A Play of Lords, Margaret Frazer

Man, is there something up with the British and the word "mystery," or has Barnes and Noble just not learned how to shelve books? Because while this book is lovely and interesting, it is in no way a mystery. I know I mentioned with other books by this author that the first death doesn't usually occur until the hundredth page; in this book only one man gets killed, and it's not until page 267 (out of 290). The only elements of mystery involve Joliffe trying to work out which English Dukes are trying to prolong war with Burgundy to the detriment of war with France. (And even as a history major I had trouble following all of it. The wars of English succession and the Hundred Years War are topics I tend to generalize as "Then England fought France for a little more than a hundred years. Also, a lot of English Kings killed each other.")

Despite having no plot and no mystery, this is a good book. The description of London in the 1400's is great. Joliffe and the players he travels with are funny and interesting. It just depends on what you expect out of the story, I suppose.

Grade: B