Two-time Edgar nominee Frazer (The Servant's Tale
, etc.) immerses the reader into the lives and social mores of the minor English gentry—their dress, food, feelings and motivations—in her latest historical to feature Dame Frevisse, a Benedictine nun of St. Frideswide's priory and granddaughter of Geoffrey Chaucer. In the summer of 1448, Dame Frevisse accompanies 11-year-old Ursula, a student at St. Frideswide's, home to attend the funeral of Ursula's father, Sir Ralph Woderove. The brutal and selfish Sir Ralph, despised by even his own family members, has been murdered, possibly by a poacher while Sir Ralph was hunting in the woods. In the end, only Dame Frevisse really cares who did in Sir Ralph, and in solving the crime she happens to do more good than simply bringing a killer to justice. The book's charm lies in the author's meticulous research, notably on hounds and the changes in breeds of dogs over the centuries and on the intricacies of medieval wills and property rights. The plot moves at a stately pace appropriate to its time and setting. (Jan. 6)
