Mel Starr

Dear Readers,

Once again I am reviewing a Mel Starr book for a Kregel blog tour.  They send you a free book and ask you to write a review for it.  This is not a problem with this series of books.

This is actually book #5 in the series about Hugh de Singleton, surgeon.  They are a series of books set in the 1300's, that always have a mystery to them  There is a quote on the book of the book from the Library Journal, "Fans of medieval mysteries will revel in Starr's lively blending of intriguing suspense and telling historical details."  Great quote, but one that made me laugh.  I am not a big fan of medieval stories at all, and who knew there was a genre for medieval mysteries. 

I guess I am saying that if you are a fan of mysteries and want something with a little bit different twist to it, then try these books.  Mel writes a good story and mystery that isn't solved in the first two chapters and his main character, Hugh, is very human and as Hugh himself will say, has some wit about him.  I actually enjoy Hugh's character because of the way he acts, speaks and does his job to the best of his ability.  Being a surgeon in 1367 could have been no easy task.  Modern medicine of any sort was unheard of.  Surgery was still viewed as something of the devil and the plague is busily wiping out hundreds of thousands of people. 

Because of his saving the local lord's life, Hugh is also the local sheriff.  This means when a man is found beaten to death it is his job to figure out who did it and why.  With not much to go on he first works on figuring out who the man was since he is not from Bampton.  The clues lead Hugh on a merry little investigation. 

Don't get me wrong here; I did enjoy the mystery part of it.  But learning about life in the 1300's was fascinating.  I have found it a pleasant part of the books before, but for some reason in this book I found it a much bigger part of the story.  I don't know if I just missed it in the other books or if Mel just included more this time.  At one point Hugh is going to do surgery on one of the men at the local monastery and the monk in charge won't let him do it because the stars are not aligned.  Who knew the Catholic Church followed the Zodiac?

I found this book just a bit different from the others and I am sure it's because of the everyday details that Mel put into it.  If he had done this before and I missed it, sorry, but if not then you can really enjoy it this time also.

Happy Reading

P.S. This book is available at Baker Book House or by request at bakerbookstore.com