This is the first book in the Catherine LeVendeur series, and it appears to be a strong entry. I am certainly interested in reading this series further. It is set in 12th century France and Catherine is novice in a nunnery. When the book opens she has not taken her final vows. Catherine is asked by her Mother Superior to retrieve something that has been found near her home so she leaves the convent to do so. She gets embroiled in a nasty conspiracy that forces her to use all her wits to keep herself and an interesting scholar that she meets out of trouble. There's lots of excitement - dead bodies, stolen gems and more plots and counterplots within a great abby. Catherine manages to uncover all the mysteries, and finds love at the same time. This book has a bit more romance in it than I usually go for in mysteries, but it's fun all the same.