A Corpse at St Andrew's Chapel: The Second Chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon

The MIddle Ages is never boring with Hugh Singleton solving crimes

Who said the Middle Ages was boring. Well if you ask Hugh Singleton, surgeon and bailiff to Lord Gilbert Talbot he'll tell you, not so much. As he was awakened at dawn to be notified of a murder, now he has to solve it and with the help of his tenacity, his curiosity and his puzzle solving ability he just might do it before the culprits make a corpse out of him.
Mel Starr gives us a unique look at the mid 1300's in his new novel A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel, through the eyes of surgeon and bailiff Hugh Singleton. Being a teacher of History and student of medieval surgery and English Mel gives us a realistic feel of the life and times of that era, filled with language, rituals and lifestyle. After the first few pages you're able to pick up on the dialogue, which is rife with humor as well as vivid narratives of the community and surrounding countryside of Brampton England, which is a town that still exists today in the Cumbrian countryside. His characters are wonderfully portrayed in commonsense and earthy detail and you'll soon know them well as the author is gifted in his descriptions and knowledge of them. Hugh is such a likable fellow he is obviously always in search of justice, his faith in God is indisputable and his wish and search for a wife is funny and heartwarming.
So if you're in the mood for a little something different in your search for a good mystery read I think this one might be right up your alley.
A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel is Hugh's second adventure, it reads well as a stand a lone. Make sure to check out the first in the series The Unquiet Bones and his third in the series is due out soon and is titled A Trail of Ink. Check him out you'll be glad you did.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Medieval Mystery

This marvelous book is written in the first-person narrative of Hugh de Singleton, a surgeon during medieval England. Right off, a corpse is discovered and suspicions arise. Was it a wolf or other wild animal, or could it be a murder?

Master Hugh solves the puzzle like any good sleuth. He notes the clues and follows up on his hunches--all the while tending to his duties as the only physician. I like that Master Hugh shares his day-to-day experiences. Quite interesting to me is learning about the practice of medicine during this time. He visits and often quotes his mentor, John Wyclif.

I read the author's first novel The Unquiet Bones, loved it and looked forward to reading this second in the series. Both are stand alone novels, and you'll have no problem catching on. However, if you've read the first, you will enjoy picking up where the first novel ends as well as the reappearance of Alice.

The dialogue is a delight, and the author has researched medieval England extensively to create a believable plot.

An extensive glossary makes the novel easier to read. All in all, this is a delightful book, and I recommend this to one and all! I look forward to the next in the series.

I want to give a special thanks to Cat Hoort at Kregel Publications for my copy.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

2nd in Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon series is the perfect historical mystery

A Corpse at St. Andrews Chapel by Mel Starr is the second book in the Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon series. This mystery picks up shortly after the events of The Unquiet Bones in 1365 as Hugh continues in his role as bailiff for Sir Gilbert of Bampton. His duties lead him to investigate the mysterious death of a beadle. His search soon leads him through many midnight forays, discovering poaching, infidelity, and maybe even love. Starr has written, for me, the perfect mystery. Hugh is a wry, often self-deprecating character who teases the reader with hints of what is to come. There's lots of period detail about life in the 14th century without ever becoming pedantic. Each character in the story is deserving of their own novel. Hugh has a strong faith in God, but he's always questioning it and himself and the way people worship, so he's discussing it feels completely natural and true to the story. Starr drops just enough hints throughout the book to allow the reader to guess at the motive and criminal without being obvious. I can't say enough good about this series! I wish Hugh a long and successful career as bailiff and surgeon so that I never run out of reading material.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Middle Ages like you never knew it

"A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel" by Mel Starr continues the story of Hugh de Singleton, a surgeon and bailiff during the Middle Ages in Bampton, Britain. A former history teacher, you can tell that Starr loved his subject and wants people to understand the day-to-day lives of villagers and not just the overshadowing event (i.e. the Plague) of the time. The Middle Ages is a supporting character but it doesn't overshadow the story - which is a great murder mystery.

What makes this a fun story is that our erstwhile sleuth makes mistakes in his thinking, doesn't understand some of the clues that the author leads us to, but also the fact that he has a regular life to lead in addition to solving the murder. The little tidbits of life in the Middle Ages flavors the story, bringing home the truth about no matter how much life changes, some things never change.

My only complaint in the story is the romantic aspect; it seemed a little forced and out of place just as it was in the first book. With the introduction of these new supporting characters, Hugh has an excuse to leave the rural area and travel to the cosmopolitan city of Oxford. While the facts about Oxford during the 1300's are fascinating, it seems that the author could have used a different plot device to get us there.

You don't have to read the first book in the series, however it will help shape the characters and the setting. If you want an old fashioned story with great historical facts, this is the book for you.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

the middle ages made interesting

The Second Chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, surgeon

Mel Starr

2009

Monarch Books

Fiction/Suspense/Historical



Reviewed by Cindy Loven



Set in 1365, in a small English village, Hugh de Singleton, surgeon and bailiff for Lord Gilbert Talbot finds himself in the middle of several mysterious deaths and occurences. A dead beadle (manor officer in charge of curfew and other duties for the Lord) is the trigger to all the mystery that Hugh finds himself in the middle of. It looks like an attack by a wild animal, only there are several things that trigger Hugh's suspicions. The beadles shoes are missing, and he has a caved in spot on his skull, both acts that a wild animal attack would not produce.

Hugh's suspicions and nosing around nearly costs him his life, after an attack in the dark leaves him beaten and banged up, however in the light of day, it is realized that his attacker is dead. How that happens is beyond Hugh, because the last thing he heard, was his attacker telling someone else that Hugh was still alive.

Normally I do not enjoy books set in this time period, they are often hard to follow because there is such a difference in that era than in ours. However this book was very interesting and the author was able to make the differences of times periods a non issue, without loosing the historical aspect of the story. A great mystery and a good story. 300 pages $14.99 US 4 stars.

This book was provided for review purposes by Christian Bookworm Reviews, no payment was received for this review.