I am increasingly drawn not just to the mystery, but to the descriptions of buildings as well as the historical drama being played out in backdrop. Curse Google search! I couldn't get past the description of the local church without looking for pictures of it in photos. I was puzzled at the lack of semblance and then read that it had been destroyed and rebuilt much later. ( )

For women in medieval times, it didn't take much to undo and wreck their lives, even if they had been married to a prosperous, respectable, man. Christiana was confident in her position and place on earth. She was the wife of a loving man, a mother, a competent woman who saw to the running of the household and lands while her husband waited on the king. All of that changed swiftly when her husband died. In spite of him doing his best to see that his wife and daughters were provided for in the event of his death, he did not take into account the lengths his cousin would go to in order to take over his property. Christiana finds out to her sorrow, as she loses her home, her property, her daughters and even her freedom. Separated from those who love her, her reputation in shreds, she is forced into a nunnery as an immoral woman, under order of an Abbot not to speak. All seems lost to her, but what she doesn't realize, is that she has been placed into the priory of Dame Frevisse. As Frevisse works to unravel the lies from the truth and find the villain, Christiana desperately tries to protect her daughters and her mind.

A very satisfying read, full of bits of history and steeped in the customs of the 1440s, it is always a pleasure to read of Dame Frevisse. ( )

The story seem a bit obvious at first: also painful due to the harsh treatment the nuns imposed on a woman they had been told was a sinner but readers knew was a victim of greed. It grew more complex and was ultimately satisfying, though not amazing. ( )

Loved it! Will definitely read more from this series. ( )

This is one of my favorite series and this novel is as good as any that Frazer has written. Both her continuing characters and her new characters are interesting and well developed. The mystery is well done, and the story is wrenching but believable. (This is one of the saddest stories that I have ever read.)

I would recommend this series to fans of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael. Of all the series that have been likened to his, this is probably the closest in spirit. The characters are believably Medieval and Frevisse is a nun with a real vocation; the spirituality of the characters is portrayed very well - deep and real but not saccharine. ( )