The Servant’s Tale
Dame Frevisse Mystery Series 2
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Narrated by:
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Susan Duerden
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By:
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Margaret Frazer
About this listen
The play's the thing, to catch the conscience of a killer...
The Christmas season brings strange guests to the medieval nunnery of St. Frideswide's when a troupe of penniless players comes knocking at the gate. They bear with them the badly mangled body of a villager, swearing they found the drunken fool lying in a ditch. But Meg, the victim's wife and a scullery maid of the cloister, thinks there are far fouler deeds afoot.
As the players rehearse for the nativity, ancient scandals lick at their heels and dark desperation haunts Meg's steps as she finds cruel feudal laws threatening to strip away the lands that would support both her and her sons in the wake of her husband's death.
Dame Frevisse must thrust herself between these violent feuds, awakening dreams of her youth that she had believed long buried. Her very faith may be threatened, but Frevisse knows she must unravel a path to true salvation...before false raptures of lust bring ruination upon them all.
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Happily surprised
- By 9S on 07-04-09
By: Deanna Raybourn
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The Harp of Kings
- By: Juliet Marillier
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk, Alex Wyndham, Frazer Douglas
- Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Eighteen-year-old Liobhan is a powerful singer and an expert whistle player. Her brother has a voice to melt the hardest heart, and is a rare talent on the harp. But Liobhan's burning ambition is to join the elite warrior band on Swan Island. She and her brother train there to compete for places, and find themselves joining a mission while still candidates. Their unusual blend of skills makes them ideal for this particular job, which requires going undercover as traveling minstrels. For Swan Island trains both warriors and spies.
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THIS IS BLACKTHORN & GRIM'S CHILDREN
- By Rinogirl on 10-23-19
By: Juliet Marillier
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Highland Gladiator
- Scots and Swords, Book 1
- By: Kathryn Le Veque
- Narrated by: Brad Wills
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Truth. Justice. Revenge. Behind these stands The Scotsman's Sword. When Lor Careston's quiet Highland village was attacked and burned, he felt helpless against the raiders who destroyed his home. Seeking revenge, but lacking the fighting skills he needs to execute his mission, he sets out to find the Ludus Caledonia - a mysterious fight guild that turns men into warriors. Lor trains hard, proves himself in the ring, and earns a place with the very clan that decimated his home, having decided to set his plan for revenge in motion from inside the clan.
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Wonderful!
- By Virginia on 08-31-20
By: Kathryn Le Veque
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My Name Is Resolute
- By: Nancy E. Turner
- Narrated by: Mhairi Morrison
- Length: 25 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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The year is 1729, and Resolute Talbot and her siblings are captured by pirates, taken from their family in Jamaica and brought to the New World. Resolute and her sister are sold into slavery in colonial New England and taught the trade of spinning and weaving. When Resolute finds herself alone in Lexington, Massachusetts, she struggles to find her way in a society that is quick to judge a young woman without a family. As the seeds of rebellion against England grow, Resolute is torn between following the rules and breaking free.
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A life well lived!
- By Anonymous User on 06-20-23
By: Nancy E. Turner
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Veil of Lies
- A Crispin Guest Medieval Mystery, Book 1
- By: Jeri Westerson
- Narrated by: Noah James Butler
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Accused of treason and stripped of his knighthood, Crispin Guest has survived on the gritty streets of London by reinventing himself as The Tracker, an investigator for hire who can locate lost objects and uncover secrets. When the merchant Nicholas Walcote hires Guest to investigate his young wife Philippa for adultery, he discovers an underground world of danger and dirty dealings. Philippa is indeed hiding something—but she's not the only one. Walcote himself is rumored to possess a holy relic so powerful that some would even kill for it.
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Character insight and I am satisfied with my short answers and don’t want to count out 15 words!
- By frances anne bramhall on 05-06-24
By: Jeri Westerson
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The Black Rose
- By: Thomas B. Costain
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Walter of Gurnie, bastard son of an English peer, is forced to flee from Oxford for his part in the university riots of 1273. Inspired by Friar Bacon, he determines to travel to China. With his friend Tristam, he fights his way to the heart of the fabulous Mongol Empire and returns famous, to find that he must choose between the first love he thought lost and the exotic flower that he found in the East.
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Great Book
- By Jean on 03-09-13
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The Town House
- By: Norah Lofts
- Narrated by: Juliet Prague, Martyn Read
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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"It was in the first week of October in the year 1391 that I first came face to face with the man who owned me… the man whose lightest word was to us, his villeins, weightier than the King’s law or the edicts of our Holy Father…” So began the story of Martin Reed - a serf whose resentment of the automatic rule of his feudal lord finally flared into open defiance.
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Another winner by Norah Lofts
- By Bird Lady 147 on 10-03-17
By: Norah Lofts
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The Innocent
- By: Bertrice Small
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Deceptively fragile-looking, Eleanore of Ashlin had promised her life to God...until fate intervened. With her brother's untimely death, Eleanore - known as Elf to those who love her - becomes the heiress of an estate vital to England's defenses. She is ordered by royal command to wed one of the king's knights rather than take her final vows. With resistant heart, but ever obedient to King Stephen's will, she complies.
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Well written!
- By CHW on 03-06-21
By: Bertrice Small
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A Wayside Tavern
- By: Norah Lofts
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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A Wayside Tavern tells the story of a Suffolk drinking place from the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, until the present day. The Roman veteran, crippled and left behind, worshipped Mithras, so the place became known as the One Bull and down through the centuries it became a clearing house for contraband, a miniature Hell Fire Club, a fashionable hotel, a mere pub. Across the yard, was the church of St Cerdic, king and martyr, who fought the Danes and was famous for the miracles performed at his shrine.
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An enjoyable tale
- By Gordon on 10-07-11
By: Norah Lofts
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The Path of Thorns
- By: A.G. Slatter
- Narrated by: Louise Williams
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Asher Todd comes to live with the mysterious Morwood family as a governess to their children. Asher knows little about being a governess but she is skilled in botany and herbcraft, and perhaps more than that. And she has secrets of her own, dark and terrible—and Morwood is a house that eats secrets. With a monstrous revenge in mind, Asher plans to make it choke. However, she becomes fond of her charges, of the people of the Tarn, and she begins to wonder if she will be able to execute her plan—and who will suffer most if she does.
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Amazing
- By Chariedel Davatos on 12-20-24
By: A.G. Slatter
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Master of Desire
- Brotherhood/MacAllister Series, Book 1
- By: Kinley MacGregor
- Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Beautiful Lady Emily dreams of the rapture of love and the joys of marriage. The youngest daughter of an English lord at war, she is shaken by the arrival of a mysterious stranger to her father's castle. Could this breathtaking man be Emily's yearned-for lover? Indeed, Draven de Montague, earl of Ravenswood, has come for Emily...but romance has nothing to do with it.
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I enjoyed the story
- By Cielle on 02-14-21
By: Kinley MacGregor
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Cathedral
- By: Ben Hopkins
- Narrated by: Malk Williams, Sophie Roberts
- Length: 19 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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A sweeping story about obsession, mysticism, art and earthly desire. At the centre of this story is the Cathedral. Its design and construction in the 13th and 14th centuries in the fictional town of Hagenburg unites a vast array of unforgettable characters whose fortunes are inseparable from the shifting political factions and economic interests vying for supremacy. From the bishop to his treasurer, from local merchants to lowly stonecutters, the fate of everyone, both Gentile and Jew, is affected by the slow rise of Hagenburg’s cathedral.
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Interesting description of life in the Middle Ages
- By leongork on 06-30-21
By: Ben Hopkins
What listeners say about The Servant’s Tale
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Susan Kelly
- 04-07-21
Pleasant Medieval Mystery Series
The story includes medieval traveling players. The story held my attention. The key protagonist is a great character wise beyond the walls of the abbey. I’m not sure I bought into the murderer at the end. I like the series so far. A pleasant medieval mystery series like Cadfael.
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- Jane
- 10-31-23
Enjoyed story and narration
Excellent historical detail seemlessly blended into the story. The narrator changes her voice for different characters, but it’s true she does not change accents. That’s a lot to ask for a book set in 14th century England.
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- Kathy in CA
- 08-17-21
Excellent Entry in the Series
I thoroughly enjoyed this Dame Frevisse cozy. The series is reminiscent of Cadfael. I thought I had discerned the coming ending for two key characters, but the hints I had picked up fooled me. Well done!
The narrator is excellent. Her voice is so much like that of the marvelous actor Juliet Stevenson that at first I thought it was she.
Recommended.
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- Charlotte Long
- 07-07-22
Great book; Disappointing Narration
I love these books and these plots; high quality in so many ways. However, the narrator speaks with literally one speech pattern over and over, always going down at the end of the sentence no matter what is being said. It drives me crazy and is such a bummer since the dialogue is so much more varied that she can give, but I will likely keep listening to the third book since the writing is so fun.
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- Susan
- 02-03-24
Well written and historically interesting!
Seems historically accurate, and is well written with an interesting mystery plot that was not too simple to figure out. I really enjoyed listening to the thoughts and ideas of the nuns, and understanding more of their lives. 
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- martin e.
- 04-29-24
A great story
The author really knows the customs of monastic life and the stories are interesting. This one had a surprising end
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- Michelle Rippon
- 11-17-20
Wonderful! More of the same please.
I have loved her books but the audios are bringing them to life. The narrator was perfect. I dont see any more audio books and I would like "The Play Of ..." books on audio also!
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- cathy
- 11-27-23
Impeccable history
Very well narrated. History of daily life was informative and interesting. Will read the entire series
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- Kelly&Anna
- 05-01-24
Good mystery
Keeps you guessing. My first suspect turned out to be the killer, but the plot line had me questioning my choice a couple of times before I was sure of it.
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- T. Ojala
- 05-04-24
Oh the reader
Hard to concentrate through the lisp. The story itself was good and interesting with detailed descriptions of the era, that I liked.
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