A Brotherly Devotion blog tour is through Rachel’s Random Resources and includes an exclusive extract from the book. Sample the work, share, comment, follow.
Book Details
A Brotherly Devotion
YORK 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.
EXTRACT 1
For this extract I’ve chosen the opening paragraphs of the novel. I’ve selected this for several reasons – firstly, these are the first published words of mine as an author; secondly, I wanted to create an opening scene that would intrigue the reader and make them want to know why Brother Clement was killed. I also like writing the calm opening paragraphs describing a beautiful summers evening and then contrasting it with the heinous crime of murder.
Brother Clement could feel the soothing warmth of the evening sun on his back as he walked along the bank of the River Ouse back to the Abbey of St Mary. The air was heavy with the scent of cut grasses and the flowers that bloomed along the edge of the river. It had been another hot day and, in the city, the air clung to buildings like a suffocating blanket. The streets had been thick with the unpleasant stench of rotting food and foul water, and the breeze that occasionally wafted through them only served to increase the repulsiveness. Brother Clement found it a blessing to be outside of the city walls for once, and to enjoy the sweeter smells of the countryside. The summer heat had lasted for several weeks now, and without any rain, the river was lower than he had ever known; the mud banks cracked and hard under his feet. Even during the nights, the temperature did not drop much, and the stone walls of the Abbey buildings including the dormitory, held the heat all night so that there was no respite from it.
It was unusual for Brother Clement to be out of the Abbey precinct, but Abbot Robert had been quite insistent that he should be the one to tend to Lady Maud de Mowbray as she grew more frail. He had been making regular visits to deliver poppy juice to ease her pain and make her more comfortable. He had also been charged with hearing her confessions and delivering Gods’ grace to the ailing widow who was a notable benefactor of the Abbey.
It was late and he had already missed vespers, but he was not far away now and could see the buildings of the Abbey silhouetted along the skyline as dusk fell. He had to admit that it was a beautiful evening, and one which made him marvel to see the hand of God at work in the landscape around him. Brother Clement was a private man; accustomed to spending time alone in the building he used for concocting his herbal remedies which he supplied to his brethren and the hospital. Lost in his thoughts and contemplations he didn’t hear the approaching horses and their riders.
He was taken by surprise and before Brother Clement knew it the men had dismounted and surrounded him. Suddenly, he felt very afraid. He wasn’t sure what the men wanted with him. He gave them a blessing and wished them good evening, but his instincts were telling him that they were not there for him to dispense the Grace of God. He felt a fear rising inside him that he hadn’t known for many years, and although he wanted to trust God to deliver him safely back to the Abbey, he sensed it was not going to be. The men were quick, and before he had time to think, they had grasped hold of him. A hand came down hard across his mouth to prevent him calling out and he found he was helpless to resist. It was all over so quickly and as he lay prostrate on the riverbank, the life seeping out of him, he prayed to God to save his soul and deliver him to heaven.
Purchase Links
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brotherly-Devotion-Murder-Most-Foul-ebook/dp/B0FH16K5F8/
Author Bio
Jill lives on the Island of Guernsey now, but is originally from Yorkshire. She has a love of early medieval history which led her to study the subject at Huddersfield College in the 1980’s. Working in Leeds at the time, meant that she had access to the Yorkshire Archaeological Society on their late night opening and following research, she wondered what the lives of the people she read about were actually like. This started a love of writing historical fiction, but her initial stories were never sent to a publisher. Life and work then intervened and writing was put to one side. It was only following a workshop held by the Guernsey Literary Festival in 2024 on writing historical fiction, that her love of writing was reignited. Her first novel ‘A Brotherly Devotion’ was published in July 2025.
Social Media Links – Facebook: Jill Bray – Author and Twitter/X @JillBray67
