Hawkenlye Mysteries Books in Order
Part ofAlys Clare Books in OrderFind the Hawkenlye Mysteries by Alys Clare in order, with brief summaries, series background, and simple guidance on the best place to start.
Last updated: July 3, 2026
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Publication Order
17 books
Fortune Like the Moon
by Alys Clare
1999
When a young nun is found murdered near Hawkenlye Abbey, blame falls quickly on recently released felons. Sent to investigate, Josse d'Acquin joins forces with Abbess Helewise and discovers the true danger lies much closer to the abbey.
Ashes of the Elements
by Alys Clare
2000
After a sacred grove is felled, the woodcutter who swung the axe dies violently and locals blame the Forest People. Helewise is not convinced, and Josse's search in the ancient woods leads him toward something far more frightening and human.
The Tavern in the Morning
by Alys Clare
2000
A man dies after eating a poisoned dish at the local tavern, but he may not have been the real target. Josse and Helewise follow the trail into hidden identities, frightened survivors and violence that edges closer to Hawkenlye.
The Chatter of the Maidens
by Alys Clare
2001
A troubled new nun arrives at Hawkenlye with her two younger sisters, bringing unease with her. When Josse is struck down, a body is found and one girl disappears, Helewise uncovers a web of lies stretching back to Ely.
The Faithful Dead
by Alys Clare
2002
An old pilgrim dies in Hawkenlye Vale, then a second body is discovered, stripped and expertly killed. With Prince John searching for a mysterious stranger, Josse and Helewise find themselves tracing a puzzle back to crusading days and older secrets.
A Dark Night Hidden
by Alys Clare
2003
Father Micah's harsh zeal makes him few friends, but his murder still shocks Hawkenlye. As heretics come under suspicion, Josse and Helewise are pulled into a case that also places Joanna and her baby daughter in mortal danger.
Whiter Than the Lily
by Alys Clare
2004
Galena comes to Hawkenlye hoping the abbey's healing waters will help her conceive, but she arrives alone and dies in agony soon after. Josse and Helewise uncover poison, pregnancy and a tangle of motives behind her death.
Girl in a Red Tunic
by Alys Clare
2005
In a brutal winter, Helewise's long-absent son returns to Hawkenlye asking for help for his troubled family. When a man is found strangled and her son vanishes, Helewise and Josse must dig deep into the past to clear his name.
Heart of Ice
by Alys Clare
2006
A desperately ill traveler dies before he can reach Hawkenlye Abbey's healing waters, and his body is later found frozen in the lake. As Josse seeks his identity, more sick people arrive and the fear of plague grips the valley.
The Enchanter's Forest
by Alys Clare
2007
A desperate man makes a sensational discovery in the Great Wealden Forest, only to end up dead in the undergrowth. With enemies on every side and loyalties badly tangled, Josse must uncover who hated him enough to kill.
The Joys of My Life
by Alys Clare
2008
Queen Eleanor summons Helewise and her party across the sea to discuss a memorial chapel for King Richard. At the same time, Josse is sent after rumors of devil-worshipping knights, a hunt that leads him toward Chartres and Joanna.
The Paths of the Air
by Alys Clare
2008
A secretive stranger arrives at New Winnowlands, and Josse suspects he is a returning crusader. As enemies begin to gather around the wounded man, Josse and Helewise realize he has brought home a terrible secret and deadly danger.
The Rose of the World
by Alys Clare
2011
King John's men descend on Hawkenlye Abbey, bringing fresh hardship to the nuns and everyone who depends on them. Then Helewise's granddaughter Rosamund vanishes after a visit to St Edmund's Chapel, and family fear takes over.
The Song of the Nightingale
by Alys Clare
2012
Helewise returns to her cell near Hawkenlye to help the poor just as three bodies are found, one marked with a sign of vengeance. Meanwhile, far from home, Josse's son Ninian is caught up in the doomed cause of the Cathars.
The Winter King
by Alys Clare
2014
A wealthy nobleman dies during his own feast, and healer Sabin de Gifford wants proof that her remedies were not to blame. With Meggie's help, suspicion shifts from illness to murder, and Sir Josse's family is pulled into danger.
A Shadowed Evil
by Alys Clare
2015
Josse and Helewise are summoned to Southfire Hall to visit Josse's dying uncle, only to find a house thick with fear and silence. A sinister new wife, an injured stranger and a missing cousin turn family duty into a chilling mystery.
The Devil's Cup
by Alys Clare
2017
With England divided and King John under threat, Sir Josse d'Acquin is summoned to help a failing ruler. At the same time, Meggie is drawn into a perilous search for a cursed treasure that could prevent a new tragedy.
Series background & context
The Hawkenlye Mysteries are the series most readers associate first with Alys Clare, and it is easy to see why. Set in Kent from the late twelfth century into the early thirteenth, they follow the partnership between Abbess Helewise of Hawkenlye and Sir Josse d'Acquin, a knight with ties to the crown and to the surrounding countryside. From the first book on, the appeal lies in how well those two balance each other. Helewise is thoughtful, disciplined and deeply observant. Josse can travel, question, fight and move through worlds an abbess cannot.
The abbey is a working community, not a postcard.
That is one of the series’ strengths. Clare does not treat Hawkenlye as a pretty backdrop for a murder. It is a place full of labor, prayer, sickness, hospitality and constant financial strain. People come there for healing, shelter and judgment. News passes through. So do pilgrims, nobles, troublemakers and the desperate poor. When violence breaks into that world, the shock carries through a whole community, and that gives the mysteries weight.
The setting around the abbey matters just as much. The Wealden forest, nearby manors, village roads and hidden tracks all help shape the plots. So does the wider politics of the time. Richard the Lionheart, King John, taxation, war, church conflict and changing loyalties all leave marks on the local world. Clare is especially interested in the uneasy coexistence of formal Christianity and older beliefs tied to the land. That thread runs through the books without overwhelming them, often through the forest people and the ways fear can gather around the unknown.
The mysteries themselves vary nicely. Some begin with a single death close to home. Others widen into missing children, hidden histories, suspect nobles, wandering strangers or royal business that lands in Josse’s path whether he wants it or not. Over time, the series becomes more than a run of separate cases. Relationships deepen. Families grow and shift. Old choices keep echoing. If you read the books in order, you get the pleasure of watching lives change over years rather than resetting at the end of each volume.
Helewise and Josse remain the heart of it all. Their bond is one of the most satisfying things in the series because it is built on trust, intelligence and long experience, not just instant chemistry. Around them Clare creates a believable cast of nuns, servants, healers, villagers, nobles and children, which helps the whole setting feel inhabited. Even when the plots touch on royalty or heresy, the books stay grounded in how ordinary people live.
Start with Fortune Like the Moon if you want the full experience. It introduces Hawkenlye, Helewise and Josse, and it sets up the mix that defines the series: medieval crime, spiritual tension, strong sense of place and a partnership that keeps getting richer as the books go on. Readers who like historical mysteries with patience, atmosphere and real attachment to community usually settle into Hawkenlye very quickly.
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