Tag Archives: medieval mystery

#BookReview ‘The Good Death’ by @SD_Sykes #historical #mystery

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The Good Death is fifth in the Oswald de Lacy historical mystery series by SD Sykes and it feels like the last. That is only my guess but there is a ‘rounding of the circle’ to the story, answering questions raised in the first novel. I read it quickly, and sort of guessed the mystery but not quite. SD SykesThe story is told in two timelines as Oswald in 1370 sits at the bedside of his mother, who is dying. She clutches to her breast a letter which she will not show him. Instead she demands he tell her the truth of what happened in 1349 when Oswald was an eighteen-year-old novice monk, prior to where Plague Land, first novel in this series, begins. Sent by his mentor in the infirmary, Brother Peter, to gather herbs in the woods, Oswald meets a terrified girl who runs from him into a fast-flowing river where she drowns. Oswald carries her body to the village and discovers that other young girls have disappeared, never seen again, but no one in authority will investigate. Plague is reported in neighbouring villages and everyone wants to stay close to home. Only the beautiful widow Maud Woodstock listens to Oswald’s concerns and, flattered by her attention, he decides to investigate.
Brief passages are spent at Somerhill Manor in 1370 – Oswald’s mother is dying but still manipulative, his wife is bored, a house guest is irritating and his sister is jealous of the time he spends with their mother – but the bulk of the story takes place in 1349. Oswald is forced to remember an incident in his past that he would rather forget, when as a teenager he becomes an enthusiastic investigator. He jumps to conclusions based on prejudice, generalisations and gossip, putting himself in danger, but finding each possible suspect is innocent. As his list of potential murderers gets shorter, the danger to Oswald – from the murder, and also from the approaching plague – increases. But what if the murderer is someone he doesn’t know or doesn’t consider a likely suspect.
This series has got better with every book and if this is the last, it will be a loss. Sykes tells Oswald’s story in a fast-moving engaging way that is rooted in its medieval time of violence, patriarchy, misogyny and forbidden passions.
Excellent.
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Click the title to read my reviews of the first three books in this series:-
PLAGUE LAND #1 OSWALDDELACY
THE BUTCHER BIRD #2 OSWALDDELACY
CITY OF MASKS #3 OSWALDDELACY
THE BONE FIRE #4 OSWALDDELACY

If you like this, try:-
‘Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter’ by Lizzie Pook
‘Wakenhyrst’ by Michelle Paver
‘Heresy’ by SJ Parris

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE GOOD DEATH by @SD_Sykes https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-6xU via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- William Boyd‪

#BookReview ‘City of Masks’ by @SD_Sykes #historical

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It is 1358 and Lord Somershill, Oswald de Lacy, is in Venice with his mother on route to the Holy Land. But Venice is at war with Hungary and the pair are stranded in this city of secrets. City of Masks, third in the Oswald de Lacy medieval mystery series by SD Sykes, sees the young lord investigating the death of a friend. SD SykesVenice is a wonderful setting for Oswald’s detecting. A closed city with its own rules, customs, prejudices and culture, it is a minefield for a stranger seeking information. Oswald relies on acquaintances and new friends for help. But all is not as it seems. Not all deceivers wear a traditional grotesque Venetian mask, some are in full sight. Oswald’s mother continues to be an irritant to him but is full of surprises and there is tension in the house of their hosts, John Bearpark and his young wife, who is due to give birth. As Oswald’s investigations progress, so do strange happenings at the Bearpark house. Plus, Oswald has the feeling he is being followed everywhere he goes. Even to the dangerous military complex, the Arsenale, to the island of lepers and to the gambling dens where he wins, and loses, money.
In this instalment we learn more of Oswald’s inner devils. He is accompanying his mother on this pilgrimage not because he shares her beliefs but because he is running from a bad memory at home. This dark shame within him will not be repressed and as he closes in on the murderer, his thought processes become fickle and his decision-making unreliable. As the days pass, Oswald must solve the murder or an innocent woman will be executed. And Oswald owes money he doesn’t have, money lost at cards, to a thug named Vittore. Venice is portrayed as a repressive, autocratic society with abuse of the poor and infirm. The surface glitters with beautiful houses but beneath, the foundations are rotting. Each island in the lagoon is a separate territory, outsiders are watched, exploited, killed.
Oswald is an impetuous investigator. He assumes possibilities are fact and pursues numerous wild goose chases. He is not an ideal detective. He stumbles on truths and walks straight into danger. He is emotional and naïve. But hidden in his to-ing and fro-ing around Venice and other islands in the Venetian Lagoon, are hints of the real crime, the real culprits. Venice is riddled with deception and Oswald must learn to see beyond the disguises and dissembling, to apply scepticism to everyone and everything around him.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK

Click the title to read my reviews of the first two books in this series:-
PLAGUE LAND
THE BUTCHER BIRD

If you like this, try:-
‘The Almanack’ by Martine Bailey
‘The Leviathan’ by Rosie Andrews
‘Dangerous Women’ by Hope Adams

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
CITY OF MASKS by @SD_Sykes #bookreview https://wp.me/p5gEM4-5RO via @SandraDanby