The Hunter's Tale

Rating:
Summary: Who is the hunter in this tale?
Review: Even if you haven't read Margaret Frazer's previous tales about Dame Frevisse, you can immerse yourself in this tale and appreciate the excellent writing and the historical accuracy.

Margaret Frazer is meticulous in her research and the detail that she weaves into her stories keeps you intrigued until the last page is turned. In this tale she brings her scholarship to bear on the hounds used for hunting in medieval England. The information about Irish wolfhounds is fascinating. The descriptions of the actual hunts will make you shudder.

This tale sees Dame Frevisse traveling once again outside the convent walls. She accompanies Lady Anneys and her daughter to Woodrim manor where the brutual father, Sir Ralph, and now the dutiful son, Tom, have died. Sir Ralph is brutally murdered by "party unknown" but no one mourns his death or seeks his killer. The grieving is caused entirely by the death of their beloved son and brother, Tom.

I especially liked Ms Frazer's depiction of Dame Frevisse's anguish over her need to know what happened. Dame Frevisse is a strong, intelligent but humanly flawed character. Over the span of this series one grows very fond of and comfortable with this amazing person who happens to be a medieval nun. The Hunter's Tale adds to the richness of the portrait we see of Dame Frevisse.

This particular novel makes no effort to be suspenseful. You will know early on who "done" it. What makes this novel shine is the depth and richness of the words used to describe the ordinary life of minor gentry in medieval England. Each character is drawn by Ms Frazer with infinite care and affection.

This is a splendid read.

Rating:
Summary: an excellent read
Review: Once again Dame Frevisse of St. Frideswide's finds herself venturing away from the safe and peaceful confines of the nunnery and thrown into another situation involving murder, greed and family secrets. This is the thirteenth installment in the Dame Frevisse medieval mysteries, and it certainly lives up to expectations.

Sir Ralph Woderove was not a well liked man at all: deeply obsessed with hunting, his casual indifference and petty cruelty towards his family and retainers earned him no accolades. So that when he's found murdered one day (by a presumed poacher), no one is too surprised that his family shows almost no concern that there is little likelihood of his murderer ever being apprehended. Unfortunately even though Sir Ralph is no more, he still manages to maintain a stranglehold on his family because of the terms of his will. But it is when Sir Ralph's unfortunate widow, the Lady Anneys, finds herself being harassed by the unwanted attentions of a suitor that Dame Frevisse finds herself becoming deeply embroiled in the affairs of the Woderoves. And what she observes leads her to believe that Sir Ralph's murderer is not some unknown assailant but someone close at hand -- possibly even a family member. Unable to let things go, Dame Frevisse decides to do some investigating of her own, and finds herself becoming obsessed in her need to unmask a murderer...

Unlike previous Dame Frevisse mystery novels, this particular installment does not feature a cunning plot full of surprising twists and turns and intrigue. However, because Margaret Frazer is one of the few mystery novelists who treats the historical element as something more than mere wall papering, "The Hunter's Tale" turned out to be quite the engrossing read. The authour has a real talent for making 15th century England interesting and accessible (all those vivid imagery and details on what life in a nunnery and at the manor would have been like), and for portraying characters so that they were realistic and believable. I enjoyed Ms Frazer's thoughtful portrayal of Dame Frevisse -- especially the manner in which she showed us how the need to know was affecting Dame Frevisse's sense of balance and serenity -- and her portrayal of the young nun, Sister Johanne (and the interchanges between the two), who accompanies her to the Woderove manor. Also nicely done was the manner in which she imbued the Woderoves with a sense of bleakness, fear and despair at what has befallen them. So that all in all, even if "The Hunter's Tale" was not the kind of 'edge-of-your-seat' mystery novel that I had come to expect from Margaret Frazer, it still was an excellent 5 star read.

Rating:
Summary: Another outstanding historical amateur sleuth tale.
Review: Sir Ralph of Woodrim, owner of a manor house in Oxfordshire, England of 1458, is despised by his wife, his grown sons, his grandson and his young daughters. The only concern this vile man has is in the hounds and the hunt which his neighbor and friend Sir William is interested in also. One day when he goes into the woods to look for a missing hound, he doesn't come out.

Family and Sir William find him dead, his face smashed to a bloody pulp. After the funeral services are over, his wife Lady Anneys goes to St Frideswide's nunnery to regain her emotional equilibrium. Not long after she arrives, she is called home again because her stepson was accidentally killed by Sir William. Dame Frevisse escorts her home and stays to give comfort to the family, but once she arrives there she finds secrets to uncover and killers to be identified.

Readers who are interested in the Middle Ages will gain an interesting look into the lives of the minor gentry. Dame Frevisse can't stand to see a mystery stay unsolved so she does her best to learn who killed Sir Ralph, why Sir William is so interested in his deceased friend's family, and what is the secret that nobody wants to talk about or even think about. Margaret Frazer delivers another outstanding historical amateur sleuth tale.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Another winner in this series
Review: Start at the beginning, with this series, but definitely start. It is a worthwhile trip! The characterization is believable, the plot, too, and every time, hands down, the villain of the piece ends up being the one I did not want it to be! How does she do it? They are thought-provoking and entertaining at the same time. A terrific series.

Rating:
Summary: An American Civil War mystery that is fascinating
Review: The Rebels surprised the Union troops at Shiloh and forced General Ulysses S. Grant to give ground until he was able to counter their offensive. In the middle of the battle May Abbott, the wife of a Congressman, receives a pass to go through the lines to see her twin sister in the Confederate held town of Corinth. After a very bloody battle, the Confederate troops retreat. Congressman Abbott puts pressure on General Grant to find out what happened to his wife.

Harrison Raines, Union Spy in Pinkerton's Secret Service, is passing through Corinth and makes his way to Shiloh where he gives General Grant conformation on what is happening in the town. Grant assigns Raines the tasks of finding out what has become of the congressman's wife and it doesn't take too long to discover that she and her sister were both murdered. Now he has to find out who did it and why without getting killed.

Nobody writes an American Civil War mystery better than Michael Killian. Readers will feel they are witnessing first hand the actual battle scene and its aftermath. The hero is a patriotic unorthodox spy whose unusual methods always seen to yield results. The romance between the protagonist and actress Louise Devere, who is a Union spy, a confederate agent, or both, provides a positive counterpoint to the atrocities of wartime.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Different...but just as good!
Review: This Dame Frevisse mystery reads differently from previous ones...less Frevisse, more of the other characters...and the plotline is somewhat obvious. All of that being said, it's still a wonderful read...and I'm looking forward to Dame Frevisse's next adventure!