The latest title I am touring as part of Litfuse is A Trail of Ink by Mel Starr. I received a complimentary copy in order to do this review. The thoughts and opinions are my own. The first two books about Hugh de Singleton, surgeon are The Unquiet Bones and A Corpse at St Andrew’s Chapel. These are medieval stories taking place in England.
A Trail of Ink is a classic whodunit. Add in the fact that the main character, Hugh de Singleton, is a Christian and the setting is 1365 Oxford. The sum of these things is a delightful read. The book is the third in a series following Hugh de Singleton, a surgeon, as bailiff of Bampton Castle. I have not read the first two – though I hope to change that soon – but it did not prove necessary. The prior cases were mentioned, but I was not left feeling as though I were missing crucial information.
There is a map of Oxford from 1375 to better understand the layout of the city where most of the story takes place. There is also a glossary at the beginning of the book. I like that this is located at the front. If you are not familiar with the language of this day, you should read this before diving into the story. This was a wonderful help in understanding exactly what was being said. Many of the words were familiar in a general sense. A few had a different meaning than I understood. One example is subtlety. The medieval usage is “an elaborate dessert, often more for show than consumption.”
Speaking of medieval food, meals and food were described with delicious detail. Being a lover of food and cooking, I really appreciated this. I would have enjoyed more a recipe or two, but I am not complaining. Many of the meals were a pottage, which probably do not have a recipe as most would think of today. This is after all a mystery, not a cookbook. If you read many mysteries, you know, details are important. Mr. Starr has done an excellent job in helping the reader to feel immersed in medieval Oxford.
The story started a little slow, but redeemed itself when I had a difficult time putting it down for the rest of the book. It seems as though Hugh may not ever recover the books, or find the thief. Then, one little thread of a lead turns into a tangled mass of page-turning trouble for Hugh. Throughout the twists and turns of solving the mystery of the stolen books, Hugh is courting Kate. Kate proves to be a good help to Hugh. Even though it is a subplot, it is easy to pull for the two to marry.
A Trail of Ink has been so enjoyable, I am recommending it to my husband as well. He does not like most of the mystery or thrillers that I read. He prefers something that is a little deeper, not just entertainment. I really feel he will enjoy this, and that says a lot. I also plan on reading it aloud to my children once we are to this point in our history studies. It is really that good!
Mel Starr was born and grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After graduating with a MA in history from Western Michigan University in 1970, he taught history in Michigan public schools for thirty-nine years, thirty-five of those in Portage, MI where he retired in 2003 as chairman of the social studies department of Portage Northern High School. Mel and his wife, Susan, have two daughters and seven grandchildren.