The Night Wanderer: An Aelf Fen Mystery

Clare’s entertaining seventh Aelf Fen mystery (after 2015’s Blood of the South) opens in the autumn of 1094 with the discovery of a wealthy merchant with his throat torn out on a river bank near Cambridge, England. There’s nothing that apprentice healer Lassair or anybody can do but pray for the poor man’s soul. As the body count rises, Cambridge is thrown into an uproar, and rumors circulate that a legendary figure called the Night Wanderer has arisen and is stalking the populace. Sheriff Picot claims that a large animal is responsible, but Lassair and her lawman friend, Jack Chevestrier, are determined to prove that all too human hands are doing the killings. Lassair and Chevestrier desperately seek connections among the victims, even as it becomes apparent that Lassair herself may be a target due to her apprenticeship to a local wizard. Skillful pacing and a healthy dose of mysticism add to the appeal—especially for fans of medieval historicals. (May)