The Butcher Bird: Oswald de Lacy Book 2 - The Oswald de Lacy Medieval Murders (Paperback)

Comparisons to the master of historical crime, CJ Sansom, are inevitable and, in this case, justified. - The Times

The whodunnit aspect is neatly done, the family secrets and waspish relationships are intriguing, and humour and originality are abundant. - Daily Mail

Trouble, and its attendant duties, confront the reluctant young lord on nearly every page of this eventful, engrossing, informative mystery set in mid-14th-century Kent. - Wall Street Journal

Sykes establishes herself firmly as a major talent. - Publishers Weekly

Praise for PLAGUE LAND - :

There's a nice, cliché-free sharpness to Sykes' writing . . . that suggests a medieval Raymond Chandler at work, and there are no phony celebrations of the peasantry or earth-mothers thrusting herbal concoctions down grateful throats. Plenty of action and interesting characters, without intervention of the libertarian modern conscience that so often wrecks the medieval historical novel. - Independent

The medieval CJ Sansom - Jeffery Deaver

PLAGUE LAND is a fascinating historical crime novel about a world turned upside down, inhabited by a rich cast of characters. A terrific debut and a wonderful start to a brand-new series. - Antonia Hodgson, author of THE DEVIL IN THE MARSHALSEA

Sykes has really reset the bar for medieval mysteries . . . every clue brings with it unexpected twists and turns. When you think you know who the killer is, you're slapped with yet another surprise. - Medievalists

Sykes's debut provides everything a reader would want in a historical mystery: a gripping plot, vivid language, living and breathing characters, and an immersive depiction of the past. - Publisher's Weekly