A Play of Piety

Joliffe the Player #6

by Margaret Frazer

In harvest time of 1436, Joliffe's troupe leader falls, leaving his players to find what work they can while he recovers. Joliffe finds work in a hospital where he unfortunately has to deal with Mistress Cisily Thorncoffyn, a widow expecting to be endlessly waited on for her mostly imaginary ailments.

When patients begin mysteriously dying, Mistress Thorncoffyn loudly insists that someone is trying to kill her. With so many suspects wishing her ill, if not outright dead, Joliffe has no choice but to find out whose anger has turned to murderous hatred and whether-having missed their target-they mean to try again...

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

304 pages, Paperback

First published December 7, 2010

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]

This is a series that I’ve been meaning to finish for years and I determined that this would be one I finished for the Series on Sunday especially since I’m down to the last two books.

Joliffe has returned from war and espionage training to rejoin the traveling troupe of actors who have been his family and home for so many years. Weary and ready for the relatively simple world of playmaking from town to village to town, he is startled to find the troupe staying over at the hospital of St. Giles with fears for Basset’s ability to heal and continue to lead their band.

Like the others, Joliffe exchanges room and board for work around the hospital and isn’t there long when the deaths begin. A sour rich woman’s demands and schemes make her the most likely target, but it isn’t Mistress Thorncoffyn who is dead. Joliffe’s talent for finding out things is put to the test once again.

A Play of Piety is the sixth of the Joliffe the Player historical mysteries. This series can be started from the beginning with each book connecting to the next, but I will also note that it began as a spinoff when Joliffe and the acting troupe were first encountered in the Dame Frevisse mystery series.

Set in the medieval period of the fifteenth century, the Joliffe the Player mysteries are a fascinating blend of not just medieval period life, but specifically, life for an actor of a traveling troupe of players who act, tumble and juggle, sing and make music for little villages, large cities, and private lords and ladies. They have a wandering, free sort of life when the average poor person was tied as a serf to the land or in work guilds in cities and towns.

Joliffe lives by his wits and is much more than he seems with a learned background that he hides and now he hides his new spy training since he and the troupe have exchanged full freedom for the sponsorship and safety of traveling under Lord Lovell’s banner. In those days, that meant taking sides in some sort of political intrigue or lordly power plays and that makes this series exciting at times beyond the clever murder mystery plots that occur.

This latest has Joliffe back among those who are familiar and dear to him, but his latest experiences away from them have left him a different person and he carries the nightmares and weariness that plague him always so that the others notice he is changed. Joliffe’s adjustments to normal life and the life around the medieval hospital take up most of the book with the murder only coming along late and not really advancing all that quickly in plot pace once it did show up.
But, when all is said and done, Joliffe may have his doubts, but he retains his powers of observation and inquisitiveness that help him figure out why people are dying from unnatural causes at the hospital run by a priest, a physician and nursing sisters.

Though it’s been years since I read the previous book in the series, I was easily able to remember the characters and situation and slip right back into this wonderful world. Joliffe is a fabulous character and I love his unique skill set and career as much as the backdrop and mystery plots. Definitely recommend the series.



My full review will post at Books of My Heart on Jan 29th, 2025.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Clean" medieval mystery. Well written with excellent attention to detail.

[Dennis Fischman · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a historical novel, I think this is first-rate. Joliffe and the players spend the bulk of this book in St. Giles Hospital (which given the context of the times is also what we would call a skilled nursing home for the aged), and the author neatly gives us the daily routines and the atmosphere of the place.

Joliffe's character is also maturing. He's less of a rogue than he used to be: still not a person overweighed with moral concerns, but a serious human being.

The mystery cannot be solved by the reader. The key clue does not appear at all until twenty pages from the end. When it does, it makes things fit, but one could easily imagine some other information appearing that would have settled the mystery a different way, or at least made this solution impossible. But one doesn't read a Margaret Frazer book the way one reads Agatha Christie, and I prefer Frazer's grasp of character to Christie's puzzles.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am much more familiar with Frazer's Dame Frevisse Medievel Mysteries, which are favorites of mine, than this series of hers, Joliffe the Players Mysteries, and I didn't start at the beginning of the series, I just grabbed this book off the shelf at the library. It really didn't take me much to get into the story or understand enough of the concept so I didn't feel that I missed the groundwork laid out in the previous books. In this one Joliffe has been absent from the traveling troupe of players, and catches up to them at a hospital, where the leader of the group is recovering from an illness. It's harvest time and the other players in the troupe have hired themselves out either to work the harvest or in the case of Rose, to help out at the hospital itself.
I enjoyed the story, but Joliffe didn't come across to me as all that much of a detective or anything. He does have an inquisitive mind and keeps asking questions until things makes sense to him, but I felt like most of the book was a nice story but the mystery of the story didn't grab me real early like it would in most mystery series.

[Priscilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so much a historical mystery as a historical novel that somewhere past the halfway point involves a murder, followed by tens of pages of the main character asking himself questions about it, followed shortly by someone else solving the murder "off camera". I enjoyed the book because it was well written and the details of the historical lives were interesting, but a murder mystery it certainly is not, not in the usual sense or in the sense that I was looking for when I began it. I might buy other Frazer books if I come across them in thrift shops, but only if I'm in the mood for something cozy and historical - NOT if I want a good puzzler.

[Pinko Palest · Rating 1 out of 5]

too domestic for my taste, and quite a bit of a climb down after the more political previous one

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sixth in the Joliffe the Player medieval mystery series revolving around a group of theatrical players in 15th century England.


My Take
I am so pleased to be wrong! In the last Joliffe story, A Play of Treachery, I was positive that Joliffe would still be actively working for the bishop. I was wrong. Joliffe is back with the players!

This story is primarily with Basset, Joliffe, and Rose with the others playing brief roles.

Interesting historical background on how much the movement of non-nobles is restricted. Joliffe mentions that he has a note from Lord Lovell as why he wasn't hauled in to work at someone's harvest.

There could be worse places to be. The hospital insists upon cleanliness and the food is decent. The sisters themselves are intelligent with wit and humor about them and they truly care about their patients. The only fly in the ointment is Mistress Thorncoffyn, but it's great fun reading of the many ways in which everyone else thwarts her or simply makes fun of her.

I'm not sure why Frazer made such a point of the shed where Jack sees "unsavory" goings-on. She doesn't go anywhere with it.

This was a truly fun story and I enjoyed this very much. The only criticism I would make is that the characters made things too easy for Joliffe to play at his detecting. She could have created more tension with more suspicion of Geoffrey as well; he had it too easy.


The Story
Joliffe is thrilled to be back on the road and heading back to his fellow players in Barton. The past months have been disturbing in too many ways and Joliffe is looking forward to returning to a player's life. Surely it's been an interesting peek behind-the-scenes working for the bishop as a spy, but it has also been and continues to be disturbing as Joliffe notes how he has changed in his outlook and reactions to others after his training. Worse, Basset is laid up in St. Giles Hospital and the bishop's man had no information on how badly he was doing.

It's bad enough but the troupe was lucky enough that they were near St. Giles when Basset was stricken. Rose is working in the kitchens of the hospital while Ellis, Gil, Piers, and Tisbe are working in the fields helping to bring in the harvest. If Joliffe is to stay he will have to choose between working the fields or staying in the hospital to "lift, shift, fetch, and carry" for Ivo has run off. Naturally, there's no real choice as Joliffe would prefer the easier life as servant at the hospital than the better-paying but back-breaking work of the fields. It certainly helps that it will irritate Ellis no end!

It's a good life if you don't mind staying in the same place. And if you could get rid of Mistress Thorncoffyn and Master Hewstere with his condescending ways and obsession with the stars---the patients certainly prefer the concoctions of Sisters Margaret and Letice as they actually work. The antagonism between Thorncoffyn-Idany, Master Hewstere, and the sisters is actually a lot of fun since the sisters are quite diplomatic and nice in how they play the game of surviving their nastiness. It does help that Master Soule and Father Richard are on their side!

Then Mistress Thorncoffyn's grandson and her steward arrive. Pleasant enough until the two men who work for Mistress Thorncoffyn arrive to lay complaint against Master Aylton. It doesn't take much before Mistress Thorncoffyn is laying into Aylton, beating him badly enough to require a physician's assistance. It's the discovery of his death in the morning that disrupts everything in the hospital with Joliffe's position as servant a definite hindrance in his detecting.

No, it's not the sisters who hinder as they are anxious for Joliffe to hang about with the crowner so he can tell them the news. It's simply not expected for a servant to interfere with such an investigation. And, again, Joliffe is lucky with those who do investigate even if his interest does cause suspicion.

It is a worry as even if Bassett gets better, the sickness will recur and decisions will have to be made.


The Characters
Master Thomas Basset is the leader of a group of six theatrical players. They became quite lucky when Lord Lovell decided to make them his own Players for his cachet protects the troupe when they wander the countryside. Basset decides which towns to play, who is to play which part, and directs them until the play is perfected. His daughter Rose doesn't act but she does manage their money, the props and costumes, and keeps them fed. Her son Piers is young enough to play the feminine and children's roles with Gil's help. Ellis also acts and loves Rose. Joliffe "Norreys" acts and writes the plays they perform. Due to his innate curiosity, Joliffe also pokes his nose in and solves crimes which is how he came to Bishop Beaufort's attention.

The nursing sisters at St. Giles include Sister Margaret who has a talent for healing; Sister Ursula is the huswife for the hospital; Sister Letice cares for the garden and is knowledgable about herbs and their medicinal uses; Sister Petronilla cares for the the children Daveth and her own son Heinrich (he sounds like he's autistic); Emme and Amice are the laundresses; Master Soule is master of the hospital, teaches in the school, and trades off religious duties with Father Richard the parish priest; Master Hewstere is the physician who can't bear to touch his patients; and, the crippled, very intelligent Jack takes care of the gate.

The patients at St. Giles include Basset of course, but there's also Deke Cready, Ned Knowles, Tom Lyttle, and Dick Leek who are not expected to last much longer; Adam Morys broke his leg; Iankyn Tanner suffers from asthma; and, John Oxyn has a cotidian fever whatever that is!

Mistress Cisily Thorncoffyn is cross, contrary, and delights in being a pain---her five dogs are smarter and better behaved! Annually she takes advantage of a clause in the gifting of the hospital by her father to stay for weeks at St. Giles---I think she likes to spread the grief around. Even when she's ill, she's thinking of how to make people miserable. Her maid Idany is a carbon copy at least in character bossing everyone around and expecting them to drop whatever they are doing to cater to her mistress. Master Geoffrey Thorncoffyn is her grandson and certainly takes after her in character. Master Aylton is the Thorncoffyn's steward and a seemingly pleasant enough man. Dick Cawdry is reeve at Tybchurch while Simond Wyke is reeve over at Crofte for Mistress Thorncoffyn; their statements are backed up by Harry Multon, a bailiff.

John Borton is the bailiff at Barton with Deke Credy's nephew a constable. Tom Denton is the barber-surgeon who performs the autopsy. Master Osbourne is the crowner who investigates any death and makes a judgment; a very suspicious and intelligent man. Master Goldin is the town apothecary Osbourne calls in when Sister Letice confirms that the ginger is poisoned; possible romance there!


The Cover
The cover illustration is by Brigid Collins while its design is by Lesley Worrell. I hadn't thought to wonder who had done them previously, but I'm impressed by the atmosphere the cover creates with its medieval styling. The hospital is in the background behind an arch with a cloudy barrier between it and the row of bedridden patients, sisters clustering behind the nasty Mistress Thorncoffyn (she's really not fat enough on the cover!) and her maid Idany.

The title is disturbing. The sisters and the priests are pious enough...it's the others who seem to be A Play at Piety.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Play of Piety
Joliffe the Player #6
By Margaret Frazer
Reviewed February 8, 2024


Another enjoyable entry in the Joliffe the Player series takes place in the fall of 1436. After several months separated from the troupe when sent by Bishop Beaufort to Rouen for training in the spy craft business, Joliffe is back in England and reunited with the rest of Lord Lovell’s Players.

Instead of performing, however, the players’ leader, Thomas Basset, has suffered from a severe attack of his arthritiks so bad that he can barely walk. (And suffering from severe osteoarthritis myself, I can really, really relate!)

So Basset has been brought to the hospital of St Giles, where he is being cared for by the sisters (not nuns who have taken vows, but more like lay sisters/nurses). Since it is harvest time, the rest of the members are either working in the fields or, like Joliffe, helping at the hospital.

Life is beginning to return to a semblance of normalcy for Joliffe after his time in France (detailed in book 5, which I have just started reading) when the peace of the hospital is disrupted by the arrival of Mistress Cisly Thorncoffyn, one of the most delightfully nasty antagonists Ms. Frazer has created - a selfish, arrogant woman who looks as though she’s been working on perfecting all seven deadly sins in herself. She’s the kind of person who, if this were a play, you’d love hissing and booing as she makes her entry, stage left. Her family, having been patrons of the hospital, she feels entitled to being waited on hand and foot, no matter the hour or if there are others in more need.

Shortly after her arrival, a series of incidents takes place that casts a pall over St Giles, including suspicious deaths and suspected poisonings, and ever curious, Joliffe tries discreetly to figure out what is going on…and why.

As always, Ms. Frazer’s books are a pleasure for readers of historical fiction, and I appreciate how she makes a point setting the record straight when it comes to how people in Medieval England lived. Unlike the usual portrayal in movies and historical dramas, Medieval people knew how to wash and comb their hair, and while they may not have understood things like germ theory, they knew about herbs and other medications, many of which are still used today.

Recommended to lovers of historical fiction, particularly stories set in Medieval England.

[Pauline Calkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sixth novel of the Joliffe mystery series is set in an English hospital run by nursing sisters. The players troupe had to hold up there when the leader, Bassett, became incapacitated with arthritis. After living through the devastation that occurred when the English lost Paris, Joliffe returns to England and joins his fellow players, becoming a servant to the nursing sisters at the hospital. There are strong personalities: a grossly obese woman who is rich, loud, and domineering: a female medica in opposition to the male physician, a steward who may not be as honest as he first appears, and unscrupulous characters lurking about. Of course, there is at least one murder (two if you count a dog) and an attempted murder. Joliffe solves the mystery, but the reader won’t because a last piece of evidence is withheld until the very end.

Nowadays, we would call St. Giles a skilled nursing facility with high standards of cleanliness and good food. Not a bad place to work. With this series and the Sister Frevisse mysteries, the author is intent on showing that the medieval period was not some period where the people wallowed in filth and lived in ignorance until enlightenment suddenly burst forth with the Renaissance. In this, I think she succeeded, and this tale is a step in the right direction after the disappointment of A Tale of Treachery.

[Corrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Play of Piety by Margaret Frazer is the sixtht book in the Joliffe the Player Series, a Dame Frevisse spin-off.

The sixth book is set in the harvest time of 1436, Joliffe's troupe leader falls, leaving his players to find what work they can while he recovers. Joliffe finds work in a hospital where he unfortunately has to deal with Mistress Cisily Thorncoffyn, a widow expecting to be endlessly waited on for her mostly imaginary ailments.

When patients begin mysteriously dying, Mistress Thorncoffyn loudly insists that someone is trying to kill her. With so many suspects wishing her ill, if not outright dead, Joliffe has no choice but to find out whose anger has turned to murderous hatred and whether-having missed their target-they mean to try again...

This one is all set in St. Giles Hospital and next to Joliffe we see a small role for Rose (working in the kitchen) and Basset (convalescing). The rest of the troupe are on the land helping with the harvest. We get much about the daily goings-on in a medieval hospital and the murder-mystery only near the end of the book. Frazer knows how to make it all very interesting as always.

4 Stars

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who would have imagined that an historic novel set in a small medieval hospital could hold the interest of an average reader? I was initially put-off by the setting of this novel, but it only took a handful of pages for Margaret Frazer’s skill to draw me into the story.

Instead of appearing as a frightening, dreary place, Frazer’s hospital is an exceptionally warm, caring environment and I enjoyed the temporary transition of Joliffe from player to spy to servant which this book offered.

Joliffe is an intriguing, complex character, and after reading the Dame Frevisse books, then this series, there are still mysteries in his life yet to be revealed to the reader.

I am an indifferent student of history, but I enjoy the well-researched deep dive into a period of history that These books offer the reader. The language is beautiful, the characters have heart and humor ( as well as brains) and i always complete one of Frazer’s books eager for another.

[Pamela Bronson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was delighted to discover quite recently that there were more Joliffe books than I had thought, so I immediately ordered this one from the library. I really enjoyed it, too.

I don't think it's a great murder mystery per se, but it's a very good read. The author does pull off a coup in terms of whom we expect the murder victim to be.

What I enjoy in these books is the characters and their interactions as well as the view of life in a very different era. I was amazed at what a clean and humane place a medieval hospital could be.

BTW, the blurb is inaccurate - take my advice and skip all blurbs of books you already know you want to read. And trust me, you want to read everything by Margaret Frazer. (Start with the Dame Frevisse books - the first one is The Novice's Tale.)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having returned to his troupe from is training as a spy, you might expect Joliffe to be embroiled in some secret mission for his sponsor, the bishop. However, he gets stuck working in a hospital in a rather static story. The company only gets to present one play in the course of the plot, in which Joliffe plays a statue of Saint Nicholas. The real star of the story is the demanding Mistress Thorncoffyn, who starts off as unbelievably obnoxious but becomes almost a cartoon character. The story is very well-researched and vividly evokes the medieval setting.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joliffe comes to rejoin his acting troupe after some clandestine training, and finds them stuck in a rural area while Bassett, their troupe leader, suffers a debilitating arthritis attack. While the rest of the troupe helps with harvest, Joliffe takes a position as dogsbody at the hospital where Bassett is being nursed. The normally pleasant atmosphere is disrupted poisonings and a death, an accident? or murder? Joliffe investigates.

Last in the series, the characterizations are deft and the milieu--medieval England--is convincing.

[Mary Helene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read during stressful days, rich in details of daily life. The plot was perhaps a little thin, but nonetheless, I emerged with (a) a visualization of 15th century hospital and (b) a sense of what players actually do, how theater gives us a gift of reflection and how the devotion of actors to their craft parallels health care professionals.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story, but

I love this series by Ms Frazer, and this book is no exception. However, it does proceed at its own deliberate pace. Still I'm thrilled there is at least one more to look forward to.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel this is a formula book, I didn’t find it interesting at all and was pretty darn generic. I gave it two stars because I didn’t guess the killer right away. I must add that I think this was the sixth in the series but the first and last I would read.

[Deborah Compton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading all of the Joliffe mysteries in order. I'm fascinated by the period and by the life of the players. As a theatre major, I'm hooked. The mystery to be solved by Joliffe is icing on the cake. A look at " health care" in this time period was also surprising.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the interesting parts about how early hospitals operated, the herbal remedies used and how Joliffe thought through the clues of of the death happened, most of this book is in thoughts, what Joliffe is thinking. For me this got old about half way through.

[Sharon Jacksack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable quick read with a lot of historical details.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different picture of a medieval hospital; fun mystery.

[JodiP · Rating 5 out of 5]

My great admiration for this author continues unabated. They are full of interesting well-drawn characters and the mystery unrolls I an interesting way.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It gives a more accurate description of that time in humanity.

[Linda Finlayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about medieval hospitals and found the mystery to be secondary, which was okay with me.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's impossible to review this book without the context of the previous five in the series (A Play of Isaac, A Play of Dux Moraud, A Play of Knaves, A Play of Lords, and A Play of Treachery), not to mention the context of the Dame Frevisse mysteries, in which Joliffe first appeared. And there's the fact that this is the last Joliffe mystery, as Margaret Frazer died last year.
I've enjoyed both the Dame Frevisse and the Joliffe mysteries very much throughout the years. The writing is spare, almost austere, but elegant. The characters are full of life and so well rounded. And the history is impeccably researched (as far as my amateur historian self can tell) and well integrated into the story. If the plots in the later books are not as intricate as they were in the beginning of either series, the pleasure I found in the characters more than made up for that.
A Play of Piety is no exception. Reading the book was bittersweet, knowing that no more would be forthcoming. And either because of that or because of the writing, I found the secondary characters compelling and enjoyable in their own right. Margaret Frazer's descriptions of medieval hospitals are detailed and fascinating, showing how much of our "knowledge" about the state of medieval medicine to be incorrect. And if the mystery itself was not as well plotted as some of her other books, the characterizations and the descriptions of the details of medieval life more than made up for it.
I am sorry that this is the last of Joliffe and the players. But I am grateful that the author has given me such pleasure over the years with her writing.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sixth in the series. These books by Frazer are entertaining in the skillful way they flush out fascinating cultural and social practices of people in 15th century England based on thorough reserach, using the experiences and interactions of Joliffe and his acting troupe to advance the plot lines, and on a larger level from book to book, the range of possible settings and situations for the series. This one takes place in the hospital of St. Giles in 1436. Basset, the leader of the troupe, is abed with a severe case of arthritis, as Joliffe, returning from his adventures in Paris, rejoins the group. (The other two adult male actors, Ellis and Gil, and Piers the boy are all helping with the harvest, Rose is cooking in the hospital kitchen, and their wagon-pulling horse Thisbe is munching grass in a nearby meadow.)

The daily routine and medical practices at the hospital described here offer a more sensible and salutary approach to maintaining or restoring health than I had expected, while one of the villians in this piece, the mammoth Mistress Thorncoffyn, leaves a distinctive impression not soon forgotten.

[Kilian Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joliffe is back where he belongs: with the troupe he started with. Bassett is laid up in hospital with a severe attack of arthritis that leaves him unable to walk. For the time of his healing, the players are drafted into helping with the harvest, except for Joliffe and Rose. They help the nursing sisters at the hospital that houses Bassett and seven other men in of healing.

Joliffe himself is in need of healing. Plagued by nightmares, the new knowledge and experiences of his time in France have troubled Joliffe's sleep.

I have fallen in love with Joliffe, and actually skip parts of the not very interesting murder mystery that is the excuse for the book. Sometimes I wish Margaret Frazer had been granted enough years to leave the murder mystery behind and write straight historical fiction. Her characters live in my mind and my heart, while the details murders are forgettable.

Excellent research (no tomatoes or potatoes in these books), wonderful characters, enjoyable dialogue, deepening understanding of the characters over time—what's not to like.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could almost be described as a contemplative entry to the series. It surprised me because I hoped to learn of what happened to Joliffe in Paris as that is where he was headed at the end of the book coming before this one. He only admits to having been there to Bassett without detail, only the certain knowledge that it was traumatic due to his loud outcries during the night. Bassett was bedridden in hospital where Rose and Joliffe worked to pay for his care while the rest of the troupe worked in the fields for harvest time. Joliffe once again works out who is behind murder and poisonings, but in this case a crowner took the load of that work to bring justice in the end. Logically this time of healing was required for Joliffe. Perhaps I will learn something of the details I hoped for in the next/last book. This book would be the wrong book to start with. The books in the Joliffe series really need to be read in order if possible.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, if not typical, entry in this series. Joliffe has returned from France to rejoin the troupe of traveling players he belongs to. However, rather than traveling around the countryside performing and solving mysteries for his patron, Lord Lovell, the players are staying in a small town during the harvest while their leader, Basset, recovers from a severe bout of arthritis. Joliffe works at the hospital with the sisters while Basset is there, and turns his wits to solving a mysterious death. It's a quiet entry to the Joliffe the Player series, but the characters and settings are so well drawn, and Joliffe is such a pleasant character to spend time with, that I didn't miss the greater action present in the other books in this series. This series is best read in order.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this 6th and final (?) volume in the Joliffe the Player series.  Joliffe rejoins his troupe of players after a sojourn as a spy in France.  In Piety, it is harvest time in 1436, and Joliffe discovers that Basset. the troupe's leader is laid up in a hospital, where, of course, there turns out to be mysteries to be solved.

The mulling over of the clues tends to be a bit repetitive, but does help if one forgets the connections between characters.  Reminded me of Alexander McCall Smith in that respect.