Sins of the Blood

Sister Frevisse

by Margaret Frazer

Three short stories and a tour of St. Frideswide.

Contains: The Witch's Tale
The Midwife's Tale
The Stone-Worker's Tale
Guided Tour of St. Frideswide

THE WITCH’S TALE

Witchcraft has come to the peaceful village near St. Frideswide, and its foul touch is striking down those closest to the church. Can Dame Frevisse thwart the servants of the devil before the hellfire of hysteria sears the souls of the faithful? Or is there more to this magic than meets the eye?

THE MIDWIFE’S TALE

“Sisters! Come back! Please don’t leave us yet!”

Cisily Fisher has died in childbirth and now the village of Priors Byfield is held in a grip of fear. Can Dame Frevisse find the root of misery behind a murderer’s sin before the next lethal blow falls? Or will the village be lost in a hue and cry of terror? The gentling touch of the midwife may calm the tortured soul… or give birth to a bitter death.

THE STONE-WORKER’S TALE

When Frevisse is given bishop-pardoned leave to visit her cousin Alice at Ewelme, she is enchanted by the work of the sculptor Simon Maye. But Simon is enchanted by the beauty of Elyn, one of Alice’s ladies in waiting. Clandestine meetings have given way to sinful lust, and now the two lovers have disappeared. The servants whisper that the lovers have eloped, and secretly pine for the passion to do the same. Lady Alice believes her sculptor has been stolen away by jealous rivals and rages at the injustice. But Frevisse alone suspects there may be some darker truth behind the midnight vanishing…

A GUIDED TOUR OF ST. FRIDESWIDE

And so we turn to St. Frideswide’s in rural northern Oxfordshire. Imaginary, yes, but fully realized as an ordinary place much like many others common across England in both rural and urban settings by the 1400s. A wealthy widow founded it in the 1300s, saw to its beginning, and endowed it with lands and other income to sustain it – alas, not so fully as she intended to do before she died…

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Medieval, Historical Mystery, Cozy Mystery

253 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Margaret Frazer is a pen name used at first by Mary Monica Pulver Kuhfeld and Gail Lynn Frazer writing in tandem for a series of historical medieval mysteries featuring Dame Frevisse. After the sixth novel, the works are written by Gail Frazer alone, and the name has subsequently been used exclusively by her. A second series of novels by Ms Frazer set in the same time and place feature the player/minstrel Joliffe.

See also: Monica Ferris, Mary Monica Pulver

Series:
* Sister Frevisse
* Joliffe

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

After re-discovering the Dame Frevisse series on audio through my local library, I noticed there were titles that I didn’t recall getting me excited there was more installments in the series than I thought. Turns out those additional titles were short stories and they were also neatly bundled all together as Sins of the Blood. I love the mid fifteenth century come to life in rural Oxfordshire and the colorful characters led by the clever and observant religieuse, Dame Frevisse working out twisty mysteries penned by Margaret Frazer so there was no doubt I was going to check it out.

So, the Dame Frevisse series had seventeen novels with titles all stylized from Thomas Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Fictionally, of course, but ironically, the main character of the series, Frevisse, is the grand-niece of the famous Chaucer. She had an unusual childhood for the period in that she was well-traveled and well-learned thanks to her odd, liberal-minded parents, but in her adulthood, Frevisse has contented herself taking vows and joining a small priory located in northern Oxfordshire.
One would think such a choice would be slow and uneventful in comparison to her adventuring childhood days, but Frevisse is something of a murder magnet and ends up with several deaths to investigate. Sins of the Blood is a collection of three short mysteries taking place throughout the time frame of the novels and also culminates in a lovely fan favoring extra giving the background of Frevisse’s priory, the description of priory and village, and talking of the series now that it’s over. Naturally, this is not the best place to start to appreciate the series and I recommend newcomers go right to the beginning with The Novice’s Tale.

In the Witch’s Tale, Dame Frevisse and Dame Claire must help the village herbalist from not just the accusation of murdering her abusive husband, but bringing about his death by witchcraft. In The Midwife’s Tale, Frevisse, Claire, and the village midwife happen upon a dying man after a sad lying in and his death is more than it seems. In the Stone-Worker’s Tale which is later in the series when Frevisse is the Domina (Mother Superior) of the Priory and she is on her annual family visit with Lady Alice and there is consternation when Alice’s gifted stone mason who is carving her tomb turns up missing as does one of her waiting women.

All three deliver engaging mysteries, but also, in an economy of words, bring to life rural medieval England and life in a small nunnery. I can’t get over the mastery in characterization, plot, and historical setting all in one. The Guided Tour of St. Frideswyde’s was the frosting on a delectable cake and I heartily recommend this collection to other series fans and recommend the series to historical mystery lovers.


My full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer 5.14.25.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that amounts to three short stories starring the marvelous Dame Frevisse and then a "tour" of St. Frideswide. It's definitely not my favorite Margaret Frazer book, but the stories are readable. It is mildly interesting to read about St. Frideswide, though it gets a little tedious at times. A map would have been very helpful.

The last half of the Kindle version is a "preview" of The Novice's Tale, the first book in the Sister Frevisse series, which I read and loved years ago. I decided not to read that part again.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this a while back on the recommendation of the author's son (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/t...). He's amazingly insightful, analytic, and intelligent, and the idea of a mystery-solving nun in the middle ages sounded like it could be fun, so I put it on my to-read list. Unfortunately, I think the way this book was composed works against its use as an introduction to get you interested in the author's work, which is a shame because the writing itself is quite good.

It begins with three short stories featuring the mystery-solving nun, Dame Frevisse. The titles (The Witch's Tale, The Midwife's Tale, and The Stone-worker's Tale) pattern themselves after Chaucer, which happens to work great for me because I'm a fan of The Canterbury Tales. They're good stories, well told, the plots and the way the mysteries are revealed feel natural and make sense, and the characters come across very human and relatable. The story is well embedded in the setting, and you can tell the author has done her research and knows the medieval world well. I had a hard time putting these stories down, and felt drawn to pick them back up and finish them, a feeling I haven't had about many books. If the book were composed only of these three short stories, I'd probably give it five stars.

Unfortunately the short stories are a minority of the total length. What comes next is A Guided Tour of St. Frideswide, the nunnery Dame Frevisse comes from. It's basically the author showing her research directly. It's a testament to the author's writing talent that this section is even readable -- I don't think anyone really wants an info-dump of an author's background research and the setting they've created.

Even after that, more than half of the book is a "preview" of the first novel-length book in the series featuring the character Dame Frevisse. How is 10 chapters merely a preview? I've read almost half the next book already, and now I'm frustrated. Two or three chapters should have been fine for a preview. The preview of the first novel ends up dominating this book, yet it's not complete here.

[Pauline Calkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sins of the Blood” contains three of Margaret Frazer’s short stories (“The Witch’s Tale,” The Midwife’s Tale,” and “The Stone-Worker’s Tale”) that I have already read, but I enjoyed them so they were worth re-reading when, in addition, there is a guided tour of St. Friedswide nunnery as well as the nearby village Prior Byfield . From reading all of the Dame Frevisse books, I had a pretty good idea of the layout but the “tour” added some useful information about medieval life in the village as well as the priory. The volume ended with the first 10 chapters of The Novice’s Tale.. This is the first novel in the Frevisse series and the first one I read after reading some of her short stories. It sets the stage for her other novels and I was reminded how good the series is. I guess I’ll have to finish it.

[M.H. Thaung]

I haven't read anything by Margaret Frazer before. The three short stories/novellas that comprise the first quarter of this book provided a nice introduction to the world of Dame Frevisse. As one might expect for short stories, the mysteries weren't terribly complex, and everything fitted together neatly. There's a richness of historical detail, and I appreciated that the characters didn't display anachronistically modern values.

I can't comment on historical accuracy, and I wasn't interested enough to read the background notes that form the later part of the book. Still, I'm interested enough to peruse the other books in the series.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is made up of three short stories or novellas that are cute, but quite simple, a lengthy summation of Frazer's research on the priory these tales are set in and a lengthy, 10-chapter preview of the first novel in the Dame Frevisse series which is quite engaging, cosy and fun. My only complaint that with the preview being so lengthy, I'm a bit reluctant to buy a novel that I've read a significant chunk of already.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read all the medieval tales from Margaret Frazer years ago but had not seen this collection of short stories.
It led me to go back to beginning of series and I enjoyed another book. I own a number of Frazer's paperback books and have enjoyed another series, the Joliffe Players.

Kindle Unlimited

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good knowledge of medieval life

Interesting tales of medieval England with a nun to solve the mysteries. I enjoy Sr Frevisses. She uses her knowledge and keen insight to solve these cases

[Donna B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short novelettes by Frazer about our favorite nun :-) and then an exhaustive tour of the priory and surrounding area....I read that part with pleasure because I like the series so much!

[Conniegull · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of one short story and two novellas featuring Dame Frevisse from Margaret Frazer's mystery series. I've only read the first full-length novel so far and I was somewhat disappointed with this book because I wanted more. The last novella, The Stone-Worker's Tale, was the most intriguing and I wish this had been a full-length novel. Frevisse was visiting her cousin Alice, Duchess of Suffolk as her tomb was being constructed. Alice was a real person and her tomb is at St. Mary's Parish Church, Ewelme, Oxfordshire. She has an interesting genealogy: granddaughter of the writer Geoffrey Chaucer and grandmother of the de la Poles whose Yorkist descent(from their mother who was a sister of Edward IV and Richard III) caused a couple of them to be imprisoned and one of them to be beheaded.

The book also contained a wonderful description of the Abbey of St. Frideswide, the setting of the full-length novels featuring Frevisse (but not the setting of the short story or the novellas). I wish a map of the abbey had been included.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of 3 previously published short stories; a 'tour' of St. Frideswide; and a substantial excerpt from The Novice's Tale, the first book in the Sister Frevisse series.

The short stories are "The Witch's Tale" and "The Midwife's Tale," both of which take place in the village near St. Frideswide, and "The Stone-Worker's Tale," which takes place when Frevisse is visiting her cousin Alice. Like the novels, although a mystery is important to the plot, much of each story is focused more on the characters and their lives than on solving the mystery.

The tour is not illustrated and consists of descriptions of some of the places and people in and around St. Frideswide. If you've read all the books (and/or other books set in the same time period), much of it will probably sound familiar. I wasn't really paying attention, but I believe the tour was longer than any of the short stories.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medieval mystery featuring Dame Frevisse and the holy sisters, who have been invaded by Lady Ermentrude, who insists that her niece, a postulant, be removed from the convent immediately and marry a man of Ermentrude's choosing. But after a short while Ermentrude leaves, returning later in the day in what appears to be a drunken state, but still insisting that she remove her niece from the nuns' protection. The niece does not want to leave the convent, believing she has a true calling. When Ermentrude starts having hallucinations, then falls into a stupor, the priest is called for last rites. One of her ladies in waiting dies in Ermentrude's room; then Ermentrude dies as well and the crowner is called to investigate. He believes the niece is the culprit, and Lady Ermentrude's son is in accord, but Dame Frevisse and Dame Clair have other ideas.

[Kilian Metcalf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of three novellas and a guided tour of the grounds of St Frideswide. It fits right in with the books I've been reading lately about how our living conditions shape our lives and vice versa. A complex mixture of public and private, a convent is an unusual and mysterious place to outsiders, but it is home and familiar to the residents. Frazer takes us behind the scenes and into the private lives of the sisters with a generous and loving eye. The book ends with teaser chapters from The Novice's Tale. Just enough to create in the reader an irresistible desire to buy the book and find out whether Sister Thomasine is allowed to make her final vows.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gail Frazer was a great writer and an extremely fine person and I mourn her passing. She and her children devised a plan to digitize her works and I am so glad I purchased this one.

Although I have read one of the three short works in the book, the other two as well as the "tour" of St. Frideswides' Abbey and surrounding lands and houses made it a very worthwhile purchase for me. The tour was much more educational and surely more enjoyable than other works about Medieval life I have read.

"Margaret" Frazer wrote so well and entertainingly about this period and this place. She was , I believe my first venture into medieval historical novels. So worthwhile!

[May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories are difficult for a mystery writer because the limited length makes it difficult to fully develop plot and character. It's better to regard these short stories as musings on medieval life and standards than actual mysteries. As with all of her books, the writing is spare and elegant, and the nunnery characters are old and familiar friends. The book is a fun and quick read but only if you are already familiar with the Dame Frevisse series.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

More than 50% of this ebook is taken up with a preview of the first novel in the series, leaving the collection of three short stories at around half the length of a novel.
Having said that, the stories themselves are pretty good - Frazer works well within the shortened format, not attempting anything to convoluted with the plotting, and allowing the scenery and characters to breathe as a consequence.

[Abcdarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as satisfying as the Sister Frevisse novels of course, but 3 interesting stories and a guide to the nunnery which would be better for the addition of a map. It's nice to have anything new by Margaret Frazer, since we will have no more from now on. Also contains several chapters from the first Sister Frevisse novel for those new to the series.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like this series, especially longer stories which are rich in period details and character traits. Recommended.