The Bone Fire by S.D. Sykes

First Line: December 1361. To the finder of this letter, If you are reading this, then I am dead.

When the Black Death resurfaces in England in 1361, Oswald de Lacy knows that the best thing to do is to find a safe place for him and his family to hide. The chosen place is the island fortress of Eden, home to de Lacy's eccentric friend, Godfrey, who invited them to come and wait out the plague during the long winter to come.

Once De Lacy, his wife,  young son, and mother arrive at the castle, the portcullis is lowered. No one is to enter or leave until the spring. But the de Lacys scarcely have time to settle in when a murder occurs and proves that the castle is not the place of security everyone had thought.

The inhabitants of Eden Castle aren't safe within its walls, but they cannot leave because the plague is decimating the countryside. The only thing Oswald can do is to attempt to solve the murder before the killer strikes again.

Sinister Eden Castle is the worst place to wait out the plague, and that choice of "safe haven" makes S.D. Sykes's The Bone Fire her best Somershill Manor mystery yet. Plague outside the walls, a killer on the loose within. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for locked room mysteries, and The Bone Fire delivers a multi-layered mystery that's fun to solve.

I've been a fan of this series from the first book, Plague Land, and it was interesting for me to witness how characters who had survived the first plague in 1348 behaved when it returned in 1361. Interesting facts about the era in which the book is set are seamlessly woven into the story. Oswald's friend Godfrey has prepared for a long siege, having his chosen guests bring in food and other necessities, while he carries out his own plans: the few servants in the castle are all female because females eat less, food storage is given top priority, and even entertainment is taken care of by hiring a fool.

The mystery is intricate, and you'll be surprised at just how much scuttling and hiding a few characters can do in a relatively small castle. Buttonholing each character and trying to find out his true agenda is quite a job, and as Oswald tries to do just this, he realizes his true task: "I was not a hero or a pariah. I was a nemesis." I would imagine I'm not the only person who immediately thinks of Miss Marple whenever I see the word nemesis, and Oswald definitely needs all of that woman's skills of deduction.

The setting is excellent, and so is the mystery, but the characters truly drive the story. Oswald has matured so much from the first book in the series. He's doing much less investigative stumbling around in The Bone Fire. His marriage is an interesting one, too. I still can't stand Oswald's mother, but the purpose of the supremely frustrating woman makes much more sense now. (Shame on me, but I'm still hoping that the next round of plague does her in.) The secondary cast of characters reads like something out of Chaucer: a lord and his lady, a knight, a religious extremist, a court jester, a drunk, a couple of traveling craftsmen-- and they all have an important place in this story.

If you enjoy historical mysteries, I urge you to read this series. Although best read in order, you can read The Bone Fire as a standalone. (But I hope you don't.)

The Bone Fire by S.D. Sykes

eISBN: 9781643132976
Pegasus Books © 2019
eBook, 320 pages

Historical Mystery, #4 Somershill Manor mystery
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley


 

City of Masks by S.D. Sykes

First Line: It was the carnival of Giovedì Grasso, the last Thursday before the Lent of 1358, and I had spent the afternoon in the Piazza San Marco, watching the many spectacles of the day.

It's 1358. Venice's war with Hungary means that Oswald de Lacy, Lord Somershill, and his mother are delayed in the city waiting for a ship to the Holy Land. Staying with an English merchant, Oswald immerses himself as much as possible with the delights of Venice, but no matter how he tries the thing he's running from--some mysterious something that happened in England-- refuses to stop following him.

When he finds a dead man on the street, he is dragged into a murder investigation that draws him deep into the intrigues and paranoia of this mysterious city. Everyone is watching or following someone else. No one in Venice is who they appear to be, and Oswald's investigation could very easily be the end of him, too. There are plenty of dungeons in Venice, you see...

I really enjoy S. D. Sykes' historical series. Oswald is a younger son who was destined for a life in the monastery, but when the Black Death killed his father and older brothers, he found himself Lord of Somershill Manor. Life in a religious order doesn't necessarily condition a person for running an estate, so Oswald has been on a learning curve that's interesting to watch. In City of Masks, ten years have passed, and while Oswald tries to conduct an investigation, readers slowly learn what happened in England to chase him away from his home.

Oswald is an interesting blend of intelligence and naivete. Growing up in the monastery has made him wise in several things ordinary people don't know, yet woefully ignorant in things those same ordinary people take for granted. His mother is a woman of her times who also manages to be thoroughly obnoxious with very little effort, but Sykes gives her some backstory so she's not just a two-dimensional stereotype.

The mystery in City of Masks kept me guessing, but as much as I enjoyed the story and the characters, it was Venice that was the shining star for me. Sykes brought this dazzling city to life in all its glory and filth-- and traveling to those outlying islands wasn't a picnic either. As I read, I felt as though I were in Venice with Oswald in 1358, and that's the best sort of armchair travel a reader can ask for.

If you enjoy historical mysteries with a vivid sense of place, strong stories, and interesting characters, I recommend S.D. Syke's Somershill Manor mysteries. To understand Oswald as much as possible, it would be a good idea to start at the beginning with Plague Land and The Butcher Bird but you could read City of Masks without feeling lost at all. It's up to you!

City of Masks by S.D. Sykes

ISBN: 9781681773421

Pegasus Books © 2017

Hardcover, 368 pages

Historical Mystery, #3 Somershill Manor mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.