Murder at Whitby Abbey

August 1, 2019
A penance designated for Hildegard of Meaux Abbey brings her into great danger. England in 1389 is no safe place for anyone, as the great lords fight among themselves over the power rightly belonging to the young Richard II. But it's even less safe for Hildegard when Abbot Hubert de Courcy, disturbed by her sexual escapade with Sir Ulf of Langbar (Murder at Meaux, 2018, etc.), commands her to go soon after Christmas to Whitby Abbey to try to obtain a holy relic for Meaux. Accompanying her are Brother Luke, a young and innocent monk, and her old friends, the fighting monks Gregory and Egbert. The massive Whitby is home to the dour Benedictines, who are willing to assuage their poverty by selling a lock of hair from Abbess Hild of Whitby. Upon her arrival, Hildegard finds herself in a bidding war with both wealthy religious houses and wealthy lords. Abbot Richmond himself is noncommittal; the place seems to be run by his bursar, Peter Hertilpole, a supercilious type locked in a battle with the poor fisherfolk of the town over payments to the abbey they can't afford. Hildegard suspects that the relic is actually horsehair, but, loathe to return empty-handed, she and her friends wait for the bidding to proceed. When Brother Aelwyn is found dead in the apple storeroom, Hildegard is first puzzled, then alarmed by the realization that he was murdered even though the monks have chosen to ignore the crime. Another death that follows is also claimed to be accidental, but Hildegard and her friends, acutely aware of the dangerous currents swirling among the monks and the townsfolk, continue to hunt for answers and justice for the dead. One of the heroine's most perilous and exciting adventures features misogyny in every ugly form.

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Starred review from August 19, 2019
Set in 1389, Clark’s excellent sixth outing for Sister Hildegarde of Meaux (after 2015’s The Dragon of Handel) takes the intelligent and occasionally wayward nun to Whitby, along with three fellow Cistercian monastics, to purchase the Benedictines’ precious relic, a lock of hair of Abbess Hild, the founder of Whitby Abbey. Though the relic’s value and authenticity continue to raise serious questions throughout Sister Hildegarde’s stay, the perplexing murder of a compassionate monk, Brother Aelwyn, prompts a request that the Cistercian visitors investigate this crime. They plunge into solving the mystery, all four of them advancing the inquiry, but only Sister Hildegarde has her life repeatedly threatened on the way to the tense climax. In addition to juicy abbey secrets concerning chastity and venality, the investigation uncovers a simmering struggle between Whitby locals and monks touching on class conflicts and anger toward monastic land grabbing and toll impositions—all issues relevant to the late 14th century. This is definitely a standout in the crowded medieval mystery field. Readers will hope to see Sister Hildegarde soon again.

September 1, 2019

In 1389, nun Hildegard of Meaux is sent to Whitby Abbey in northern England. As penance for her sins, she must barter with the Benedictine monks for a relic, a 700-year-old lock of hair of Abbess Hild of Whitby. Her companions on the winter journey are two monks and a young priest. When they arrive at Whitby, Hildegard discovers they are not the only ones interested in the relic. While waiting to view it and offer a price, the four travelers are caught up in the murder of a young monk. Their investigation uncovers secrets of the abbey, its tensions with the town, and the issues of taxes and land, and then another man is murdered. Before she and her companions return home, Hildegard will uncover the truth behind the killings and the connection to the abbey. VERDICT Although set centuries apart, Clark's tenth medieval mystery (following Murder at Meaux) and Cora Harrison's 1920s-set "Reverend Mother" series share similarly rich details of religious and political life. Readers who favor the political tensions and historical aspects of Ellis Peters's "Brother Cadfael" mysteries will further appreciate this leisurely paced story.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2019
As a punishment for her recently discovered sexual misconduct, Hildegard of Meaux, a pious but somewhat unconventional nun with a robust past, is sent on a mission to obtain a holy relic from Whitby Abbey. Unfortunately, her assignment becomes more complicated when the relic, purported to be a lock of St. Hild's hair, sparks a bidding war among both local gentry and representatives from other abbeys. Before the bidding can begin, the body of a young monk is discovered in a store. As Hildegard and her companions, two "monks militant" (recent veterans of the Crusades), and a naive young priest, undertake the investigation, it becomes evident that both the abbey and the town itself harbor dark and twisted secrets. Hildegard puts herself and her virtue at considerable risk in order to uncover a potentially treasonous plot and unmask a murderer. Authentically mired in fourteenth-century religion, politics, and social unrest, the tenth volume in Clark's consistently superior medieval mystery series will not disappoint fans of the genre.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)