Anna S. (annapi) reviewed on 1/2/2010 + 334 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

While I did enjoy this 3rd volume of the series, it makes me realize that my habit of reading a series as the books come to me and therefore out of order does have its advantages. I've discovered that most authors take a few books to really hit their stride, and their best work comes later in the series as their characters develop. This is an example of exactly that - while the mystery was entertaining, it did not have the depth and intricacy of Frazer's later work in the series. Sister Frevisse is accompanying Sister Emma on a trip to her family to attend a christening. On the way they are captured by outlaws in the forest, and their leader turns out to be Frevisse's cousin Nicholas, a black sheep of the family who had been disowned by his father. He wants her to write her uncle Thomas Chaucer and ask for a pardon for himself and his band, to which Frevisse reluctantly agrees. But Sister Emma falls ill from exposure to the elements and they are forced to take shelter in a nearby town in the home of a friend of Nicholas's. When a murder occurs, Frevisse has to wonder if her cousin is not as repentant of his lifestyle as he claims. While the mystery is pretty simple compared to later volumes, Frazer's skill in characterization is evident through every book in this series, and this is no exception.

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