The Law of Angels

The unsettled political situation in England, three years after the suppression of Wat Tyler's revolt in 1381, forms the backdrop for Clark's less than successful third historical featuring Sister Hildegard (after 2009's The Red Velvet Turnshoe). Hildegard has established a minor religious cell in quiet Deepdale, but the tranquility of her new community is disturbed when mysterious armed men attack two guests, Maud and Petronilla ("little more than children"), who avoid death only by chance. Maud, fearing that the men were seeking her, reveals that she escaped some marauders who destroyed her home and slaughtered her five-year-old brother. Hildegard and the girls seek safety in York, where Hildegard gets entangled in murderous intrigue involving the Cross of Constantine, which she found in Turnshoe. With its pacing on the slow side and a not especially creative plot, this entry suffers in comparison to its two high-quality predecessors. (Apr.)