Quite excellent, I thought and I appreciate how carefully the author researches the medieval setting. ( )

Margaret Frazer's The Bastard's Tale did an excellent job finding a bit of lurid history from the 1400s and fleshing it out with some extra characters, details and events in a nearly plausible way. I found the characters compelling, and her added details did not distract from the historical facts. Unlike many people who write historical fiction, Frazer did not alter the history when it didn't suit her story.

However, what did detract from the book was her faux medieval writing style. Her characters would have been speaking Middle English, Chaucer's English. Clearly, a modern mystery written in Middle English would have difficulty finding an audience. Frazer had to find a middle ground, a language usage that would give the reader a ye old feeling without giving them an authentic language barrier. I got used to the style by the time I finished the book, but I found it unconvincing, overly adjectival and at times unclear. Years ago, I would have been less picky and it wouldn't have occurred to me that the language her historic people would have spoken would have verged on incomprehensible to the average English speaker. I'm not as forgiving a reader now. However, despite the clunky attempt at the ye old flavor, I did enjoy the book and recommend it to anyone who has a taste for the monastery mysteries a la Brother Cadfael. This book though, is certainly not a Cadfael. It's not as warm and charming, but it is more political than Cadfael's Civil War ravaged England usually was. ( )

Dame Frevisse is caught up in political intrigues, in the 1440s during the reign of King Henry the VI, much against her will. I loved the little excerpt from the author's studies of history at the end of the book. It made the story engrossing for me. This tale kept me on the edge of my seat once the action started, and I had to stay up until it was finished. An added bonus, Joliffe is in this story and I really love Joliffe. ( )