Unhallowed Ground

-Mel Starr has done it again. This latest episode in the saga of Hugh de Singleton, medieval surgeon and detective, is another jewel in the author's crown. Each of these stand-alone dramas are tales of the highest order. The epoch and the region are portrayed with flawless beauty. His writing is superb. And the stories themselves are captivating. Highly recommended.- ' Davis Bunn, bestselling author Thomas atte Bridge, a man no one likes, is found hanging from a tree near Cow-leys Corner. All assume he has taken his own life, but Master Hugh finds evidence that this may not be so. Many of the town had been harmed by Thomas, and Hugh is not eager to send one of them to the gallows. Then he discovers that the worldly and corrupt priest John Kellet had been covertly in Bampton at the time Bridge died. Master Hugh is convinced that Kellet has murdered Bridge ' one rogue slaughtering another. Searching for proof he sets out for Exeter, where Kellet now works. But there he finds that the priest is an emaciated skeleton of a man, who mourns the folly of his past life. Hugh must return to Bampton ' and discover which of his friends has murdered his enemy -¦ -Mel Starr has given us another layered, compelling mystery, strong with abundant, telling details of everyday medieval life. This is a series well worth the reading.- ' Margaret Frazer, author of the Dame Frevisse medieval mysteries