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Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Hangman Blind & The Red Velvet Turnshoe by Cassandra Clark

Hangman Blind by Cassandra Clark.  A medieval mystery set in 1382 and featuring Sister Hildegard, a Cisterian nun.

Sister Hildegard wants to establish a small priory with funds she retains from her marriage.  (After her husband death, she has spent 7 years with the Cisterians.)  In order to establish her priory, she must receive permission from Abbot Hubert de Courcy.

The historic setting is during the time of the peasant revolt and the murder of Wat Tyler and during the Great Schism in which there were two rival popes, one in Avignon and one in Rome.  Loyalties were problematic and dangerous.  Who to trust?  Where do loyalties lie?

I really enjoyed this first in the series and am glad I decided to read this one before reading The Red Velvet Turnshoe.

The Red Velvet Turnshoe is the second novel in this series featuring Sister Hildegard.

As civil war threatens as a result of the rival popes, Sister Hildegard must make the long and hazardous journey to Rome to retrieve a religious artifact.  The danger mounts as a murderer follows.

I like the characters in these books, the personalizing of historic events, and the intrepid Sister Hildegard.


Fiction.  Historic Fiction; Mystery.

3 comments:

  1. I have never heard of this series before, but I do enjoy the medieval period.

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  2. I haven't heard of these books, but they sound very interesting! Thanks for the reviews.

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  3. Kailana - I saw a review of The Red Velvet Turnshoe, but wanted to read the first in the series before TRVT, so I started with Hangman Blind. I liked the way the author wove the story around actual events.

    Sherri - The series is relatively new; I really enjoyed the first two and plan to continue!

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