It's 1389 and for her penance Hildegard of Meaux, accompanied by her three companions, Gregory, Egbert and Luke, have left Swyne to travel to Whitby Abbey to acquire at all costs a relic. The situation is complicated by not knowing that there will be competition for the item. It is not long before a Brother of the Abbey goes missing and then is found murdered. But there also seems to be gold missing from the Abbey coffers. Events are made worse by the animosity between the Abbey and the townsfolk.
Although tenth in the series I found I could easily read this as a standalone story.
This is an enjoyable and interesting well-written mystery with its cast of very likeable characters.
A NetGalley Book
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A satisfying medieval mystery!

A troubled time in history. 1398, King Richard has no army of his own and amongst others he's up against Gloucester, Arundel and Lancaster, when they stop bickering, as one man so eloquently puts it.
Against this background the nun Hildegard of Meaux, of the Cistercian priory of Swyne, and her three associates from the Cistercian fold, have been sent north during the twelve days after Christmas to Whitby Abbey, part of the Benedictine order, to obtain a 700 year old relic, a lock of hair of Abbess Hild. Hildegard silently questions her Abbess' injunction, "to bring back as a prize a possibly fraudulent artefact at any price." Her escorts are a young priest, Luke, and two militant monks, Gregory and Egbert.
This mission is part of her continued penance for a grievous sin she has committed against the Abbot Hubert de Courcy and the Rule.
Not long after they arrive at Whitby a monk is found dead in the apple storage cellar. Along with this other disturbing factors are swirling around the Abbey and its inhabitants. Unfair rents and taxes, and the treatment of some of the townsfolk has the relations between the town and Abbey tinder dry. It will only takes a spark for the whole place to explode.
Hildegard and her companions are asked by the Abbot to investigate the death. This is just the beginning of a confusing and at times, harrowing sojourn.
I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere that Clark engendered, with touches of high drama, power struggles, and greed, offset by moments of compassion. Hildegard and her companions are a closely knit group that accept each other's strengths and weaknesses. This plays well into what they undertake.
There's a lot happening, including the not so implicit criticism about relics. That is a whole different thread of the story.
I haven't read any of Hildegard's previous tales. A fact I must remedy as I'm loving her wry humor, reflective thoughtfulness, fully human understandings and adventurous ways.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley ( )

My thoughts

Though I had never read any of the previous books in this series, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Here’s a few reasons why:

One, A well-plotted mystery

Clark captured my attention with an intriguing prologue that raised multiple questions. Hildegard and the others have walked into a place where they are neither wanted nor welcomed. The dangers and intrigues at Whitby are real. Various characters have conflicting agendas, and some are willing to kill to get what they want. Someone might be a friend or foe–or both.

The mystery isn’t straight-forward. The whys and whos and whens are in question, of course, but so is the how: was the monk’s death an accident or murder? If he was deliberately killed, as Hildegard and her friends suspect, how did he die? No spoilers, but it’s one of the most unusual murder methods that I’ve read!

Two, Fascinating historical background

Clark deftly weaves historical fact and fiction. The young king and his conflict with the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke’s condemnation of those who shelter heretics, Wycliffe’s disciples: characters speak reference them as easily as we might reference our current batch of politicians.

Three, Well-developed characters

The characters feel true-to-life for their time period and circumstances. Clark steers clear of historical anachronism in their attitudes.

Hildegard, for example, has fallen into disgrace from a brief love affair. She does not respond with rebellion or question the need for penance. She is truly disappointed in herself for breaking her vow of celibacy, hurting her abbot, and sorrowful in heart.

Luke is a fascinating character. He’s innocent and endearing. Early in the novel, Hildegard notes that it doesn’t take much to shock him in the confessional. Yet as the novel progresses, his faith in the human nature is shaken. He hasn’t been out in the secular world like the widowed Hildegard or the former crusaders Gregory and Egbert. He’s shocked by the excesses and extravagances in the Whitby Abbey monastics, and through his shock, we realize how appalling their behavior is and how far it is from what it ought to be.

He’s also shaken by his sudden sexual desire for a beautiful woman and realizes for the first time what his commitment to celibacy means. I’ve read a few other medieval monastic novels where this is an issue: the person takes a vow of lifelong celibacy either before he or she realizes what it means or when he or she is temperamentally unsuited for it. It’s sad. But he rises to the occasion beautifully.

I also enjoyed young Torold, a boy who is savvy beyond his years.

Four, Compassionate characters

One final thing. I appreciated how Hildegard, Luke, and their friends act toward Sabine, a woman of dubious virtue, and Anna, a new widow with young children who has been kicked out of her house. Their compassion isn’t only words; they live it through their actions. Their intercession and help make a difference in these women’s lives. Here, the monastics take the Scriptural injunction to care for orphans and widows as seriously as they take their vows of celibacy and poverty. It is a beautiful thing to see.

Overall, this is a well-written, engaging novel. If you enjoy historical novels or mysteries set in medieval times, you’ll enjoy Murder at Whitby Abbey.

Thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for a copy of Murder at Whitby Abbey in exchange for an honest review. ( )