Murder on Good Friday (Lord Godwin Medieval Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Sara Conway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2001 | Series: Lord Godwin Medieval Mysteries

On Monday, March 30 in the year 1220, the day after Easter, in a field outside the town of Hexham in northern England, the body of a young child, Alfred, is discovered -- murdered. Lord Godwin, Bailiff of Hexham and in the service of the Archbishop of Canterbury, is summoned to the scene. Alfred has been strangled, but even more shocking are the wounds marking his body: his palms bear puncture wounds, as if iron nails had been drive through them, and his left side has been pierced with a knife. Godwin reckons that Alfred died on Good Friday.

Why would someone kill a child on Good Friday? And why would his body be marked in imitation of the crucifixion of Christ? Soon a rumor begins to spread that the Jews had murdered young Albert, and a mob seizes all the Jews in Hexham, an extended family of nine. Godwin's first task is to prevent the Jews' murder by the mob, his second to find the person guilty of the horrible murder.

A disillusioned and battle-weary ex-Crusader, Godwin sets out to find the murderer as a means of atoning for his part in the crusade -- and for coming back when his dearest friend and kinsman Aidan did not. Will he be successful? Will the Jews' lives be spared? Will the murderer be exposed? And will Lord Godwin ever discover -- wherever -- the forgiveness he seeks for failing to protect the life of Aidan?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sara Conway's first novel, Murder on Good Friday, introduces her Lord Godwin Medieval Mystery series, set in 13th-century Hexham, England. Godwin, the town bailiff, investigates the murder of a young boy whose body bears crucifixtype puncture wounds. Hysterical townspeople immediately suspect Hexham's Jews, and Godwin must protect them while he sniffs out the murderer.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From the Author

"Murder on Good Friday" draws on actual thirteenth-century events: accusations of ritual murder. In various towns throughout England, Jews were accused of murder in the suspicious deaths of young Christian boys. Skeptical royal justices often dismissed these charges, but, on occasion, Jews were found guilty and unjustly put to death. In some cases, the child murder victims were even venerated as saints, considered martyrs by their fellow Christians.

A mythology grew up where it was believed that Jews annually murdered a Christian boy by ritually crucifying him. Not unlike the mentality and hysteria that fueled the later witch trials, this phenomenon spread from England throughout the Continent and accusations continued well into the modern period. Today, in England's Lincoln Cathedral, one can still visit the tiny sarcophagus of little Saint Hugh. The Catholic Church no longer venerates him, but his tomb is a powerful testament to the fear and hatred of Jews, past and present.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (March 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581821883
• ISBN-13: 978-1581821888
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as some medieval mysteries, March 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Murder on Good Friday (Lord Godwin Medieval Mysteries) (Hardcover)

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.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an exciting read, May 28, 2001

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder on Good Friday (Lord Godwin Medieval Mysteries) (Hardcover)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First Book in a New Series, May 29, 2008

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder on Good Friday (Lord Godwin Medieval Mysteries) (Hardcover)

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 . . .