The Good Knight: The Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mysteries, Book 1
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The Good Knight: The Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mysteries, Book 1 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Sarah Woodbury (Author, Publisher), Laurel Schroeder (Narrator)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 7,214 ratings
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Intrigue, suspicion, and rivalry among the royal princes casts a shadow on the court of Owain, king of north Wales....

The year is 1143, and King Owain seeks to unite his daughter in marriage with an allied king. But when the groom is murdered on the way to his wedding, the bride's brother tasks his two best detectives - Gareth, a knight, and Gwen, the daughter of the court bard - with bringing the killer to justice.

And once blame for the murder falls on Gareth himself, Gwen must continue her search for the truth alone, finding unlikely allies in foreign lands and ultimately uncovering a conspiracy that will shake the political foundations of Wales.

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  1. Listening Length
    8 hours and 14 minutes
  2. Author
    Sarah Woodbury
  3. Narrator
    Laurel Schroeder
  4. Audible release date
    December 28, 2015
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Sarah Woodbury
  7. ASIN
    B019R11SBW
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 8 hours and 14 minutes
Author Sarah Woodbury
Narrator Laurel Schroeder
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date December 28, 2015
Publisher Sarah Woodbury
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B019R11SBW
Best Sellers Rank #104,998 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#174 in Medieval Historical Romance (Audible Books & Originals)
#1,274 in Historical Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals)
#1,898 in Medieval Historical Romance (Books)

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
7,214 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Pamela Ann Plumer
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, amazing book 1!
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2024
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I love that some things in this book was based on fact and the fiction side was extremely interesting and well done. I'm shocked I've never stumbled upon these books before2024 but I snapped this book one up for free through freebooksy.com and Amazon. I will continue reading the rest of the books in this series, I'm excited I found a new series and author to read! 😚 HAPPY!! 😏😏
One person found this helpful
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Elisabeth Wheatley
4.0 out of 5 stars A deviation from my usual reading material
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2014
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This was a deviation from my usual reading material in that it is neither Young Adult nor Fantasy. Nonetheless, it was free for Kindle and had “knight” in the title. I decided to give it a shot and what I got was certainly worth the read!

The plot:
This is a mystery set in medieval Wales with enough twists to keep me guessing. There’s a dash of romance, a good dose of action, and enough historical fact to make it authentic, but not overwhelming. Despite this being a little different from my normal literary fare, it was a good read and a reminder of why I used to love mystery.

The characters:
Gwen is a bard’s daughter who is also a spy for the king’s youngest son, Hwyll. She was a strong heroine who has her head on straight and her feet firmly on the ground and is clever to boot. I did like her and the side romance between her and Gareth was sweet, but not prominent enough to distract from the main story—the murder mystery.

There is this one part where Gareth is called a “good knight,” thus giving the story its name. He is one of those loyal, steadfast characters with a past he’d rather be without. He is also in the confidences of Hwyll, who gave him a sort of second chance after a conflict drove him to be a mercenary seven years before. I thought Gareth was a likeable individual overall and I did my fair share of worrying about him as the story progressed.

I’m not going to tell you about the other characters because this is a mystery after all and we wouldn’t want to spoil anything. I’ll just say that Ms. Woodbury did a good job of showing the mindset of the era and didn’t sugar coat anyone. I thought this was an excellent story and I recommend it to fans of historical fiction or even just mystery.
6 people found this helpful
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Kathleen C.
5.0 out of 5 stars The Good Knight Earns 5/5 Knight’s Oaths…Clever & Engaging!
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2021
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I am quite a fan of historical mysteries, especially when centuries in the past, British Isles as the setting, and filled with descriptive language and rich medieval characters. Case in point: Sarah Woodbury’s “The Good Knight” from her Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mysteries. It is 1143 Wales, and the arranged marriage between one king’s daughter to an allied royal is in question; the groom is murdered. Sir Gareth is asked to investigate by the victim’s brother, but circumstantial evidence points to him as the traitor, so Gwen, a woman from Gareth’s past, is entreated to help uncover the answers. The conspiracy is complex, and the Gareth & Gwen team brings up their past connection. Woodbury’s writing style includes a descriptive flair and engaging dialogue that illustrates well the medieval era, but it’s easy to read with court intrigue and multiple murders to solve. The cast of characters along with understanding the language may be daunting, but they are addressed at the beginning of the story as well as introduced well in context. I found the many dramatic elements from murders and kidnappings to political treachery and Danish invasions totally thrilling, the characters varied and entertaining with a strong female lead, and the final reveal was satisfying. Although I am not familiar with the historical truths, I don’t read this genre as non-fiction. Woodbury’s book had the feel of accuracy with events, lifestyle, and society distinctions associated with medieval times. I want more!
6 people found this helpful
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BJ
3.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable medieval mystery in a fun historical
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2014
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This book is not as bad as some reviewers have described it. If you are a history geek like myself, this book takes place in Wales during what would have been the time Stephen and Maud were duking it out for the English throne. They were cousins (those gossipy monks also hinted lovers) and after years of fighting, Maud should have inherited but lost the throne to Stephen with the proviso that her son would take the throne after him. This left Wales to get its act together. In Ireland, the Danes are on the throne and mercenaries for hire. Gwen and Gareth are commoners heading toward a relationship when he loses his position, because he was asked to do something he could not stomach by the King's younger brother. I don't remember that much about Wales geography, but I am assuming that these Kings are actually sharing the present day Wales. The king has given his daughter to the neighboring King and he is killed on the way to the wedding. Gareth sees it when he was riding by and went to summon help knowing one man could not have stopped this.

Gwen's father was the king's Bard and also taught one of the Princes. He was being raised in a castle alone and so the King told him to teach them both to give the boy some company. She was taught along with the king's second illegitimate son who grew to care for her. Her mother died giving birth to her brother that she then raised as her own. Her education stopped and her father turned down all offers for her hand to have someone to take care of them. She has made her peace with not having a husband or a family of her own and was a spy for the Prince in her travels. Gareth was knighted and worked for the same Prince and they meet again. Gwen's father wanted to ride with the king, but his horse went lame and he refused to go until such time that they could find what he considered a suitable mount. He planned to make his son the new Court Bard.

I refute two things I saw in other reviews: This is not medieval CSI and the education level of a Prince Gwen obtained and the tracking abilities Gareth had are not enough to make this novel read like CSI. This was the Dark ages, but we lost a great deal of knowledge that was available then. This is a historical novel because anything set in the past dealing with historical figures qualifies for that name. Second, this book could use a good editor, but it was not poorly written. I enjoyed it and would read on if the author reduced the price. I do not think Ms. Woodbury writes at the price point she is trying to sell these stories for. This is a good medieval mystery although not a love story, because it is the first in a series. There is no formal relationship between Gareth and Gwynedd. The story continues past the ending of this mystery, but there is an ending with no cliffhangers. I enjoyed the piece, learned a few things about Wales in the 1100's and found this a good read.
31 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Mr. A. Rutherford
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 22, 2024
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An enjoyable journey through medieval wales and a whodunnit with plenty of twists and turns. I am looking forward to the next adventure
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chrisky
5.0 out of 5 stars well written story
Reviewed in Canada on June 10, 2021
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I would say this is a detective story, that takes place in medieval times. It is well written. The story moves along very well. Definitely recommend this book.
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Ranjana
5.0 out of 5 stars A most interesting and mesmerizing historical thriller
Reviewed in India on July 13, 2020
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This was the first time that I chanced upon reading a historical thriller with romance, inheritance drama, and battles. Learning about the history of Wales and Danes is so interesting. The author takes the reader on a journey from one castle to another, through land and sea, infusing heroism, bravery, politics, saving honour, and romance. A delightful read! Can't want to read the rest of the Gareth and Gwen series.
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Marilyn Zechner
5.0 out of 5 stars mem
Reviewed in Australia on December 8, 2023
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Very enjoyable light read
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jennyhh
4.0 out of 5 stars Welsh adventure
Reviewed in Spain on October 29, 2015
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This is a mixture of who-dunnit and adventure set in 12th century Wales. It managed to keep my interest to the end although there was not much suspense in the mystery or disclosing of clues.The characters are rather superficial and the setting was confusing without a map (my Kindle version didn't have one). The language was too modern and some expressions jarred, but otherwise easy to read.
However, it was worth reading and will read the next one, above all for the historical authenticity.
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