Customer Reviews

The Unquiet Bones: The First Chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon (Hugh De Singleton 1)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The first chronicle of surgeon Hugh de Singleton takes place in the 14th century at the time of the Black Death. Much of the population of Bampton has been decimated by the plague, but a corpse discovered in the castle cesspit reveals that murder is also afoot. Master Hugh determines that the remains cannot belong to the still missing Sir Robert, as assumed, and an investigation begins.

The story is narrated with humor and warmth by the unassuming Hugh de Singleton, who is determined to find the real killer in a time when expediency is often more important than true justice.

The book contains facinating insights into medieval surgery and medieval English. Starr's book is a delightful read, and I am looking forward to the next installment in the series. This book is available now in the UK and here on Amazon.com.

What an excellent idea - to merge in the medieval England of Edward III, a surgeon who becomes a bailiff, with the potential for religion, law, history, and medicine! It may sound like an odd combination, but Melvin Starr's debut novel of Hugh de Singleton, surgeon (and later, bailiff to the interesting and rather likeable Lord Gilbert, third Baron Talbot and lord of Bampton) is a pleasant surprise. The author shows a firm grasp of his history - and of course, manages to move the remarkable John Wycliff, Lord of Balliol, into a couple of pertinent scenes - his plotting is careful and well set out. But I was most impressed with our new hero, Master Hugh. He is a man of parts ranging from modest to intriguing, and it's a fun read! I agree with the other reviewers, we can cheerfully hope that this will b e the first of a series.

The Unquiet Bones is the first in a medieval mystery series featuring the adventures of Hugh of Single, surgeon. He's recently completed his training, and moved to the town of Bampton to practice his trade. When the remains of a young woman turn up in a cesspit, Hugh is called in for his medical expertise; and later, to solve the mystery.

It's an interesting plot, and there's a fairly good twist about two-thirds of the way through. Starr is technically not the most skilled of writers, but he gives his readers a very detailed picture of a town and its people during the 1360s. Hugh is a bit bland as a main character, and I'd like to see him develop a bit more as the series progresses. The potential romance wasn't as quite as fleshed out as I thought it should be. And I wasn't quite sure about Hugh as a narrator; it wasn't quite clear who he's writing these chronicles for, or why. The book took a while to get off the ground--the author starts with this great opening, then spends three chapters talking about various procedures he's done and how he came to know Sir Gilbert.

However, I did enjoy the plot twist that I mentioned above, and the descriptions of medieval medicine are excellent. The author has clearly done his research and is passionate about his subject. The book is plotted and paced well, and Hugh's inquiries into the death of the young woman in the cesspit are realistic. I look forward to reading more of his adventures. The book uses a number of medieval terms, which are easily explained by the glossary in the front of the novel.

This is a first novel so I was very pleasantly surprised to find this book well written, the mystery was well paced and the ending did not feel rushed. All in all this was a great first novel and I will purchase any others forthcoming from this author.

It's easy to recommend this novel to fans of historical fiction. You don't have to be a mystery buff to enjoy it, however, because so much of Melvin Starr's success comes from his depiction of the setting: a town not too far from Oxford in the 1300s, not long after the Plague has passed through. He does an outstanding job at conveying the details of medieval life, without jumping up and shouting, "Look at how historically accurate I am!" It's not that the mystery itself is an afterthought -- it isn't -- but the mystery isn't at the expense of the history.

The hero, Hugh de Singleton, is a younger son who managed to get through University and then train as a surgeon. Shortly after taking a position in the town of Bampton (prompted in part by unrequited love for the Lord of Bampton's sister), someone finds a body, and just *naturally* de Singleton is given the responsibility of identifying the perpetrator. His journeys (both metaphysical and on a plodding old horse) take him to every class level in his society, and also let us follow along as the young man's character changes. I'm tempted to call it Crime Scene Investigation: Brampton because the author really shows how much was and wasn't known about medicine and deductive reasoning at the time.

This is quiet read. It's not an exciting narrative, but it has a gentle humor, characters I came to care about, and a plot worth paying attention to. If you're a fan of historical mysteries, you won't go wrong with this book.

I am a big fan of historical mysteries. As a retired nurse,I enjoy reading histories og medicine. This book fed both my hungers and left me wanting more. I am sending a donation to help save the beautiful old church in the story. Sign me up to preorder the next volume in the series
Patricia Nace
Lebanon,PA

I love historical fiction, especially occurring during medieval time. I enjoy the historical mysteries just as much. I completed this short book and did not enjoy it as much as others of this genre. I found the narrative choppy, and the plot predictable. It appeared to have been written by an unskilled author.The author's prose is very stiff and unimaginative. While the author includes plenty of archaic vocabulary requiring searching the provided glossary or occasionally another dictionary, the frequency of such vocabulary became somewhat disruptive to reading the novel. There was evidence of knowledge of life during the time period the novel took place, but I found the historical background provided somewhat shallow.The characters were quite shallow and simplistic, and thus predominantly uninteresting. For comparison purposes, check out the novels of CJ Sansom or Ariana Franklin. It is unlikely that I will continue with the series.

The Unquiet Bones by Mel R. Starr is the first book featuring Hugh de Singleton, a surgeon in medieval England. Hugh has recently graduated from Oxford as a surgeon and has hung up a shingle in the bustling college town. When Lord Gilbert is wounded by a rearing horse, Hugh is on the scene and stitches up the lord in no time. Lord Gilbert shows his appreciation by bringing Hugh to his demesne, Bampton, as the town surgeon. Hugh is elevated to the post of bailiff when three sets of bones are discovered near the castle and he is ordered to discover first their identities and then their murderers. The book started off a little rough; Hugh's first person narration at first seemed choppy. But as the story progressed, I became completely immersed in the story, and Hugh reveals himself to be an earnest and sweetly noble young man. He is deeply burdened by the task set for him by Lord Gilbert, as well as by his growing affection for Lady Joan. The mystery is well-written and suspenseful, but the appeal of the book is Hugh. I found myself smiling and chuckling at his occasional bumbling. This is a character who has a great capacity for growth over the course of a series.

I've never read a medieval mystery. When I heard that "The Unquiet Bones" by Melvin R. Starr was just that, I was intrigued. What I found in this novel was an incredibly suspenseful beginning to what promises to be an outstanding series of medieval crime stories following a terrific main character, Hugh de Singleton, a newly educated medieval surgeon and sleuth. This is a wonderfully intelligent mystery novel where the age of English castles meets crime scene investigation! There's been a multiple murder, and the bones have been found at Bampton Castle. When a series of events leads Hugh de Singleton to treat the lord of the castle, he is in a prime position to investigate and solve the mystery.

The author's education is history and medieval surgery is very evident throughout this intellectually crafted novel that is bound to draw the reader to a new level of thought.

Oh, how I loved going back to medieval England to read about life and love at that time! Written in the first person narrative of the protagonist, Hugh of Singleton, who consults with John Wyclif before deciding to study medicine. After completing his education, he hangs out his shingle to practice surgery and meets with success when he treats Lord Gilbert who gratefully sets Hugh up in practice at Bampton, where Lord Gilbert resides in his castle. When bones are found in the castle grounds, Hugh is chosen to become a private detective, and he roams the countryside with his investigation. The character, written in depth, is quite believable.

The author does a fine job of researching life in the middle ages and the practice of medicine during this time of the plague. There's a bit of romance, some interesting surgeries, and even a troupe of actors who perform.

An extensive glossary makes the novel easy to read. All in all, this is a delightful book. I look forward to the next in the series, and I recommend this to one and all!