I enjoy reading (and writing) historical fiction and, although I don’t have the chops to write mystery, I love a good who-done-it. The Heron Legacy, by Leona Francombe is an exceptional example of both.
As a teenager, Charles de la Fontaine loves spending summers with his uncle Theodore, a noted teacher and historian, at Antioch Villa in the Ardennes Forest in eastern Belgium. The property, which has belonged to the family since the 12th century, includes the ruins of the 12th-century castle, Blancheron.
Uncle Theodore is single, eccentric, and a collector of antiquites, many found on the grounds of the estate. As Charles and his uncle roam the woods and long-abandonded trails, Theodore relates the long family history that includes stories of the First Crusade, of local medieval hero, Godfrey of Bouillon and family patriarch, Stephen de la Fontaine, and the story of Arda, a pagan seeress. They visit sites attributed to these various figures, as Theodore insists that the only way to really learn history is to experience it.
The summer of Charles’ sixteenth year will be his last visit. Charles’ father, Hugues de la Fontaine is moving to the United States, in search of fame and fortune, and under questionable circumstances.
Roped in by his father’s love of money and status, Charles becomes a lawyer and partner in Hugues’ law firm. Soon he is approached by his father who informs him of Theodore’s death and tasks Charles with selling the Ardennes estate. But, as with everything about Hugues, there is a darker truth.
Charles returns to Antioch Villa to some disturbing revelations: Theodore’s death was likely not an accident. Someone has been inside the vacant villa, ignoring the priceless antiquities, instead searching for documents of some kind. Warned in a letter from Uncle Theodore written shortly before his death, Charles uncovers an ancient parchment hidden in a false-bottomed drawer that only he and Theodore knew about. What, Charles wonders, makes the parchment valuable enough to kill for? And how is Hugues–as Charles knows he must be–involved?
There is so much more to this story than I’ve related here. So much history, so much intrigue, and all from the perspective of a young boy and his uncle who love their homeland and the stories it tells.
The Heron Legacy is the winner of the Historical Fiction Company Tolstoy European gold medal and HFC 2024 book of the year award, and deservedly so. Ms. Francombe weaves history with mystery and adds a little fantasy, all in this coming-of-age story to create a book you won’t want to put down.
Susannah Willey Writes 