Margaret FrazerAnmeldelser

I am a big fan of Dame Frevisse, and this tale is a good one. Frevisse is called upon to be a traveling companion of her Abbess to visit a dying relative. The nunnery is full of guests when they arrive, and so they must stay with a widow who lives nearby.

Frazer does her research well and then gives me an interesting mystery with well rounded characters, so I can see into a slice of the medieval days and times. One can never trust Frazer to give a "happy" ending, but she always gives an ending with a feeling of "right."

Joliffe is in the secret service of a Bishop and has gone to France to learn spycraft. He is on his own because the rest of his acting troop have stayed behind and have no idea where he is.
An enjoyable read, although some of the bits filling the reader in on the history of the war between England and France in the reign of Henry VI dragged. Not so much that it hampered my enjoyment of the story. I always like to travel with Joliffe, and what a pleasant way to learn some medieval history.

Wonderful setting & characters as usual, though the mystery itself seemed a tad feeble -- more an excuse to explore a new setting, which was very interesting.

Not as good as most of the series; too much politics of the time.

Short story/very short novella in the Sister Frevisse series. Read as part of the ebook Sins of the Blood.

Read as part of Sins of the Blood.

Read as part of Sins of the Blood.

Not as satisfying as the Sister Frevisse novels of course, but 3 interesting stories and a guide to the nunnery which would be better for the addition of a map. It's nice to have anything new by Margaret Frazer, since we will have no more from now on. Also contains several chapters from the first Sister Frevisse novel for those new to the series.

In the spring of 1435, Joliffe and his fellow players are sent to the village of Ashewell not only to stage plays, but to uncover some dark secrets about the town's three wealthy families. A rivalry has been brewing among the families, entangling the entire town in a web of seduction, deception, and blackmail. Matters go beyond the breaking point when someone turns to murder to settle their grievances. And if one murder is good, why not another? If all the world is a stage, then it's up to Joliffe to bring the curtain down on.this tragedy.

The priory is thrown into upheaval by the return of the apostate nun who ran away nine years ago. I always enjoy reading the Dame Frevisse novels, and this was no exception. Seeing the inside workings of the priory from two opposing viewpoints was interesting and refreshing.

Loved reading this, being among friends again. It certainly drew out the mystery until the end; not sure the author played fair with it, but I didn't care. I love absorbing the place and time.

As much a fan as I am of Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma series, I think it has met its match with Frazer's Sister Frevisse. Frazer's sense for character development is obvious at the outset, and she manages to create a colorful cast of characters who are not caricatures. Pious Thomasine becomes a murder suspect when her aunt Lady Ermentrude--who I pictured like the Red Queen from Alice and Wonderland--succumbs to her own "strange and sudden death" (that's from the back cover, so I'm not counting it as a spoiler!). There is also Dame Claire, the herbalist and someone who deserves a large bit of credit, as does the entire convent of St. Frideswide, and their leader Domina Edith. One of the contrasts with Tremayne's series is that Sister Frevisse, while a major player, is not the only player. Granted, given the fifteenth-century setting and the Benedictine context, Frazer has less to explain than Tremayne with his seventh-century tensions between the Roman and Irish churches. Those who like fast-moving plots may be a bit frustrated here, but Frazer does an artful job of making everything matter! Take your time with this one--enjoy each and every character as they are all important here and there. Quite a great first book in the series--I'll be reading the rest!

Taken all in all, this autumn of 1435 might not have been the best of times to first to come to London. Or, then again, perhaps it was. Joliffe supposed the difference lay in how much one valued a quiet life over a not- quiet life. And given that he had chosen to be a player in a wandering company of players rather than settle into the other possibilities there had been for him, he had to suppose it was the non-quiet life he valued. Which was just as well,.since quiet was what London presently was not.

The summer day that had promised so fair at its beginning with a primrose sky banded by cream colored clouds above the sunrise had kept its promise through to a warm, clear afternoon this June day in the year of Our Lord's grace 1434. The good citizens and others of Oxford had come out from their dinners after Trinity Sunday Mass ready for sport of some kind, and those who wanted something less bloody than bear- baiting on Gloucester Green or less brutal than the half-barrel-boating fight on the Isis beyond Greyfriars, the company of players had been more than ready to oblige them with The Steward and the Devil in the innyard of the Arrow and Hind.

I liked this book, but the mystery plot was pretty thin. This book shines in the portrayal of England in t490s and the Corpus Christi plays. The author captures the flavor of the times and dispels many misconceptions about this time period.

This is the first book I've read by this author. She has a knack for incorporating language that sets the tone for this era without making it obtuse. This is the 7th book in the Joliffe the Player series but I was able to read it on its own.

If I didn't have so many other books to read, I'd seek out more of this series. It feels like something BBC would pick up to make a series out of.

The books might be too slow or too light on the murder mystery for some readers. But if you like historical fiction, give this a try.

Coincidentally this is the second nun-detective mystery in a row for me, following Boucher's Rocket to the Morgue. It is the 10th (or so) in the Dame Frevisse series, but the first I've read. Other than a passing reference to one prior mystery, the book is easily read on its own.

There are two ways that mysteries about a nun detective in medieval times might go - quaint and cozy, or deep historical. From this entry, Frevisse appears to be definitely not the former, and more the latter, trying to capture how people lived, dressed, ate, and such in the 1400s. Two-thirds of the book is lead-in to the eventual murder. The emphasis is more on land ownership, arranged marriages, and inheritance, all driving a story of marriage falling apart. I found this OK but rather slow-going. When the murder occurs, then all hell breaks loose for the rest of the book. This was fairly powerful and the main reason I will try another in the series. The detection is fine albeit brief. The main negative is a final scene with a pat ending that is out of character with all that has gone before.

Recommended for history / mystery fans.

A well-written novel about medieval days. I really got a feel for what it was like to live in that time and place, and I learned about medieval dogs and hunting, as well. The mystery was ok, not great. I would read another Sister Frevisse book because history in this light-hearted fashion is a good read.

I love this series. Sister Frevisse, the protagonist, is a nun in a small convent in medieval England. She loves the religious life and it is central to her identity. She is also unusually educated, and related to some powerful people, which is how she gets involved in intrigue and mystery.

The rhythm of the Divine Office (the Liturgy of the Hours) governs her days when she is at home in the convent, and to a lesser extent when she is out visiting. Because she is educated, she understands the Latin in which the psalms are sung, and we get both the Latin and the English as she reflects on her prayers.

Sister Frevisse tries to aid her outlaw cousin by solving murder in 1434

I haven't read anything by Margaret Frazer before. The three short stories/novellas that comprise the first quarter of this book provided a nice introduction to the world of Dame Frevisse. As one might expect for short stories, the mysteries weren't terribly complex, and everything fitted together neatly. There's a richness of historical detail, and I appreciated that the characters didn't display anachronistically modern values.

I can't comment on historical accuracy, and I wasn't interested enough to read the background notes that form the later part of the book. Still, I'm interested enough to peruse the other books in the series.

I am increasingly drawn not just to the mystery, but to the descriptions of buildings as well as the historical drama being played out in backdrop. Curse Google search! I couldn't get past the description of the local church without looking for pictures of it in photos. I was puzzled at the lack of semblance and then read that it had been destroyed and rebuilt much later.

Quite excellent, I thought and I appreciate how carefully the author researches the medieval setting.

I'm hooked to this series, but this is just not the best; it could be reader fatigue.

Firstly, this reader could not tell when this book took place. There was nothing said, no descriptions, no words that would give one a clue of when this story took place. I gathered medieval from the jacket blurb. Secondly, the ending was so convoluted that I'm not sure what the resolution really was! I won't be continuing with this series. 320 pages½

Not her best. Not even second best. It was rushed and contrived, noticeable towards the end. Some of the characters were engagingly described, and the conflicts were real enough, but despite the adjudication tidbits and C-section note, the others in this series hold to a higher standard.