The Murderer's Tale

Sister Frevisse #6

by Margaret Frazer

THROUGH A MURDERER'S EYES...

Caught under the tyrannical thumb of her new prioress, Dame Frevisse finds welcome relief in leaving St. Frideswide nunnery on pilgrimage. But the road brings with it unwelcome The wealthy Lionel Knyvet has been possessed by a foul demon. Seeking relief from the horrific terrors visited upon his body each fortnight, Lionel has dragged his entire household on an endless pilgrimage across the breadth and length of England. Frevisse wants nothing more than the peaceful bliss of travel, but must instead endure the incessant chattering of a mob.

Lionel's possession, however, may only mask a darker sin. When the pilgrims make their way to the manor house at Minster Lovell, Frevisse begins to unwind the bitter poisons of jealousy and betrayal eating at the hearts of both Lionel and his brother Giles. Against her will, the innocent nun is drawn into the vilest depths of the human soul and there she unlocks the mysteries of a blackened heart. But even when the truth comes out, can justice be done? The pure of heart will find no peace when murder and death come knocking at the manor's door...

PRAISE FOR THE MURDERER'S TALE

"Frazer has created the most despicable villain since Iago." - Patricia W. Julius, Detective as Historian

"Historical readers will be charmed with the story; feminists will be delighted with the strong female characters. Ellis Peters has a worthy successor in Margaret Frazer." - Meritorious Mysteries

"Expertly captures the flavor of the period with vivid descriptions and creates dimensional characters true to the times." - Rendezvous

"A diabolically smooth and logical frame-up... Frazer springs substantial surprises. A moving portrait of how afflictions torment body and mind and a meditation on selfless friendship. It's a treat, with memorable characters and a thoughtful, bittersweet ending." - S.M. Tyson, The Armchair Detective

PRAISE FOR THE SISTER FREVISSE MYSTERIES

"Within the graceful prose rhythms that have garnered her two Edgar nominations, Frazer's tale of 15th-century nun Dame Frevisse transports the reader to a medieval England made vivid and a world of emotions as familiar then as now." - Publisher's Weekly

"Mystery... Suspense... Frazer executes with audacity and ingenuity." - Kirkus Reviews
"Margaret Frazer is on a rip. Each book is better and stronger than the last, and it's almost a privilege to be on the journey as the skillful Frazer takes her heroine, Dame Frevisse, all over Britain solving crimes." - Aunt Agatha's

"There is action aplenty and intrigue in abundance." - Historical Novels Review

A Romantic Times Top Pick.
Twice nominated for the Minnesota Book Award.
Twice nominated for the Edgar Award.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Medieval, Historical, Fiction, Crime

230 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1996

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

[Diana Sandberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven’t actually read this one in English, but found it pretty comfortable going in French. Still needed to take lots of notes, but the story pulled me along nicely. There was one place where I just had to pity the translator – a plot element rested on the evildoer overhearing a conversation and, because of his guilty knowledge, misinterpreting the spoken word “soul” for “sole”, which precipitated him into actions that eventually brought him down. Unfortunately, there's just no way to convey this in French. The unfortunate translator was left with the choice of having the conversation make little sense, or the evildoer’s actions be quite incomprehensible. He just had to hear “sole”, so that’s what got translated, but I can well imagine a French reader scratching her head over it. Sigh.

As for the story itself, well told, as is predictable for Frazer. I particularly liked the bits from the baddie’s point of view, which nicely portrayed his intelligence and the blind spots that came from his bitterness and his arrogance. This is not a whodunit – we know who before we even know exactly what; the suspense arises from not being able to see how on earth he will ever get caught. She managed to keep me puzzled almost to the very end.

[Later note: argh, this title is out of print in English. Bah!]

[Corrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Murderer’s Tale by Margaret Frazer is the sixth book in the Sister Frevisse Series.

"Within the graceful prose rhythms that have garnered her two Edgar nominations, Frazer's tale of 15th-century nun Dame Frevisse transports the reader to a medieval England made vivid and a world of emotions as familiar then as now." -Publisher's Weekly.

Domina Alys is prioress at St. Frideswide’s now and Dame Frevisse in particular finds that very hard to take (and is more cantankerous than ever. Lol!). She’s is more than happy to join Dame Claire on a pilgrimage to Oxford just to be out of the cloister for a while. But in true Murder She Wrote style, a crime is likely to cross Frevisse’s path.

This time, for a change, we know who the evildoer is right from the start. We get both his and Frevisse’s point of view. As usual I loved Frazer’s crips writing and appealing characters. I think I will read one of the spin-off series of Joliffe the Player next, just to get a taste of that.

Themes: Oxfordshire, 1436, pilgrimage, epilepsy, Minster Lovell.

5 Stars

[Kathy Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sixth in the Sister Frevisse medieval mystery series revolving around a nun who solves crimes.

My Take
This was a bit Agatha Christie hearkens back and centers around a truly evil person. Frazer writes this person so well that you understand how inherently evil he is and how well he covers it up so the average person doesn't see it. Just not well enough. It's mindblowing how Giles can twist and turn absolutely anything to the bad. The way he treats Edeyn is just appalling. I read this in a constant state of disbelief.

St. Frideswide's is going down the tubes. I'm wondering how long Alys will last!

It was pretty funny how appalled everyone was when Lionel introduced his steward! I love that Lady Lowell chose to spend her money on a gorgeous garden that she can enjoy now instead of on a tomb that others would enjoy when she was dead! Hmmm, The Romance of the Rose sounds like quite an intriguing poem.

It's so sad to read of how all the servants react to Lionel's predicament. Makes me wonder what things we cringe from today, at which future readers will be appalled.

The brief peek we have of Lady Lowell instructing her youngest son in stewardship and geography was certainly interesting. A different sort of schooling than that to which we are accustomed.

Sad and funny at the same time is when both Frevisse and Claire realize that St. Frideswide's truly is home in spite of Domina Alys.

The Story
It's the first story in which we've encountered the sisters of the priory since Domina Edith's death and it truly is a state that will try women's souls. Silly buggers, they deserve what they hath wrought. Unfortunately Dames Frevisse and Claire are suffering as well and it's this state that finds them on the penitential road to Oxford.

With a side trip to Minster Lovell to deal with a property issue St. Frideswide's is experiencing at Prior Byfield. A fortunate chance for the sisters and for Lionel Knyvet whom they encounter on the road to the Lowell manor, for the Knyvet household moves from Knyvet to Langley each spring and back again in the winter. An opportunity Lionel takes to visit as many shrines as he can hoping to find a cure for his demonic possession.

Luckily for Lionel, Giles knows nothing of Frevisse's intelligence. I suspect that if he were told, he would pooh-pooh it. After all, she's only a woman.

The Characters
Dames Frevisse and Claire have been very naughty, for nuns. As penance, they manage to get sent on a pilgrimage. Luckily. Sister Thomasine is still holier than all. A state to which Frevisse has slowly accustomed herself to, yet Thomasine continues to surprise her with her grasp of the real world.

John Taylor is the nephew to the priory's steward, Roger Naylor, and is sent along with Father Henry, the priory priest, as chaperones to the two sisters. Taylor is quite "longheaded and as steady as his uncle". Father Henry is not very bright, but he is very devout and a decent, warmhearted soul. Neither are what Domina Alys was hoping for as companions on the sisters' travels.

Alys is the prioress now, strictly through fear and extreme bad luck.

Master Lionel Knyvet suffers from the falling sickness and has pledged not to wed even though he is deeply in love with Edeyn. A lovely, lovely man. Martyn Gravesend is his steward and manservant, a decent and loyal man. The only one of them who will come near Lionel when his fit comes upon him. So naturally, Giles despises him. Well, Giles despises everyone, so that's no real distinction.

Giles Knyvet is Lionel's cousin and heir and there is absolutely nothing redeeming about him. He loves to foment trouble everywhere he goes. He's also married to Edeyn, who would have preferred Lionel.

Lady Lovell is caring for the estate while Lord Lovell is attending to problems at Court. Luce is one of her ladies. Fidelitas of ladyship's dogs who ends up devoted to Lionel. Master Holt is the Lowell steward and an intelligent man employed by intelligent people. Sire Benedict is the household priest. Giles' goose is so cooked!

The Cover
Oooh, pretty cover. Quite different from the previous installments. It's a plain vanilla background with a very elaborate frame around the window that itself frames a collage of events from the story. The frame quite handily shapes itself to fit around a white-barked tree under which a man rests with his white steed standing over him as two darkly draped figures converse on a path leading to Minster Lowell in the background.

The window frame is something to see with its lapis-painted insets on the side pillars and the gold scrollwork inlaid on top of that. The pillars themselves are punctuated by elaborate carvings with yet more carvings on the inside and the central bottom with more projecting at the top and trimming the shaped arch. The top and bottom panels of the frame are yet more elaborate with color and diamond-shapes..

The title is too, too accurate. It's difficult to believe that minds can actually think this way, and then to "boast" of it. It truly is The Murderer's Tale.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the time period, setting and characters in this series, but so far only #3, The Outlaw's Tale, about Dame Frevisse's cousin, and #2, The Servant's Tale with it's connection to Frazer's other, newer and faster-paced series, Joliffe the Player; have I found worthy of more than 3*.  The pace of the mystery often evolves more slowly than I would wish.

The Murderer in this book is the protagonist and thus the reader learns his motive and intentions early in the book, so the mystery becomes how Frevisse will figure it out.  This book also has a connection with the Joliffe the Player series in that Dame Frevisse goes with Sister Claire to deliver some papers to Lady Lovell.  Joliffe and his fellow players come under Lord Lovell's protection.

The contemplations of Sister Frevisse remind me of the philosophical wanderings of Alexander McCall Smith's protagonist, Isabel Dalhousie, in his Sunday Philosophy Club Series – interesting but sometimes annoying.

Set in 1437.

[Coralie]

An English mystery in the 1400's. I ended up liking this book although I didn't like it at first. There was actually a plot to the story, unlike so many mysteries, and you actually get a feel for the characters and care about the outcome for them. That being said, it took the author forever to get to the murder you knew was coming. It would have been better not to read the back cover so you didn't know part of the story. If a mystery authors have plots in their stories, it is going to take longer to get to the actual mystery. I also liked Sister Frevisse's way of sharing little bits of wisdom and advice while she tells the story. She was an opinionated woman! Would definitely read more of these books!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a favorite of mine in this medieval mystery series, because although we know who the bad guy is quite early on, we don't know how he's going to try to get his way or how he may be caught. The characterizations of the supporting characters and the insights into the medieval view of the "falling sickness" (epilepsy) add a lot of interest. Highly recommended.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly worth reading for the exploration of medieval approaches to epilepsy, the book also looks at marriage laws and customs in more detail. The unusual device of telling the story from a murderers point of view provides a nice counterpoint to the rest of the series.

[Pauline Calkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sixth novel in the series (and the last one in which Gail Frazer collaborated with Mary Monica Pulver) finds Dame Frevisse accompanying Dame Claire on a pilgrimage undertaken as penance—and as a temporary escape—from the tyrannical rule of the new Domina Alys. The latter has charged them to deliver some paperwork to Lord Lovell at Minster Lovell relating to a dispute between him and the priory over the maintenance of a well at Priors Byfield, the village near the nunnery.

Lionel Knyvet, accompanied by his cousin Giles, Giles’s wife Edeyn, and his steward Martyn, is also going to Minster Lovell to report to his overlord. When Frevisse first encounters these travelers, they are eating and laughing, sitting along the side of the road in the spring sunshine. Lionel and Martyn are playing a game of riddles. Lionel has invited two yeomen to share their repast—much to Giles’s disgust, and he also invites the two nuns. Despite his friendly and bright manner, Lionel carries a heavy burden—he suffers from the falling sickness—and that means to the medieval mind that he is being possessed by a demon. To rid himself of this demon, he has undertaken numerous pilgrimages. to various shrines. His prayers before the great shrines, such as for St. Thomas Becket, didn’t work, but Lionel would not give up, dragging his household to shrines of lesser-known saints such as St. Kenelm, who was not even noted for curing the falling sickness—again as cousin Giles disgustedly observes.

There is no secret about the identity of the murderer. We know from the beginning that it is Giles. Just as Lionel likes everyone and everyone seems to like him; Giles hates everyone. He is Lionel’s heir—and will remain so because Lionel has proclaimed he will never marry due to his condition. Knowing there is love between Lionel and Edeyn, Giles has married Edeyn and takes every opportunity to kiss and fondle her in Lionel’s presence. Like all sociopaths, Giles thinks he is smarter than everyone else and ascribes his own base motives to other people’s motives. Thus, he believes Martyn takes care of Lionel during his seizures, not out of love, but what he hopes to gain. And, of course, he scorns Martyn because he is only a servant.

Giles is tired of waiting to inherit, and murders Martyn while Lionel is in the midst of a seizure. As he has planned, everyone believes that the demon in Lionel has killed Martyn. Lionel won’t be executed, but ever after he will have to confined—perhaps in Giles’s custody. Frevisse comes to believe that Lionel could not have done the murder and that Giles is guilty. The element of suspense is whether she can prove it. The author has a knack for creating compelling characters and here that is Lionel for whom I felt deep empathy. Then there is Giles who entertains with his snide remarks. People’s reactions after Martyn’s murder seem realistic: the wild rumors; servants pumping Frevisse for information as one of the finders of the body; and the exclamations of horror that Lionel could have killed any of them at any time. The portrayals of women are well done. Lady Lovell is kind and astute woman who deftly handles her husbands affairs in his absence. I loved that while her husband had commissioned a stone effigy for his tomb, Lady Lovell would rather have a garden than an effigy of herself.. Edeyn, too—at first she appears as a sweet, compliant young girl, but shows strength and intelligence. Another first class novel.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Murderer’s Tale
By Margaret Frazer
Reviewed October 30, 2023


It’s spring in the year 1437. Lionel Knyvet, a well-off young man, is preparing for his household’s move to their summer home. Along the way, he plans to visit several shrines dedicated to St Kenelm, an Anglo-Saxon saint. You see, Lionel has an affliction then called the falling sickness but today is known as epilepsy, and believing these seizures are the work of demons trying to take over his soul, he regularly goes on pilgrimages to saints both well-known and obscure. Unfortunately, these holy visits have had no results, but Lionel refuses to give up hope.

Living with Lionel is his cousin Giles, a disgruntled, covetous man who resents that Lionel is the one who inherited the family estates. Outwardly friendly, Giles regularly insults Lionel in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, even going so far as the marry the young woman Edeyn, who Lionel loves but cannot marry because the vow of celibacy he took to prevent his passing his affliction on to any children.

And so the party makes way to St Kenelm’s church at Minster Lovell.

While all this is going on, there is another party making their way to Minster Lovell. Dame Frevisse and Dame Claire, now under the rule of the newly elected abbess, Domina Alys, are likewise making their way to the same destination as part of a pilgrimage of repentance, to make up for their irritation in dealing with the domineering and overbearing abbess. By making public confession of their wrong doings, they’ve actually gotten what they want, some time away from Domina Alys, which will hopefully help the two women in coming to terms with the new administration. Domina Alys likewise takes advantage of the nuns’ journey of repentance by giving them a second task, to deliver a message to Lord Lovell at Minster Lovell. Why pay a messenger when you’ve got two healthy young women going in the same general direction?

Naturally, the two parties end up meeting on the road and, much to Giles’s displeasure, continue traveling together (because the last thing Giles finds of interest is spending time with two nuns). Along the way, Frevisse is able to observe the various members of the group, analyzing their personalities.

Once at Minster Lovell, Lionel’s stewart and friend, Martyn Gravesend, is found murdered. Suspicion naturally falls upon Lionel, who is believed to have killed Martyn while under the influence of one of his seizures.

Less a who-done-it (as it’s obvious from the start who the guilty party is) and more a how-will-we-prove-it, The Murderer’s Tale is yet another great entry in this series. As always, Ms Frazer does an admirable job when it comes to creating believable characters, and in this story she once again shows us how people with disabilities were treated during this time (a theme also addressed in one of her Joliffe stories with the developmentally challenged Lewis), which in many ways was much more humane than we’ve often been led to believe.

Another highly recommended book in this series.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew it! That horrible Dame Alys was voted prioress. All because most of the nuns (Frevisse, Claire and Thomasine, notwithstanding) were foolish enough to vote for her. Well, they will reap what they sow, only too bad the others have to suffer for their foolishness. In this book, Dame Frevisse is more ill-tempered than usual as a direct result of Dame Alys' elevation to prioress and one can hardly blame her.

So it was with great relief most of the book was spent away from St. Frideswide and Alys. I liked that the book involved Dames Frevisse and Claire together for much of the time. I also liked the depth offered at the end concerning judging and judgment and how all is never easy or fair. And in this particular entry in the series, the killer is not unknown. The reader follows along with Giles in his thoughts and all his actions, the only suspense in how Dame Frevisse will figure out the truth and prove it.

Once again the reader is treated to the depths and struggles of Frevisse's faith. At the end, she prays for Giles' soul not because she liked him (she didn't), but because she realizes he needs her prayers more than most. Too many people would do the opposite (Dame Alys comes to mind) and her actions show the way she has probably grown in her faith during her years at St. Frideswide. She also continues to question her own shortcomings and hopes to find ways of reconciling with doing the right thing against what is expected of her.

Now I will warily await the next installment. I'm thinking it will grate on my nerves to a degree since Domina Alys is sure to play a larger part this time around. I only hope Frevisse can find a sense of peace.

Oh, and one particular passage really tickled my fancy. "...leaving Frevisse appreciative of the fact that though it was difficult for her to be worthy of her own godly bridegroom Christ, she was spared the awkward temper of a mortal husband." (pg. 38) At times, I have the same thought! (At least the second part.) There are plenty of reasons that make being single not so bad.

[Susan Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tense, not a walking tale, Warning....May be a spoiler or two, read carefully

A new prioress has been elected after beloved Domina Edith died, but not everyone is happy. Dame Claire and Sister Frevisse have an on going history with the newly elected Domina Alys, and with good cause. Domina Alys is as easy to get along with as a rabid dog, but as Benedictines, all are supposed to try to bend to the Rule.
When both Claire and Frevisse confess in Chapter to failing in several areas and breaking the Rule, as penance, they are sent to Minster Loval, a little over a league away, walking the entire way. They also have a secondary mission, to discuss the repair of a well on one of their properties that is entailed from Lord Loval. Domina Alys wants Lord Loval to pay for all the repairs, Frevisse doesn't think that will happen.
I'm the road, they meet a group of people also heading to Minster Loval on a pilgrimage. Of course, they all end up there, not arriving at the same time, but spending several days together.
During this time, one of the young men, the one who is on the pilgrimage, has a fit...this is the reason he is taking this journey. His companion is found dead, lying next to him. It is immediately assumed he killed his friend while the devil had control of his body. He is locked away, awaiting the judgment of the King's Justice, when Sister Frevisse gets a feeling he could not have done it.
Having a bit of a medical background, I also knew he couldn't have murdered anyone, not intentionally, and not as neatly as this murder was accomplished. It was just up to Frevisse to figure out how to do it.
Great book, all the way to the end. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys mysteries, especially medieval crimes.
I was not paid for this review nor was I reimbursed for this recommendation. This is my honest opinion.

[Adelais · Rating 4 out of 5]

Пішла дама Фревісса у прощу, думала спокійно поцілувати мощі, але дорогою зустріла лицаря сера Лайонела, який вже практично став спеціалістом зі святих місць, бо у стількох перебував, намагаючись вилікуватися і позбавитися падучки. Так вони разом всі доїхали до лицаря додому, а там є прекрасна дама, яка вийшла заміж за брата, сам брат, досить улесливий тип, матінка героїв, яка краще садочок гарний посадить, аніж на надгробок гроші збиратиме, і ще багато хто. Звичайно, станеться вбивство, і звичайно, що дама Фревісса матиме віднайти вбивцю.
Цікавий прийом - частина оповіді від іншого персонажа, досить гидкого в душі, хоча на люди він цілком пристойний. Інтрига теж небанальна, і дуже гарно показано, як ставилися і могли ставитися до людини з незрозумілою хворобою. Власне, одна з найкращих книг у серії.

[Brittany Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a different tone and characterization that I'm not sure I like. Frevisse seemed a bit out of character, reckless and ill-tempered in a way I feel can't fully be attributed to the interpersonal drama in the priory. Apparently, this is the last book the original authors wrote together, so maybe I'm sensing the end of the partnership affecting the final product.

[Harriet Lindblom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written Dame Frevisse mystery. Told from two points of view, Dame Frevisse and the murderer. We know who is the..murderer from the beginning, but still suspenseful. An interesting look at how epilepsy was perceived in the Middle Ages.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is much better in this book. The plot is one of those where you know from the start who will be murdered and by whom so the story revolves around this truth being discovered by the main characters.

[Anji Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Murderers tale

Great story telling. All a bit predictable, but a spiffing good yarn all the same. What's next?? I do wonder though, Frevisse is wasted on a nunnery. She should team up with Brother Cadfael. 😊

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

3/8 18

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy hanging out with Dame Frevisse, who strives for serenity and often has to settle for irritated acceptance.

[Nancy G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series and this installment was good, relaxing, appealing and at times thought provoking.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As this is the Murderer's Tale, the mystery isn't much of one. The characters and setting are so well drawn it still kept me reading.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this thoughtful medieval mystery series!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a compelling installment — unique in that we know the murderer right away & even follow his POV sometimes! I love when Frevisse gets angry.

[David Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cliffhanger!

Seeing the world through Giles' eyes is effective and Shakspherean. Frazer does it again, I can't wait to start book seven.

[SBC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 6th instalment in the Dame Frevisse series was an unusual one, in that we, the readers, learn who the murder is quite early in the book (as it it 'The Murderer's Tale', which means that half of the story is narrated from their point of view). It's not the first book where one of the narrators was the murderer (book 2, The Servant's Tale, being a case in point). But whereas in The Servant's Tale the intent was to narrate her story in such a way that we wouldn't know she was the narrator, in this book the narration makes it very clear. This is unusual for murder mysteries since part of the pleasure of reading is often in guessing 'whodunnit'. However, for me, it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the plot - I enjoyed the setting of this novel, which wasn't at the nunnery but mostly at a manor house. In many ways the setting reminded me of Book 4, the Bishop's Tale, which was set at Frevisse's uncle's house. Similarly, this book featured a lot of feasts in the hall. However, this book had several different and interesting features: Frevisse and her friend Dame Claire were on a journey to learn humility and to learn to become tolerant of their new prioress, which resulted in some interesting conversations between them, and this story explored a medieval view of epilepsy, and the characters were very interesting. I didn't enjoy reading about the world from the murderer's point of view, but I did enjoy the rest.

[Carol Flatten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although well told, this murder tale did not grab me as much as all the others I have read. It was all to obvious from the beginning who the villain was and why he wanted to get rid of the victim. There was also a great deal of repetition of activity and thoughts.

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things are not all they should be at St. Frideswide convent. Domina Edith is dead, replaced by the loud, ambitious and difficult Domina Alys. Sister Frevisse is far more quick witted than the average nun at St. Frideswide and often, to her shame, less than diplomatic in speech when it comes to her new superior. She chafes under Alys' rule and is glad to escape on an errand to Minster Lovell, with her friend Dame Claire, to sort out a property dispute with Lord Lovell.

Along the way, they meet up with Lionel and Giles Knyvet's party. Lionel is afflicted with 'a demon' aka epilepsy and is dependent on his servant Martyn when his seizures render him helpless. Giles bitterly resents Lionel's status, wealth and his preference for Martyn's company. He is coldly concocting a way to be rid of both the men he hates and get his hands on Lionel's fortune.

Sister Frevisse is reluctantly drawn into this deadly family drama. Tragedy strikes, and Lionel, because of his most recent seizure, is implicated as the unwitting cause. Frevisse is the only one who can follow the subtle clues that point to a more sinister, calculating murderer's hand.

I've read several of the Sister Frevisse mysteries in the past. It was good to reacquaint myself with her prickly personality and razor sharp detective mind. I do wonder if Domina Alys will be the next victim in this series - the brief descriptions of books 7 and 8 suggest that her reign at St. Frideswide's will be coming to and end, whether because she's deposed or murdered.

[Argum · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this first book since Dame Edith's death, we find Frevisse and Claire quite unhappy with the new conditions. Dame Alys is abbess and is lax and mean at times. Claire and Frevisse are on pilgrimage to make penance for this and are stopped at a local lord's home on abbey business. A young lordling is epileptic aka seized by the demon when his steward is killed. Lionel is blamed, but Frevisse is not so sure and of course can't help but pry. We see the murder in this one as is fitting given the title, but it took something out of the tale. Or maybe it didn't since it seemed so obvious that you like Frevisse hated the bad guy it would be awful if he wasn't the bad guy.

A little bored with this series I think. I like Frevisse, but all the best side characters are now dead. Not a lot of personal growth or change in the characters.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very glad that Margaret (Gail) Frazer's children have continued to market her books after her death. She was my very very favorite author and the first Medieval Mysteries I read. Her history and her managing both time and place were the very best. No one else comes close to her.

A very few of her books were not in print earlier, although she did try to make them available. Kindle has helped that effort. Please check them out!!

The Murderer's Tale was one of the best ones and I am happy that I was able to read it. I well remember Sister Frevisse's problems with Prioress Alys, which prompted she and Dame Claire to take this pilgrimage. A murderer was foiled and I got a wonderful look at Minster Lovell Hall and Oxfordshire recreated through this fine author's eyes. Lady Lovell plays a wonderful role also in helping solve a travesty and murder.

[Kerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sister Frevisse tales are for those that can enjoy a good tale in which the character's sensibilities don't necessarily sit easily with our modern sensibilities. The author does a good job in trying to capture the cultural attitudes of late medieval England while still engaging the reader in a good story. In this volume, Sister Frevisse and her companion venture forth from the convent in penance. Along the way, they journey with a young lord who suffers from demon possession (grand mal epileptic seizures). When the young lord's servant is found dead after one of these possessions, all assume the demon has caused the young lord to murder, all but the reader who knows the true killer's identity.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

As all the other Dame Frevisse novels, this one is a sure-bet. The setting is outside St. Frideswide's Nunnery, in the town of Minster Lovell, where Dame Claire and Dame Frevisse have traveled and are taking a few days rest. As the reader would expect, the two nuns have met some fine travelers along the way, and as one would expect, one of the travelers is murdered in the Chapel of the Manor House of Minster Lovell!

The twist this time is that the reader KNOWS who the murderer is, and we read along as Dame Frevisse discovers more and more disquiet in her soul regarding the circumstances of the dead man. Not only an interesting series of twists and turns, but Dame Frevisse struggles more than usual with her human emotions. A must for all Dame Frevisse lovers!