In the first volume of her Guinevere trilogy, Sharan New man tells the story of the golden child whose dearest friend is a saint who hears spirits singing; of the gentle-hearted woman who begins to dream of love, glory, and the fierce, proud king who will become her husband; of the passionate beauty whose name will be remembered and hated for centuries. Sharan Newman portrays Guinevere with all the charm, skill, and erudition that have won her the hearts of readers and the admiration of critics for her Catherine LeVendeur medieval mystery series. In Guinevere, Newman offers a reinterpretation of the Arthurian saga and as memorable as "The Mists of Avalon" and "The Hollow Hills."

In "The Chessboard Queen" Guinevere is now the beautiful young wife and queen of King Arthur, a position much-coveted by all women of Camelot. But nothing in life is ever certain, and soon Guinevere discovers--most alarmingly--her deep and passionate love for another man: Lancelot, the most beloved Knight of the Round Table in all of Camelot. In this second installment of her Guinevere trilogy, Sharan Newman brings the legend of Lancelot and Guinevere to life with a blend of magic and history. "The Chessboard Queen" is a beautiful rendering of the world's most timeless romance, a tale of earthly passion and spiritual love like no other before or since.

Catherine's estranged younger sister, Agnes, has been promised in marriage to a German lord. Bitter about their religious differences, Agnes wants no part of Catherine or their father--except for the sizable dowry that he can provide. When Catherine and her father send Agnes off with her dowry and two knights in escort, they assume that they have seen the last of her.

But soon one of the escorts returns with terrible news: Agnes' new husband appears to have been murdered, and Agnes, the prime suspect, is being held, accused of murder by poisoning, or even worse, witchcraft.

In spite of their differences, Catherine believes in Agnes' innocence, and knows that she must do everything she can to save her sister's life. But when Catherine and her brood travel to Germany to begin sleuthing in a dangerously anti-Semitic climate, it becomes clear that Catherine and her husband's long-dreamt-of life of peace remains in the distant future--if they live to see it.

First time in paperback! Catherine LeVendeur is a creature of 12th century France whose life is a mirror of her times--but she is armed with a keen mind and lively curiosity.
When Catherine's grandfather sends for his family to tell them their well is going dry, Catherine is alarmed. The family's wealth depends on its status, and if the well goes dry, their castle will fall. Her grandfather seems wracked with a fear deeper than that, though--and there's a mysterious woman appearing at odd moments who may or may not be the family's ancestral ghost.
Catherine doesn't believe the magical legends her family has handed down, that they are the descendents of a knight of Charlemagne's and a faerie. She puts her faith and distrust in the human condition.
When bodies being appearing--not ghostly specters, but freshly-dead humans--Catherine knows she's right, and must uncover the secrets of the witch in the well...

Catherine Le Vendeur's curiosity and passion for justice have sometimes led her to solve grisly murders and brave horrors... but this time the threat is to those she loves.
Catherine's family business relies on her cousin Solomon to negotiate the treacherous path to riches. The fact that Solomon is her cousin is secret, however, because he's Jewish--and if their family connections were discovered, it could mean ruin or death. When Solomon's father, who rejected Judaism for the more socially acceptable Christianity, asks for his help, Solomon must come to a decision about who he is, and where he really belongs.

Portland, 1868. It is a rough hewn place, an exploding trading post that has dreams of becoming a metropolis. 

Horace Stratton, one of Portland's wealthiest heirs, has decided to come home for good after amassing yet another fortune in Shanghai. With him comes his wife Emily, a shy daughter of missionaries, and their teenaged son. On the brink of that happy return, Horace suddenly falls ill and dies in San Francisco.

Emily and her son bring her husband home to Portland and they try to settle into this new culture. While they look as if they should belong, Portland is a strange and unsettling place for them. 

Emily is guilt-ridden, but sorrow is one of the few emotions she didn’t feel when told of her husband's passing. For Emily had learned more about her husband’s past than anyone would believe. And she discovers that all of his schemes did not die with him.

His partners very much want Emily and her son to go away... by whatever means necessary. Emily will have to delve into her husband's seedy and painful past and set things right so that she can make a life for herself and her son in this strange land.

As a former novitiate in the Order of the Paraclete, Catherine LeVendeur has had more than her share of adventures. In fact, intrigue--and murder--seem to dog her path. When Catherine chose love over churchly devotion by falling in love with her Saxon nobleman, Edgar, her family had the earnest hope that married life would settle this most headstrong and unusual woman. But fate has a way of playing with mortals, and after suffering several miscarriages and the birth of a stillborn child, Catherine is inspired by a prophetic dream. She and Edgar will embark on a pilgrimage to the fabled monastery of Compostela, to petition St. James for a child, to take the holy waters, and to pray.

During their journey Catherine and Edgar encounter mad monks, some less-than-penitent crusaders, and a motley collection of pilgrims whose past deeds bind them all in a bizarre game of chance. When several pilgrims are gruesomely murdered, the trail of evidence points to an old sin left unshriven and a hidden villain whose quest for revenge may end in Catherine's death.

After giving birth to a son, Catherine LeVendeur is looking forward to an idyllic life with her husband, Edgar, in Paris. Yet her contentment is shattered when she and Edgar receive tragic news from Scotland: Edgar's two oldest brothers have been ambushed and murdered, and Edgar must return home to help avenge their deaths.

Once in Scotland, Catherine is surprised to learn that Edgar's family is not what she imagined. His father, Waldeve, is a cold tyrant, and his remaining siblings are strange and secretive.

Separated from Edgar in their efforts to uncover the truth, Catherine becomes a stranger in a strange land, searching for refuge in a war-torn country at the same time she searches for her husband. Yet she knows that any haven she finds will only be temporary until she answers this question: Who among Waldeve's enemies hates him passionately enough to destroy his whole family--including, she fears, his new infant grandson?

Catherine LeVendeur is an independent spirit, fiercely loyal to both her faith and her family. The two sometimes conflict, but even though she has experienced joy and loss, her life remains committed to preserving what--and who--she loves.

Catherine's loyalty is sorely tested, however, when she and her family return to France after a long absence, and discover a Knight Templar has been brutally murdered in their home--and someone is threatening to reveal Catherine's closely held secret about her family's Jewish roots. But Catherine never wavers--neither in her own Christian faith, nor her father's Jewish faith--and ultimately it falls upon her to discover who would kill a soldier of God and why her family would be targeted in such a horrendous fashion.

A story filled with fascinating details of medieval life and the intricate interplay between the Christian and Jewish cultures of the time.

1140 Anno Domini:
A wealthy countess lies dying at the Convent of the Paraclete, brutally beaten by unknown assailants. Despite entreaties, she is unwilling to name her killer. Beautiful Catherine LeVendeur, the Paraclete's most learned young novice-scholar, vows to find out the identity of the woman's attacker.
When her beloved Edgar comes to lead her from the convent to a life of the flesh, Catherine is torn between her quest for justice and the pledge she made him. Catherine doesn't want to break any of the vows she's made-and if she abandons her crusade for the truth, others will die, and the convent she loves may be destroyed...

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.

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.

Heaven has a way of playing with mortals. When the mummified arm of St. Aldhelm is stolen from the Salisbury Cathedral in England, Catherine LeVendeur must find the lost reliquary to save those she loves -- and to do so, she must finally confront and come to terms with her family's Jewish heritage. The first Catherine Le Vendeur mystery to appear in trade paperback, "The Wandering Arm" is an absorbing, richly authentic adventure.

The medieval historian who revealed "The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code" uncloaks the Templars.
In the year 1119, these noblemen found their calling as protectors of the faithful on a dangerous pilgrimage to newly conquered Jerusalem. Now, historian Sharan Newman elucidates the mysteries and misconceptions of the Templars, from their true first founding and role in the Crusades to more modern intrigues, including:
- Were they devout knights or secret heretics?
- Did they leave behind a fantastic treasure-hidden to this day?
- How did they come to be associated with the Holy Grail?
- Did they come to America before the time of Columbus?
- Does the order still exist?

From the author of "The Real History Behind the Templars"--the origins and stories behind end-of-the-world predictions throughout history, from Revelations to 2012.
In entertaining and sharp prose, historian Sharan Newman explores theories of world destruction from ancient times up to the present day- theories which reveal as much about human nature as they do about the predominant historical, scientific, and religious beliefs of the time. Readers will find answers to the following end-of-times questions:
?Did the Mayans really say the world will end in December 2012?
?How have the signs in the New Testament Book of Revelations been interpreted over the years?
?How did ancient Egyptians, Norse, and Chinese think the world would end?
?When did Nostradamus predict that the last days would come?
?Does the I Ching reference 2012?
?Why didn't the world end in Y2K?
?Are meteors, global warming, super-volcanoes, and the threat of nuclear war signs that the end is near?