Unhallowed Ground by Mel Starr
In this fourth book of the Huge De Singleton series we find Hugh now happily married and back in Bampton. An old adversary is found hanging by the neck at the cross roads where suicides are buried. The coroner is convinced it is suicide and Hugh knows it is not. He is not surprised when his inquiries turn up one suspect after another after all Thomas Atte Bridge or his brother had bullied, cheated and stolen from many in this small community.
I have a few gripes with is story, and they are minor. First being did Mr. Starr need to tell you Hugh has bread and ale every morning. I kind of got that after the third time he tells us Hugh had bread and ale for breakfast I didnt need to hear it so often. The other is that so many of the characters are from passed books that is was at times difficult to remember just who he was talking about. I really wanted to love this book, because I have invested a lot of time on Hughs story. But I so like the characters of Hugh and Kate that I will continue on, I really dont think Starr has hit his stride, he shows an understanding of the time period, it is well researched and I have faith that once Starrs writing evens out he will be brilliant. 3 stars

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When Thomas atte Bridge is found hung from a tree in the village, Master Hugh, bailiff of Bampton Manor, accompanies the town coroner to the great oak. There, Thomas' wife is sobbing, holding his knees while many of the villagers look on.

At first, it looks like a suicide but Master Hugh finds the evidence to the contrary. Thomas has a busted lip, broken tooth, mud on the heels of his shoes and redness on his wrists. He is sure someone murdered him. However, the coroner declares it a suicide and Thomas must be buried on unhallowed ground. It's against the church to kill oneself and he can't be buried in its grounds.

Master Hugh is sure he knows who killed Thomas, John Kellet, a priest gone bad who was in the area at the time of Thomas' demise. However, upon his investigation, he finds out that John is incapable mentally and physically to have killed Thomas and Master Hugh must investigate further. No one liked Thomas' and no one minds his loss, but Master Hugh is determined to find out who killed him.

Unhallowed Ground is a complex mystery set in the 1300's. Starr does a fantastic job of recreating that time era and bringing the details vibrantly to life. The characters are compelling and the plot tight, keeping the reader motivated to follow the clues. The fourth in the Hugh de Singleton mysteries, Unhallowed Ground can be read as a stand-alone novel. The first of the series that I have read, I look forward to going back and reading the first three, The Unquiet Bones, A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel and A Trail of Ink.

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This series is really growing on me,I find it's slower pace soothing like The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. You do need to read in order because they build on each other with previous storylines being reintroduced. This was another pleasant visit to the Middle Ages with murder and mayhem thrown in the mix.

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