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The Law of Angels
An Abbess of Meaux Mystery – Book III
Cassandra Clark

Allison and Busby
26 September 2011 / 9780749009243
Historical Mystery / 1384 / Yorkshire, England
Amazon US || UK

Reviewed by
Rachel A Hyde

Hildegard of Meaux is back for another, larger book full of crime solving, espionage and history. Now abbess of her own Cistercian abbey, she takes a risk by taking in a bonded maid and incurs the wrath of the wrong person. Hildegard is still in possession of a valuable relic following previous adventures and has more than one dangerous person on her case. This time, she gets entangled with traitors who want to overthrow unpopular Richard II, including Richard Bolingbroke, and is the end truly nigh as various portents appear to be forecasting?

As with Michael Jecks, here is another author who has spotted that the straight historical mystery has had its day and who is delivering something rather different. Expect adventures rather than just sleuthing, replete with mysterious signs, relics and of course a murder or two for seasoning. The result is something that will appeal to fans of books like The Da Vinci Code and Brother Cadfael, as well as readers of other types of historical fiction. There is more than a dash of real history (of the more colorful variety) resulting in a heady brew of mystery, espionage and general excitement. Unlike the majority of other mystery series, this one reads more like one long story, although each separate novel has elements that are unique. You will need to read the two earlier books to understand what is going on (quite a lot most of the time), and there is more than one story arc that is yet to be resolved. Like most long novels, this one could stand some editing in places, but the end result is something that ought to interest quite a range of people.

Reviewed 2011
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