is murdered in the same way. Why is this small group of forest folk being targeted? Aumary Belvoir, Constable of the county and Warden of the Forest of Savernake must travel the forest in dreadful winter weather, sifting all the available information, much of which he feels is being withheld from him. Why will people not tell him the truth? Even the usually friendly priest of Cadley is reticent. Aumary draws close to an answer but this leads him into deadly peril. An unlikely enemy has him in their sights. Have you ever wondered what might be the story behind some of our most beloved ancient folk songs? This, the thirteenth in the series, offers an interpretation of one such; the eerie thirteenth century song, Wynter Wakeneth. (Winter Awakes.)
