1268, and William Falconer, Regent Master of Aristotle’s Hall at the University of Oxford, is heading for Lancaster. The remote Furness Abbey has a library that contains many books that would further Falconer’s knowledge of science, and contain information that Falconer’s friend, Roger Bacon, would find very useful to his studies. But some of the books are missing…

When a body is uncovered in Lancaster Bay, the beach overlooked by the abbey, it transpires that it belongs to Brother John, a monk who disappeared 15 years ago. And when Falconer discovers that the monk had been stabbed, he finds himself drawn into the mystery of what happened. And when another monk dies, it seems that the killer is still at the abbey – and Falconer may well be his next victim.

After The Seventh Trumpet, I thought I’d head back to another historical series that I’ve read, enjoyed and sort of forgotten about. There are nine Falconer books – this is the fourth – and I think it’s one of the best so far.

One of the most interesting things about a scientist in the thirteenth century is that magic and actual science were studied and believed in equal measure. The thought that something unearthly may be involved at one point is seriously considered by Falconer, which is an impressively accurate reaction. Of course, dear reader, this is a human crime, but Morson clearly knew what he was writing about.

This is also a good little mystery. The characters are interesting with good motivations and while perhaps it could have done with a couple more suspects, it’s still an intriguing story. Morson’s habit of changing how he refers to characters takes a bit of getting used to – Brother Fred, Fred Smith and Smith all being the same person in the space of a page or two – but remember, I am a reader of occasionally little brain.

There is also one very interesting resolution to one aspect of the story – it helps hide the murderer as well as being a genuinely surprising reveal. The less said about it, the better, but I did enjoy it a lot.

You can get all nine of the Falconer mysteries in an ebook for a pittance and if you like medieval mysteries, this one is definitely worth a look.