The Servant's Tale (A Dame Frevisse Mystery) [Paperback]

Margaret Frazer (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Dame Frevisse Mystery | Publication Date: November 1, 1993

From the author of The Novice's Tale, a new Sister Frevisse medieval mystery. It's not a very merry Christmas for the sisters of St. Frideswide when they welcome a troupe of actors in from the cold . . . and open the nunnery door to murder.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Frazer's ( The Novice's Tale ) second Sister Frevisse mystery returns to St. Frideswide's, the 15th-century English nunnery, where the priory's hosteler and amateur sleuth has three murders on her hands between Christmas and Epiphany. First is villager Barnaby Shene, brought to St. Frideswide's by a troupe of traveling players claiming to have found him in a ditch. Barnaby's son Sym accuses the players of robbing his father in ambush, and when Sym turns up dead, the players are further suspect. Finally, the murder of Sister Fiacre, fast upon the revelation of a bitter old quarrel between her brother and the players, throws Sister Frevisse into despair. She likes the players and yearns to dispel the suspicion that surrounds them. On the other hand, their defense is weak, and no other likely suspects exist. Can Frevisse solve the triple mystery and exonerate the players before the coroner has them hanged? And what will become of Barnaby's long-suffering widow, Meg, and her remaining boy, 13-year-old Hewe? Their plight forms a compelling subplot, while accurate period detail, adroit characterization and lively dialogue add to the pleasure of this labyrinthine tale.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (November 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425143899
• ISBN-13: 978-0425143896
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > British Detectives

More About the Author

Margaret Frazer is a full-time writer. She has twice been a finalist for the Edgar(r) in the paperback original category. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Traveling Actors meet murder and prejudice in the cloister., January 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Servant's Tale (A Dame Frevisse Mystery) (Paperback)

Margaret Frazer has done her research well as she guides us through the medieval landscape of traveling Players, the ordeal of patronage and prejudice, murder and mayhem in village and cloister. The reader is there in 15th century England, cold, fearful, hungry, but soon warmed,and well fed through the kindness and Benedictine ethics of the Sisters. The 20th century does not intrude here except in the discovery that people are universally the same: good, silly, corrupt, flawed no matter what time frame in which they might have lived. Murder is murder, but here, with a lively twist. The incisive, wise Sister Frevisse carefully asserts her strength, protecting the players. Why? She collects the facts overcoming all impediments and finally, is amazed, herself, when the truth of the murders is revealed. Terrific read, excellent research into the period and in the realistic portrait she paints of wandering theatre troupes. A book with authentic historical information combined with a page turning mystery.Read it and you will be eager to consume the rest of her work too!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A bleak cold winter, December 12, 2000

By 

booknblueslady (Woodland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Servant's Tale (A Dame Frevisse Mystery) (Paperback)

We visit the fifteenth century priory of St. Fridewides in a bleak cold winter in Margaret Frazer's book the Servant's Tale. all the sisters have caught the rheum (or flu) and a group of players(actors)bring in a badly injured man. His wife, Meg is a servant to the priory and badly wants a better life for herself and her children. This seems unlikely to happen with a maimed husband who was somewhat shiftless in the first place and given to drink.

Before long we have a murder and the players are the chief suspects. Our medieval sleuth Sister Frevisse, wants to disprove this, because of her beginning friendship with this group of people.

I was not as fond of this book as I was with the others in the Sister Frevisse series. Frazer does her usual superb research and brings the fifteenth century to life. Her characters are interesting and you want to find out more about them. This novel is very bleak and sad. I knew who was the villain immediately and hoped I was somehow wrong.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Christmas at St. Frideswide., July 16, 2003

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Servant's Tale (A Dame Frevisse Mystery) (Paperback)

It's a very cold Yuletide at St. Frideswide in the 1433. All the sisters are either sick or recovering from colds. Sister Frevisse is also not feeling herself, but she is thrown into another murder investigation when a village lad is found dead. Before they even get anywhere with that, another murder takes place. Who is killing people in what is supposed to be a religious and joyous season? Sister Frevisse must find out. Can she solve it before an even more grotesque murder happens? This is a good book. Ms. Frazer must use extensive research since her period detail and characterization is very good. Even so, it is a very dark and disturbing tale.