DEVIL'S ACRE

A Brother Walter Mystery #6

by Stephen Wheeler

January 1242. Brother Walter of Ixworth is dying. He is an old man but the prospect of death does not disturb him - indeed, he welcomes it to meet with old friends and see God in the face. But before he finally joins the heavenly host he is determined to solve one last mystery that has been plaguing him for decades. But there are dark forces afoot that want to frustrate his efforts and are prepared to go any lengths to keep secret events that even now could disturb the government of England, even murder. In his mind Walter returns to those far off times when Abbot Samson took him on a bizarre journey away from the comforting familiarity of Bury Abbey and into the wilds of barbaric Norfolk where the abbot’s power is limited and met by a far greater one in the guise of the Warenne family of Castle Acre - or as some still choose to call it, the Devil’s Acre.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Medieval

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 5, 2014

Reviews

[Rose Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Wow. What an ending. Had me really confused what was really going on. Enjoyed this book I think best of all.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry to be coming to the end of the books in this series I have enjoyed, although it does appear there is yet another appearance of Brother Walter the physician as a ghost in a final book. I shall launch into that soon. This tale comes at the end of Walter's life, and he has outlived all the other colorful characters from the series. He is attempting to chronicle the events he lived through with Abbot Samson and is writing furiously on the parchment provided some years ago by his "brother" Joseph now dead. It was a particularly mysterious and secretive mission the Abbot brought Walter on, never revealing to his physician what the plan was. The reader suspects, of course, as the story unfolds. I do not wish to spoil the enjoyment of reading this adventure for another reader. In his final days Walter is being cared for by a man named Gerard. Someone is behind the scenes, determined that the story told by Walter will not see the light of day. This lord asks Gerard "why do you hate him so?" In answer, Gerard states "It is his liberality that offends. He does not condemn that which any religious should condemn. His so-called brother - that atheist. Such people should not be permitted to breathe God's air yet he refuses to condemn him. And not just his brother. Murderers, perverts, prostitutes - he would make room for them all. As though the sin itself were not bad enough, the toleration of it is worse. It is better that he be removed from the world and his opinions with him."
The author's website has pictures/descriptions of the historic sites where the action takes place in this series. http://www.stephenwheelermysteries.co...

[Marie Shirley Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another tangled web is unwoven

Brother Walter is writing his last case. He and Abbott Samson are traveling to Devil's Acre in order to bury Brother Raif.

On reflection of this trip, Walter has so many questions, but he's not getting the answers he needs. Who was buried so many years ago?

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devil's Acre had the plot style best described as tempest in a teapot. True, this labyrinthine juggernaut is set in motion to save one poor unfortunate but it also pretty much crushes all hope of understanding what's going on until the last paragraph of the last page when you are given the why of it all. Nothing can explain why it took so long to get there.

[Kathie Zingler · Rating 4 out of 5]

History

Historians now say that the medieval age was not as dirty or as ignorant as once believed. In this series of books I like the respect for honesty, truth, and (in this last book) the very evident respect for the rights of the disabled.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deception

Quite enjoyable . the story moved on apace . it touched briefly on the lives of the nobility of the day .