Jill Bray - Author
A Brotherly Devotion
Historical Fiction Novel
York: July 1224
On a hot July night, Brother Clement is savagely murdered when returning from administering to Lady Maud de Mowbray.
Simon de Hale, Sheriff of Yorkshire, is in his office when Abbot Robert visits to inform him of the murder, and request that he take responsibility for investigating the killing.
Simon is unsure whether the murder is a crime against the Abbey, or if it is a more personal matter against the monk.
Commencing their investigation, Simon and his deputy, Adam, ride out to see Lady Maud de Mowbray at Overton - the last person to see Brother Clement alive. When they encounter her son, Roger de Mowbray, they both take an instant dislike to him.
Lady Mowbray reveals to Simon that she intends to leave her money to the Abbey, and Simon can see this being a motive for the monk’s murder, if her son was aware of this.
The investigation gathers pace and a murder weapon is found.
A banquet is held at the castle to honour the Royal Justice - during which, one of the guests is exposed as the murderer and apprehended. But that will not be the end of the story for Simon and his family
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A Knightly Betrayal
Historical Fiction Novel
Coming soon in 2026 - Book 2 in the 'Simon de Hale' series.
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October 1224:
When Simon de Hale arrives at his manor in Northamptonshire to celebrate the birth of his first grandchild, he is surprised to find an old friend, Lady Cecily Chalcombe, waiting to see him. Following the death of her husband earlier in the summer, she has been receiving threatening letters, and also believes she is being followed. With two suitors vying for her hand in marriage and a contested inheritance of her late husband’s estate, she is unsure who is threatening her and asks Simon for help.
Then, when her maid Martha, is brutally stabbed to death on the evening of a celebration feast, Lady Chalcombe is worried that this is a warning and she might be next.
Lady Chalcombe’s brother, Nicholas, appears overly protective and concerned for his sister’s welfare. Meanwhile, Earl Warenne wants her to be the next Countess of Surrey; and another of Lady Chalcombe’s suitors, Percival de Courcy, is found to have hired mercenary soldiers to watch her at the manor. But would any of them kill to achieve their aims?
Simon and his son-in-law Alexander, begin to investigate the killing of the maid and start to uncover a web of lies and gambling debts. When the truth comes out, Simon and Alexander have to make it back to the manor in time to prevent Lady Chalcombe, and Simon’s daughter Katherine, being the killers next victim.
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