Lion Hudson plc
Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Road
Oxford OX BDR, England
www.lionhudson.com/fiction
Kregel Publications
a division of Kregel, Inc.
2450 Oak Industrial Drive NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
ISBN: 978-1 78264 109 4
Hey there, it's another Kregel Blog Tour! This time I received a copy of The Abbot's Agreement by Mel Starr to read and review. This is an interesting murder mystery set in medieval England near an abbey. Master Hugh de Singleton, a surgeon and bailiff, discovers a corpse of a young Benedictine novice while headed to purchase a Bible.. The boy has been stabbed in the back, and the abbot commissions Master Hugh to figure out what happened. Since Bibles are expensive he agrees to solve the murder in exchange for a Bible made by the monks. At that time this was a major task. I found myself wondering if the price would have been worth it. By the end of the book I was quite sure Hugh earned his Bible.
This is the 7th book in the series about Master Hugh. In the story Hugh meets a number of interesting characters including the abbot, several novices, a young girl and others, each with their own little secrets. While figuring out who was the killer, Hugh uses fairly realistic medical procedures for the time period and makes a number of discoveries. The story gives a good idea of what medieval England might have been like. I enjoyed the historical side of the story, but I did have to check out terms a few times to make sure I was getting the full story.
This was a well-written story with plenty of surprises. The descriptions of the characters and the settings are wonderfully detailed. I felt like I could picture the story in my head while reading. I also felt like the story was believable. Great job Mel Starr! If you're a fan of murder mysteries and history you'll probably like this book. Thanks for another great pick Kregel.
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