Murder on Good Friday (Lord Godwin Medieval Mysteries) (ISBN 1581821883)

an exciting read:
I am an avid reader of historical mysteries, esp of mysteries set in the middle ages. So I was quite ecstatic to find a new historical mystery series set in 13th century England. "Murder On A Good Friday" by Sara Conway is a well researched and well written mystery set in the small northern town of Hexham, and features the detecting skills of the bailiff of Hexham, Lord Goodwin, and his cousin by marriage, Lady Constance of Broadweal Manor. The novel opens with the discovery of a young child's body a few days after Good Friday. Alfred, the unfortunate victim, had been first strangled and then mutilated: his palms bear puncture wounds, as if nails had been driven through them. Horror and panic strikes the town, and in the grip of fear and superstition, the Christian townspeople turn on the small Jewish community that resides in Hexham. Lord Goodwin, the bailiff, does not believe his Jewish friends are at all responsible for the crime, and has a hard time preventing the rabid townsmen from taking revenge. His task is not made easier when one of the newly arrived brothers from the nearby priory of St. Andrews claims that he has had a vision: Alfred is a martyr to the Christian faith because he was slain by the enemies of Christ. Alfred seeks vengeance. The Jews must be punished. Goodwin realises that it is only a matter of time before all hell breaks loose. Will he be able to discover who murdered Alfred before it is too late? "Murder On A Good Friday" is a really riveting read. Sara Conway maintained the level of tension and suspense throughout the novel. With each succeeding chapter you wonder if Goodwin will be successful in preventing the lynching of the Jews to take place, and if will discover who perpetrated such a foul deed. Conway also did a brilliant job in bringing the small, sleepy town of Hexham to life, and in portraying the various relationships the inhabitants had with each other -- the Jews with the Christians, Goodwin with his constables and the townspeople, and the priory with the town. Unfortuantely, the denouncement of the mystery left a little to be desired: key bits of information were only revealed at the very end, and certain incidents and discoveries took place 'offstage.' However this was an exciting and compelling read, and I enjoyed the novel very much.

Not as good as some medieval mysteries:
It's obvious to the reader that the author has probably read every other medieval mystery in existence..there are bits in here from Ellis Peters, P.C. Doherty, Bernard Knight, Michael Jecks, etc. Unfortunately, the first 3/4 of the book is standard fare that we've read before...except that it is a bit slow moving and boring here, with somewhat wooden characters. What saves this novel is the final rush to an exciting ending.

Not as good as some medieval mysteries:
It's obvious to the reader that the author has probably read every other medieval mystery in existence..there are bits in here from Ellis Peters, P.C. Doherty, Bernard Knight, Michael Jecks, etc. Unfortunately, the first 3/4 of the book is standard fare that we've read before...except that it is a bit slow moving and boring here, with somewhat wooden characters. What saves this novel is the final rush to an exciting ending.

First Book in a New Series:
This book is by a new author, at least to me and features the character of Lord Godwin, the Bailiff of Hexham as the solver of the crimes put before him. It is always nice to find a new author with new characters and even better, the book takes place in the north of England. I have become so used to reading about Crowner Sir John de Wolfe, the lead character of author Bernard Knight and Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, Michael Jeck's lead character. Sir John, being the Coroner for the West Country and Sir Baldwin, Keeper of the King`s Peace are both extremely adept at tracking down murderers, but in the Devon and Cornwall area. Excellent though they both are, and avidly read by me, a trip up to the north of England is like a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed the book. It is never easy for a new author to shine in an area of fictional writing that already has many excellent author`s, the two I mentioned above being a prime example, but I thought the plot was well thought out and well executed and the writing style of the author was uncomplicated and lucid. As I said earlier the plot revolves around the character of Lord Godwin, the Bailiff of Hexham, a man more than a little troubled by his past life as a Crusader. When a murder takes place and Godwin is called to the scene, he believes that finding the killer will go some way towards atoning for the part he played in the Crusade, an act that has been plaguing his waking moments for some time . . .