Margaret Carradus

A Serpent in the Shadows Margaret Carradus

It is the year 1051. Something is amiss in the sleepy seaside village of Gorleston and the young brothers Gyrth and Leofwine are sent to investigate, hoping to avoid the ire of their father the might Earl Godwin of Wessex after one of their pranks went awry. Reknowned as fools among the ruling class, they have been given a chance to redeem their reputations. The bright and busy village of Gorleston has suddenly become suspiciously quiet and the brothers are tasked by the Earl Harold to find out why. The unexpected discovery of a naked body only serves to complicate things for the pair. They will have to travel the mazy path of the River Yare before the truth finally unwinds before them. This novel is based around two of the sons of Earl Godwin. Like many younger sons in history, little is known about them, other than their tenacious defence of their brother's crown at Hastings. In their days, women had much more freedom than they would after the Conquest. They were in charge of their own fate to a great degree, which must have lead to many feisty, strong female characters like those the brothers meet on their journey to adulthood from youthful foolishness. The Anglo Saxon period itself is swathed in as much mist as the lives of the younger Godwinsons. They left little trace behind themselves in the landscape, but the more that is discovered the more it is realised that they were sophisticated, elegant and exceptional craftsmen. It was a time of political intrigue and double dealing, of danger and fear. But from the highest thegn to the lowest ceorl, there was still time for the brothers to find discover that nothing and no-one could be taken at face value, if you wanted to survive.