The Owls of Gloucester: Volume V of the Domesday Books

Edward Marston is a very accomplished writer and a knowledgeable historian. He has the ability to weave a complex plot around an accurate representation of how life would be in the 11th century in England and make it spellbinding and interesting for the reader. The calm of Gloucester Abbey is broken when the body of a murdered monk is found in the Bell tower of the Abbey. The Sheriff is all to quick to assume that the murderer must be one of the monks. When Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret arrive in Gloucester they begin their own investigations into who is responsible. But the killing is only the start of trouble which threatens to over-run the whole community.

Two young novices stumble upon the corpse of Brother Nicholas, a Benedictine monk, in the bell tower at the Gloucester Abbey. The sheriff is convinced that the killer wears the black habit of the Order and will not look for the culprit outside the abbey walls. Domesday commissioners Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret are sent to Gloucester to resolve a land dispute. Unable to let such a hideous crime go unsolved, they begin their own investigation. Soon it becomes apparent that Brother Nicholas was not as innocent in life as everyone thought. Worse, his death is connected to an even greater crime that threatens the entire area and must be stopped, at the source, quickly. To complicate matters, King William show up and a plot to assassinate the King is in the works. **** Here is a great mystery that is set during an unstable part of history. Even though this is the tenth book in the series, you do not have to read the previous books to enjoy it. This book is able to stand alone. At no time will a new reader feel lost or confused. Only a sharp reader will be able to figure THIS mystery out before the main characters do! Recommended for all mystery fans. ****

The ideal novel is a perfect confluence of plot and characterization. Usually it starts with an attention getting scene or a section of character development that gets your attention and keeps it, because you want to unravel a theme, an event, or a mystery that has intrigued you.Historical novels have an additional dimension of interest for aficionados: one wants to revel in the recreation of a time or a place or, better yet, to find anachronisms, so that one can criticize the author's historical scholarship while conveniently overlooking their writing skills in general.Having said all of the above I want to say that I find "the Owls of Gloucester" an interesting well written summer read, but please, Mr. Marston, don't think that I believe that the 50 monks of Gloucester Abbey drink their ale from glasses! This precious fragile material so rare in 11th century England would hardly be used for holding a monk's ale. I think you mean bowls or mugs of wood or fired clay. Perhaps the abbot drank from a pewter cup, but otherwise.... I might note in praise that my knowledge of the prescribed times of monastic prayer has been increased through reading this novel. I had known of Vespers, Compline, and Nones, but her for the first time I was made aware of Sext.

Late in the eleventh century under the reign of William, Brother Nicholas fails to return to Gloucester Abbey from collecting the rents. He remains missing for two days leading to concern and high tension among the residents of Gloucester Abbey because that is out of character for the monk. Anxiety dramatically increases when two novices, known for their misdeeds, stumble over the corpse of Brother Nicholas, whose throat has been slashed.The Brothers and the novices panic while Sheriff Durand stuns the Abbot when he insists that the opportunity to kill the victim was only available to one of monks. In the area to resolve another minor land dispute, Domesday Commissioners Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret travel to Gloucester Abbey to conduct their own investigation. They quickly conclude that the murder of Nicholas is just the start of an evil that will kill again and ultimately destroy the abbey unless stopped.Instead of turning repetitive and as boring as resolving an insignificant land dispute (just ask Ralph), the tenth is a delightful fresh treat. The "locked door" who-done-it is cleverly designed and fun to follow as the lead sleuths struggle with a closed mouth abbot and an irate sheriff wanting them to stay out of his business to solve the case. Historical tidbits interwoven into the plot enhance the murder mystery. However, the key to Edward Marston's latest William era tale is the depth of the support cast which enables the audience to visualize medieval times inside a strong investigative novel.Harriet Klausner