The surgeon Hugh de Singleton is required to join Lord Gilbert Talbot’s forces in opposition to King Charles of France. Sir Simon Trillowe is another member of those forces. Simon has several grievances against Hugh, resulting in confrontations between the two. Those grievances are rehashed numerous times in this short book. That was unnecessary. When Simon is found dead, Hugh is the prime suspect.

I have not read any other books in this series, but this book worked fine as a standalone. There was a lot of interesting period detail. Unfortunately, the mystery wasn’t that special. I don’t know whether that is a characteristic of the series, or this book was just a dud. There was a definite homophobic slant to the case. I have no idea whether that was accurate for the period or not, but it was distasteful.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. ( )

The author’s comprehensive knowledge of the history of medieval England was used to good effect to create a convincing sense of time and place in this easy to read story. I enjoyed the way in which his meticulous attention to detail created a very credible image of what life was like for people living during that time. I was fascinated by the descriptions of battleground conditions and military strategy, as well as by the information about the range of herbal remedies available for treating a whole range of medical conditions and injuries, as well as details of the rather crude surgical techniques available at the time. I also appreciated the “Afterword” as this helped to put the story into an historical context – it is always good to learn something new! Hugh is a likeable character and I enjoyed his thoughtful and quite philosophical musings about his life, religion and the situations he encountered on a daily basis. The sleuthing/mystery elements of the story were well-plotted and entertaining. This is the ninth story in The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon and as I had read none of the preceding books there were, understandably, references to previous characters and incidences which would have made more sense to someone who had read the earlier books. In spite if this, the story is straightforward enough to be read as a stand alone piece. I found it a quick and entertaining read but did find myself wondering at which age group it is aimed. The quite simple, straightforward writing style made me think it is a book suitable for teenagers/young adults and, if that is the case, I would award it four stars but as a personal read I would have to give it one less because, at only 148 pages long, it was a rather short novel; in addition, I would have preferred more complexity in the story-telling.
I received this book from Lion Hudson plc (via Library Thing Early Reviewers) in exchange for an honest review. ( )

As a fan of historical novels I eagerly anticipated the receipt of this short book transpiring during medieval times in England and France. However, I did not foresee it would take me a while to get used to Mel Starr's writing style perhaps since he is known to be an expert on Medieval English. Fortunately a very valuable feature of the book centers on three useful tools, a glossary of terms, a crystal clear map and an afterword. All these items I would like to see more often in historical novels. Although this is the ninth book in the chronicles of Hugh de Singleton the novel clearly stands alone.

Hugh, a surgeon, is ordered by Lord Talbot to accompany him and the king to do battle in France. In the course of the story an enemy of Hugh is puzzling murdered. And that's what transforms this into a well plotted mystery.

It's easy to see that Starr can sustain this series. His ability to bring characters to life and to paint realistic and detailed settings marks the way ahead for a clear path to more chronicles of Hugh in the future. ( )

Lucifer's Harvest is the 9th (oh my word) book in the Hugh de Singleton chronicles. I've read half of them so far and this one is the best one yet in my opinion. Hugh's liege Lord Talbot is required to travel to France with soldiers to help the Prince take back some conquered land from the French. Lord Talbot decides he wants his surgeon along (a reasonable expectation when going to war!) and so Hugh finds himself traveling to France for the second time in his life, this time with an army.

Hugh's nemesis Sir Trillowe is among the troop and he still hasn't forgiven Hugh for past issues (even though Trillowe is the one behind his own problems). Turns out someone else found issue with him too. Hugh is blamed for the death by the man's father. As such Lord Talbot tasks him with finding the culprit to save his neck from being stretched, and the prince agrees with the undertaking.

This was an excellent addition to the series and I can't wait to catch up with the few I've missed to date! ( )

Mel Starr must have been a gifted teacher. I learn something about the Middle Ages every time I read another book about Master Hugh. Lord Gilbert is called to gather men and sail to France to fight on behalf of Prince Edward, and naturally, Lord Gilbert wants his surgeon along for the trek. Unfortunately for Master Hugh, Sir Simon is also among the men called to fight. Once again Master Hugh is called to solve a murder, and he also faces tragedy. It's a short but enjoyable addition to the Master Hugh de Singleton saga. ( )