In Pursuit of the Green Lion

Picking up threads from her first novel, A Vision of Light , Riley deftly crafts another historical romp, following Margaret of Ashbury through a tumultuous remarriage and a hazardous quest across 14th-century Europe. Considered past her prime at 23, Margaret has been forced to wed the scholarly, noble Gregory de Vilers. Although repelled by his odious father, Sir Hubert, and loathsome brother, Sir Hugo, Margaret nonetheless grows to love her new husband. When he is captured in France and held for ransom, she quickly leaves her unscrupulous relatives to negotiate Gregory's release. Margaret, who has uncanny healing abilities and can commune with spirits, travels with amulets, ghosts and a devious alchemist, whose quest for the secret of changing base metals into gold will plunge the pair into precarious situations. In this nonstop picaresque adventure quips fly as thickly as a barrage of arrows; a steady stream of drunken noblemen, corrupt priests, scheming ladies and truculent ghosts keep the action white-hot. BOMC and QPB featured alternates. (Oct.)