Rest Not in Peace by Mel Starr

March 2, 2020

Rest Not in Peace by Mel Starr

When a visiting knight complains of not being able to sleep, surgeon and bailiff Hugh de Singleton prescribes a sleeping draught of crushed lettuce seeds.  When the knight is found dead the next morning, his widow quickly accuses Hugh of murder.  To clear his reputation, Hugh must solve the crime and identify the true killer.  As Hugh begins his investigation, the suspect pool grows rather than shrinks as he learns more about the dead knight's family and personal life.

This is the 6th book in the Hugh de Singleton series set near Oxford in the 14th century.  The books are entertaining, well-researched historical mysteries, with a recurring cast of characters.  Hugh is an accomplished surgeon who gets to do a lot of surgery and doctoring in this one.  The younger son of a knight, he is a thinking man who acts slowly when performing his duties as a bailiff, since it was easy to get the wrong man hanged in the 14th century.  The author does a great job of portraying life in medieval England, from what's for supper to what people are wearing to how a doctor went about his job to the difference among the classes and family life.  I appreciate the glossary of terms no longer in use.  Readers who enjoy a gentler read (no sex, murder takes place off stage) and a well-written, well-thought out mystery will enjoy Hugh's adventures.