Product Description

Hugh of Singleton, fourth son of a minor knight, has been educated as a clerk, usually a prelude to taking holy orders. However, feeling no certain calling despite a lively faith, he turns to the profession of surgeon, training in Paris and then hanging out his sign in Oxford. A local lord asks him to track the killer of a young woman whose bones have been found in the castle cess pit. She is identified as the impetuous missing daughter of a local blacksmith, and her young man, whom she had provoked very publicly, is in due course arrested and sentenced at the Oxford assizes. From there the tale unfolds, with graphic medical procedures, droll medieval wit, misdirection, ambition, romantic distractions and a consistent underlying Christian compassion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6418 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Mel Starr has spent many years teaching history, and has studied medieval surgery and medieval English. He lives in Michigan.

Customer Reviews

Historical crime with warmth and charisma
The first chronicle of surgeon Hugh de Singleton takes place in the 14th century at the time of the Black Death. Much of the population of Bampton has been decimated by the plague, but a corpse discovered in the castle cesspit reveals that murder is also afoot. Master Hugh determines that the remains cannot belong to the still missing Sir Robert, as assumed, and an investigation begins.

The story is narrated with humor and warmth by the unassuming Hugh de Singleton, who is determined to find the real killer in a time when expediency is often more important than true justice.

The book contains facinating insights into medieval surgery and medieval English. Starr's book is a delightful read, and I am looking forward to the next installment in the series. If Mr Starr keeps to this high level I can imagine him being on par with Bernard Knight and Paul Doherty with just as believable characters.

When Americans try to write English accents...
..the result is usually very odd, as witness the result in this book.

It's not a bad story although I guessed the why and who long long before Our Hero did, and usually I don't - I don't even like to, as I prefer to be surprised. But it was really very obvious.

I love history-mysteries and this general period is my favourite, so I was truly looking forward to reading it. It's just... the attempts at writing 'regional' accents for some of the more rustic characters not only fell flat, they jarred and reminded me that this was written by someone who is not a natural 'Queen's English' speaker, and is either using what he thinks is an accent, or pulling it from a different region altogether.

But that aside, and if the writer can resist the temptation to embellish uneccessarily, the background details were pleasant, the lead character sympathetic, the details of his profession nicely detailed, albeit eye-watering in some cases!!

I'll probably get the next book in the series as I'm interested to see where the romantic sub-plot leads - although please don't go to Goodrich Castle again - I know that castle very well indeed and it's clear the author has either never actually been there or visited without understanding the original layout.

An excellent debut novel
I read this book in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is very well written and yet easy to read. I particularly enjoyed the insights into Surgery in the middle ages. The main character was entirely believable and sympathetic. I look forward to the next installment.