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April
1144: A man is found floating in the water near a mill and
is soon identified as one Walter Horsward, a horse trader
from Evesham. He has been stabbed, but it does not appear
that robbery was the motive, so who wanted him dead? Soon
there are suspects aplenty and quite possibly another murder…
Five
books and counting, I do hope there are more than the six
currently in existence. The undersheriff and his two assistants
have grown and changed since the first book, a sure sign of
an author adept at creating believable characters. After the
last book, which was a thriller, we are back with a puzzle
mystery, and the action moves from Bradecote’s home
and new wife to the Vale of Evesham. Altering the location
helps keep things fresh and introduces a whole new cast of
characters, and although towards the end it is obvious whodunit,
the pace accelerates and I couldn’t put it down.
Once again it was not obvious that the series is set during
the conflict between Stephen and Matilda, as hardly any mention
was made of it. I don’t know enough to say whether this
would have been true, but all the action takes place away
from centers of power. Tempering the often rather grim goings-on
is the humor arising from the banter between the characters,
lifting the mood and making it seem more real and immediate.
This is a series of consistently good novels that ticks all
the boxes. Recommended to anybody who enjoys historical mysteries.
Reviews
of other titles in this series:
Ordeal
by Fire #2
Marked
to Die #3
Hostage
To Fortune #4
Vale of Tears #5
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