Silent Water (A Jagiellon Mystery) Paperback – July 23, 2019

Set in the depths of winter, during the Polish Golden Age at the time of the Jagiellonian dynasty, Silent Water is a deeply satisfying and engrossing historical mystery.Often stellar plots are those that are simple, but richly executed, with penetrating human insights and unforgettable sets. Silent Water falls in this category. The narration is in first person with a tone that often borders on the melancholic, hinting to the tragedies that will soon be revealed.Newly arrived in Poland, Contessa Caterina Sanseverino is part of Queen Bona Sforza's entourage. Bringing with her the fashions and social mores of her native Italy, Queen Bona has married King Zygmont I, ruler of Poland and Lithuania.Through Caterina's eyes and voice, we are transported to 16th century Kraków in the Wawel Royal Castle. As Lady of the Queen's Chamber, to her falls the overwhelming responsibility of safeguarding the honour and righteousness of the other ladies of the court - ladies of both Italian and Polish origin. Not an easy task when Lucrezia Alifio is an inveterate flirt, Magdalena Górka is no better, and who knows what the flamed-head Helena Lipińska is up to.Through Caterina, we learn of the fascinating political climate of the period, and meet wonderfully described characters including the womanising diplomat, Jan Dantyszek. The intrigues at court make for great entertainment and the author has deftly incorporated her knowledge of the culture into the narrative. One highlight for me was the grand sleigh rides, or sanna, on the day before New Year's Eve.But over the course of feasting and the traditional celebrations that unravel during Christmas, New Year and the Epiphany, one by one, a series of grizzly murders will rock the royal palace. Suspicions fly, political conspiracies are on the rise, gossip is ever rampant, a suspect is arrested, and more and more, Caterina is convinced that the imprisoned suspect is innocent. She has her own ideas.A natural sleuth, Caterina finds herself the primary detective in this series of murders that soon reaches its chilling climax with a suspenseful, Gothic sequence. For many readers who may guess the 'who' along the way, the conclusion offers satisfaction around the 'how' and the 'why', while posing new and haunting moral questions.The female gaze dominates this novel. It is a gaze imbued with the morality and social concerns of the period. Caterina is an observant woman who misses nothing of her charges' flirtations and social games. At least, she believes she has missed nothing. And that is her tragedy.The author vividly paints the Kraków courtiers together with their costumes and clubs; there is mention of Italian artists invited by the Queen, Polish writers and academics, including the now famous physicist, Nicolaus Copernicus. It was fascinating to learn just how much influence Italian art and architecture had on Poland at the time of Bona Sforza.The book's portrait of a determined queen was faithful to history. I enjoyed learning about her proposed agricultural reforms and was astounded by her willpower in taking on the remnant Teutonic Order.The Jagiellonian dynasty is not as well known as the English Tudors or the French Bourbons. Its first ruler, Władysław II Jagiełło - Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland by marriage - defeated the German Teutonic Knights in the 1410 Battle of Grunwald. It is a pity that there are not many authors with the courage to create stories in this unexplored landscape. We are thankful to P.K. Adams.What is worth noting is that Poland is not just underrepresented in historical fiction; its recent economic growth (it is now the 7th largest economy in the EU) has gone unreported despite it being touted by the World Bank as a new "Golden Age". Personally upon reading Silent Water, I was eager to visit Poland if only to step back in time to that first Golden Age.I will be looking forward to that, and to the other two books in this series.

I jumped at the opportunity to purchase these novels because I haven't seen anything focused on Poland for quite some time (years). The author also made the effort to use correct Polish spellings which, to me, is remarkable for someone writing in English. She even gave the reader simple but clear assistance to pronunciation when emphasizing the letters "w" (pronounced as a "v") and "l" with the "kreska" (slash) as the English "w". However, I did have minor issues with her guidelines to pronouncing Polish words; e.g, Wisla (Vee swah), Krakow (Krah Koov) and Warsawa (Var shah vah) is how I should think they should be pronounced. When reading Polish history, one soon finds that Queen Bona Sforza was a very interesting character and poison was used quite readily during her reign as a problem solver. She is also reputed to have brought Italian cooking to Poland as did Catherine DeMedici to France, and thereby, improve the Polish table. Although the author briefly mentions Sforza bringing "wlosczyzna" (vwohs chiz nah-(kreska through the L) or "Italian stuff" to Poland with her entourage, there is also some speculation of her influence on "pierogi (plural)/pierog (singular)" via the Italian ravioli. Whereas, another story for the origin of "pierogi" (pyeh roh gee) is that they were brought to Poland by the monk Hyacinth, who was educated in Bologna, from the Ukraine (part of Poland/Lithuania at the time). The mystery of the Silent Water, however, will not tax the mind. The setting of the Wawel (Vah vell) Castle, however, is quite delightful -- even the legend of Smok, The Wawel Dragon. The story itself is on the dark side, particularly the ending. The one bright spot is the "kulig" or sleigh ride, which the author calls the "sanna," another word for sleigh ride. However, I've always heard it referred to as the Kulig, where the sleigh is drawn by four horses abreast or a "czworka." King Jan III Sobieski and his spouse, Marysienka were fond of such excursions. This winter form of entertainment would see travelers going from estate to estate eating and drinking their hosts into bankruptcy. It was nice to see the subject of Bona Sforza and Zygmunt Stary covered during this time period, which is never a topic outside of actual history books.

Silent Water is a thoroughly enjoyable murder-mystery set at the Polish court in 1519.The main character is an interesting narrator, and if the beginning is a little slow, it isn't long until the reader is thrust into the court politics of Poland and into the strange events surrounding the murder of a popular courtier.Having read a few period murder mysteries lately, I must say this has been the most enjoyable. The author has a light touch while ensuring we know enough about the Polish Court and events in the wider European setting of the Reformation to make sense of the story.Highly recommended for fans of period murder mysteries and those who love the sixteenth century.I look forward to Book 2

Unlike my husband who reads only ’proper’ history books – I find history books too heavy going. Having discovered Bernard Cornwalls excellent history / fiction books re 100 years war and more which give an insight to the actual historical events while spicing them up with gory / romantic details – I was looking for similar - dealing with other parts of the world. ‘Silent Water’ –I thought would fit the bill. The story is a romantic who dunnit - in the setting of the Polish Court in the 16th Century. I would have preferred a bit more ‘history’ in the book – as this was my main objective in ordering it. I had figured out a possible 2 suspects halfway through the narrative and – one guess was correct. It is an easy book to read and the post scripts throw more light on the actual historical events.

A thoroughly enjoyable book about a period and country I know nothing about. It is well-researched and the details Adams provides submerge the reader in the sounds, smells, sights and society of the period. The protagonist is engaging as are the other main characters and I really looked forward to my reading-time. Recommended to anyone who enjoys reading crime, historical or romance novels.