New from Kregel Publications
About the Book––Another brilliant slice of medieval crime fiction
Thomas atte Bridge, a man no one likes, is found hanging from a tree near Cowleys Corner. All assume he has taken his own life, but Master Hugh and Kate find evidence that this may not be so.
Many of the town had been harmed by Thomas, and Hugh is not eager to send one of them to the gallows. Then he discovers that the priest John Kellet, atte Bridge’s partner in crime in A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel, was covertly in Bampton at the time atte Bridge died.
Master Hugh is convinced that Kellet has murdered atte Bridge--one rogue slaughtering another. He sets out for Exeter, where atte Bridge now works. But there he discovers that the priest is an emaciated skeleton of a man, who mourns the folly of his past life. Hugh must return to Bampton and discover which of his friends has murdered his enemy.
About the Author––Mel Starr was born and grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After graduating with a MA in history from Western Michigan University in 1970, he taught history in Michigan public schools for thirty-nine years, thirty-five of those in Portage, MI, where he retired in 2003 as chairman of the social studies department of Portage Northern High School. Mel and his wife, Susan, have two daughters and seven grandchildren.
My Review––I'll state right up front that I have not read any of Mel Star's other novels involving Hugh de Singleton. There are three and they may be found here. I found, however, this story was not connected to the other three in plot, but simply in characters. Thus, I didn't feel like I was missing out on something and I enjoyed this very much. I find it difficult to keep up with multi-volumn books these days and reading #4 in a series of at least four (there's a teaser at the end looking toward book #5) was not a bothersome task to me.
I enjoyed this book a great deal. Some have indicated that it is not as exciting as Star's earlier works, but I'm wondering if they are a bit jaded, having read all the others and are living on the law of diminishing returns without realizing it. Star's descriptive backgrounds of both countryside and people fascinated me. I found many of them to be colorful. And I simply adored the marriage relationship between Hugh and Kate.
If there was any frustration, it came in sympathizing with Hugh in trying to find a killer who just might not exist. And doing so among people you know, do business with nearly everyday and are friends with only made this tension rise as the book moved on. Coming up short at nearly every turn and discovery at first made me want to yell at the author. Yet, I've discovered this usually means they've done an excellent job of drawing me in without my being aware.
So, well done and an excellent read. I recommend you get a hold of all four of the existing books by Mel Star and get ready for book number 5, due out sometime in 2012.
Unhallowed Ground may be purchased at:
I received this complimentary copy for review purposes only.
If you'd like to read an excerpt from "Unhallowed Ground" just click here.