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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant as always, January 15, 2007
In this most recent Sister Fervisse installment, author Margaret Frazer moves away from the traditional whodunit into the realm of political intrigue and assassination. As usual, Ms Frazer has taken real historical events and woven her own, very own personal web around it, that results in the very absorbing "A Traitor's Tale." In 1450, England seems to be teeming with plots and counter-plots and a populace angry at the manner in which the country is being run. For many, the honourable and capable Duke of York, is an answer to all prayers, and they live in the hope that the exiled nobleman will return to England and help their weak king, Henry VI, with the governance of the land. So that when it comes to the duke's attention that the late and unlamented Duke of Suffolk, may have left a letter listing those who had betrayed their King by conspiring with the French, he sends out his best spy, Simon Joliffe, to try and retrieve the letter. But when Joliffe starts trying to track down this letter, he discovers that those who may know something of this letter have all met with mysterious deaths. At the same time, the Duchess of Suffolk is herself anxious to retrieve this same letter in order to safeguard her son's future. Can the Duchess and Joliffe work together in order to find this letter and discover why the late Duke's men are being killed off one by one? It would seem as if they must; and fortunately for them, Dame Fervisse of St Frideswide, the Duchess' cousin and Joliffe's friend, who has come to the Duchess' side at her hour of need, is at hand to help them figure out who is behind these murders and why... Anyone who has been reading my reviews of Margaret Frazer's Dame Fervisse mysteries will already know how very much I like this series and that one of the things that I enjoy most about these mysteries is how vividly the author colours each plot with the pageantry and history (social, economic and political) of the period. All this and more -- a well written and suspenseful plot peopled with brilliantly realised character portrayals -- can be found in this latest Dame Fervisse installment, "The Traitor's Tale." But what I especially liked about this novel, other than that it featured the main protagonist from Margaret Frazer's other medieval series, the strolling actor, Joliffe, and allowed us to glimpse at how this character will evolve from player to spy, was how Margaret Frazer, incisively and succinctly gives us a thumbnail sketch of events that will lead to one of England's bloodiest civil wars, the War of the Roses. Al in all, this was a very fast paced and very enjoyable read, that I would encourage lovers of medieval mystery novels to pick up and read.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intrigue and politics - the usual mix, January 26, 2007
I gave this 5 stars, but almost gave it a 4. Not because of the book itself. As usual Margaret Frazer has done an excellent job of creating characters and telling a good tale. Dame Frivesse is one of my favorite literary figures, and when paired with Joliffe you can be sure the yarn is always a good one. I think my disappoint comes from all the politics involved. For people who enjoy a good political medieval mystery, its a marvelous tale. But for me...gosh, I'd like just a good old fashioned murder in a small English village, and leave the politics out. Having said that, I would still recommend The Traitor's Tale, along with all the other books in the series to anyone who wants a smashing good read on a cold winter's day.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More history than mystery but compelling and fun, January 18, 2007
Mystery authors with series amateur sleuths always face one problem -- how is it that your protagonist keeps getting involved in murders? Margaret Frazer has solved this problem neatly by having her smart and utterly sympathetic Dame Frevisse become embroiled, albeit totally unwillingly, in the political intrigue leading up to the War of the Roses. This book, like the others before it, is fascinating in not only giving a picture of life in the 15th century, but doing so with believable characters that manage to resonate with the current day reader without seeming anachronistic. There is much exposition in this book. Lots of mysteries bog down on the inevitable "it could have been done THIS way" dialogue, but Frazer not only makes the dialogue -- and the underlying history lesson! -- compelling but also entertaining in the exchange between those two fine minds, Frevisse and Joliffe. Frazer is truly a master of the craft, and Frevisse has become one of the great classic characters. Let's hope she and Joliffe share many more adventures!
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