For my own reasons I rated somewhere between 3.75 and 4, although Athelstan as a character cannot be beat. Descriptions of 14th century London do give me the shivers, very gritty with too many adjectives repetitively used. Read Part One carefully as it is complex.
A convoluted plot starts and ends at the opulent (for 1381) Southwark tavern the Candle-Flame, built "on the profits of the recent war in France by Mine Host Simon Thorne". Built on blood,it is said, remember that!
England and especially London, being in a turmoil, the Regent John of Gaunt figures prominently. Gaunt's tax collectors are being targeted, presumably by a mysterious and unseen assassin called Beowulf, or are they? Sir John Cranston and Athelstan drop everything to get to the bottom of it.
Recommended, of course, for fans of this series and this genre, as well as historical mystery lovers of any kind. It is, after all" the Thirteenth of the Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan". Received from NetGalley for an honest review.
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