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I'm Esther Knight, Medieval Mystery Author
​Welcome to Medieval Toledo
I love bringing history to life through story.
As a young girl I read Scott's Ivanhoe, and its strong Jewish heroine impressed me so much that I modeled my own heroine, Rebecca DeToledo, after her.
She solves murders in 12th-century Toledo, in the Rebecca DeToledo Mysteries, set in a Spain where Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived side by side.
Doing the research is the best part — medieval medicine, royal politics, the streets of Toledo as they actually were. Every book ends with a glossary of the real figures, customs, and terms behind the mystery.
When I'm not writing, I'm testing medieval herbal remedies or walking my granddog, Laurie.
Don't miss a thing
Pre-order Esther's new Holiday Novella
Toledo, December 1193
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For the first time in memory, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan descend upon Toledo at once.
The Plaza de Zocodover — the city's beating heart — becomes the center of a dangerous experiment: Christians, Jews, and Muslims will share the space for their sacred celebrations.
Sir John of Hampstead, Head of Investigations at the royal alcázar, sees a political catastrophe in the making. Rebecca DeToledo, a sharp-minded Jewish healer with a talent for uncovering truths, dares to hope coexistence might actually work.
Then the provocations begin.
Prayer rugs disappear. A sacred statue of Mary is smeared with dirt. The plaza's nativity scene is vandalized. Each time, the community rallies — and the fragile peace holds.
Until the body of a young Muslim man is found inside a church.
With suspicion spreading and tempers rising, Rebecca and John are drawn into a mystery far more perilous than holiday mischief. A murderer is carefully orchestrating the unrest — and if they fail to stop it, all Toledo may ignite.
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A cozy historical mystery filled with winter celebrations, interfaith partnerships, and slow-burn romance.
