With Death Comes As Epiphany , the first in the Catherine LeVendeur mystery series, medievalist Sharan Newman has woven dark mystery and sparkling romance into a fascinating and richly detailed tapestry of everyday life in twelfth-century France, and one of the most moving love stories of all time: Abelard and Heloise. Catherine LeVendeur is a young scholar come to conquer her sin of pride at the Convent of the Paraclete, famous for learning, prayer, and its abbess, the fabled Heloise. When a manuscript the convent produced for the great Abbe Suger disappears, rumors surface saying the book contains sacrilegious passages and will be used to condemn Heloise's famous lover, Peter Abelard. To save her Order, and protect all she holds dear, Catherine must find the manuscript and discover who altered the text. She will risk disgrace, the wrath of her family and the Church, and confront an evil older than Time itself--and, if she isn't careful, lose her immortal soul. Winner of the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery “A sweeping historical novel--meticulously researched with humor, richness, and detail.” ― Anne Perry “Breathtakingly exciting and full of mystery and adventure.” ― Los Angeles Times “Be forewarned--Sharan Newman will change the way you think about the Middle Ages. Her Catherine LeVendeur series brings the twelfth century to life with compassion, intelligence, and wit, in tales rich with detail and unforgettable characters. Newman delivers an outstanding mystery in each and every book. This series is not to be missed!” ― Jan Burke Sharan Newman is a medieval historian and author. She took her Master’s degree in Medieval Literature at Michigan State University and then did her doctoral work at the University of California at Santa Barbara in Medieval Studies, specializing in twelfth-century France. She is a member of the Medieval Academy and the Medieval Association of the Pacific. Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her education to write novels set in the Middle Ages, including three Arthurian fantasies and more than half a dozen mysteries set in twelfth-century France, featuring Catherine LeVendeur, a one-time student of Heloise at the Paraclete; her husband, Edgar, an Anglo-Scot; and Solomon, a Jewish merchant of Paris. The books focus on the life of the bourgeoisie and minor nobility and also the uneasy relations between Christians and Jews at that time. They also incorporate events of the twelfth-century such as the Second Crusade and the rise of the Cathars. The Catherine Levendeur mysteries have been nominated for many awards. Sharan won the Macavity Award for best first mystery for Death Comes As Epiphany , the Herodotus Award for best historical mystery for Cursed in the Blood , and The Witch in the Well won the Bruce Alexander award for best historical mystery. Her mystery The Shanghai Tunnel is set in Portland in 1868. Newman has also written non-fiction books, including The Real History Behind the Da Vince Code and The Real History Behind the Templars . Newman lives on a mountainside in Oregon. Death Comes As Epiphany A Catherine LeVendeur Mystery By Newman, Sharan Forge Books Copyright © 2002 Newman, Sharan All right reserved. ISBN: 9780765303745 Catherine was working in the vegetable garden with the other novices on the morning Sister Ursula’s family came to take her away. They could hear her pleading and crying all the way across the cloister. “What could she have done?” Sister Emilie whispered as they continued hoeing the cabbages. “I can’t imagine,” Catherine answered. “She always seemed so devout.” “Sh!” Sister Adeline warned. “Sister Bertrada is coming this way.” The novice mistress stepped carefully between the rows until she came to Catherine. “The Abbess Héloïse wants you,” was all she would tell the girl. “I’ve no doubt to punish you as you deserve.” “No doubt,” said Catherine. “But for what?” “More than impudence this time, girl,” Sister Bertrada said grimly. “Go at once! The rest of you, get back to your work!” She stalked away. “Go on.” Emilie nudged Catherine. “Try to find out what’s happened to Ursula.” “I only hope it’s not about to happen to me.” Catherine put down the hoe and squared her shoulders to face her fate. The prioress answered her timid knock instantly. Without speaking, she led Catherine into Héloïse’s room and, with a reproachful glance, left, shutting the door behind her. Catherine stood motionless in the center of the room, eyes down, waiting for the abbess’s reprimand. Héloïse rose and gently lifted Catherine’s chin so that the girl was made to look at her. Héloïse, abbess of the convent of the Paraclete, was a tiny woman, with huge dark eyes. Twenty years of sorrow and self-control had not clouded them. She had long ago learned to compress the sensuality from her lips, to keep her expression calm, but those eyes would always betray her. She smiled a brief reassurance, then stepped away. Turning to a