'Daughter of Mercia' by Julia Ibbotson: Anglo-Saxon Dual Time Mystery
- Books and Benches
- Sep 4
- 2 min read
Daughter of Mercia by Julia Ibbotson is for readers who enjoy tales woven with history, romance, and the spirit of strong women standing against the odds. This is a journey worth taking.
Daughter of Mercia
by Julia Ibbotson
Echoes of the past resonate across the centuries as Dr Anna Petersen, a medievalist and runologist, is struggling with past trauma and allowing herself to trust again. When archaeologist (and Anna's old adversary) Professor Matt Beacham unearths a 6th century seax with a mysterious runic inscription, and reluctantly approaches Anna for help, a chain of events brings the past firmly back into her present.
And why does the burial site also contain two sets of bones, one 6th century and the other modern? As the past and present intermingle alarmingly, Anna and Matt need to work together to solve the mystery of the seax runes and the seemingly impossible burial, and to discover the truth about the past. Tensions rise and sparks fly between Anna and Matt. But how is 6th century Lady Mildryth of Mercia connected to Anna? Can they both be the Daughter of Mercia?
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Author Julia Ibbotson
Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries.
Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics.
After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s.
She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her work in progress is a new series of Anglo-Saxon mystery romances, beginning with Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.
Julia’s novels will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.
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Name: Julia Ibbotson
Book Title: Daughter of Mercia
Series: Dr Anna Petersen Mysteries, book 1
Publication Date: June 6th, 2025
Publisher: Archbury Books
Pages: 301 ebk, 392pbk
Genre: medieval dual-time mystery romance
Thank you so much for featuring my latest book, Daughter of Mercia, on your blog today. Much appreciated.
Thanks so much for featuring Julia Ibbotson on your lovely blog today, with her evocative dual-timeline novel, Daughter of Mercia. Take care, Cathie xo The Coffee Pot Book Club