A Trail of Ink (Chronicles of Hugh De Singleton, Surgeon, Book 3)
Author: Mel Starr;
Genre: Historical Mystery;
Format: Kindle Ebook;
Publisher: Lion Fiction (2013).
This is the third book in a great series, and I liked it the best so far. The setting is 15th-century England, mostly in Oxford this time.
Our protagonist, Hugh de Singleton, is bailiff for Lord Talbot, a local nobleman. In this capacity, he investigates crimes, and is a tenacious man when he finds something he thinks is unjust or unmoral.
In this volume, the mystery begins calmly enough when Hugh’s old professor Wycliffe reports that his entire library of books—a valuable commodity—has been stolen. The case gets more complicated, with some red herrings thrown in, and of course some danger involved. The actual murder in this instance doesn’t even happen until halfway through the book.
The characters are a mixed lot, but Hugh is a good man and true. He is currently searching for a wife after Lord Talbot recommends he settle down. Enter Kate, who made an appearance in the previous book and has a bigger role here. Hugh has a rival that will probably cause more trouble in future books, but so far, the romance is going well, although it’s only a small part of the overall story.
Descriptions are done very well, and the pacing is fine. As with the previous books in this series, the pacing is quite slow through most of the story, which forces the reader to consider the slower speed of everyday life in the setting. The ending came up quickly and was over fast, as with many historical mysteries.
Some violence (circa 1465), no foul language, no sex.
Copyright © 2018 Janice F McClintock; All Rights Reserved
